The week ahead: It’s not just about Initiative 77 and Airbnb regulations  

The DC Council is set to hold its second legislative meeting since returning from summer recess, with a packed agenda on Tuesday that includes a measure to repeal Initiative 77 and new restrictions on short-term, Airbnb-style rentals. The week’s calendar also includes public hearings on ivory and amplified noise, a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Ward 8 charter school, and much more.

 

Council agenda

On Initiative 77, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said at a press briefing Monday morning that he believes he has the nine votes necessary to overturn the measure that voters approved during the June primary to eliminate the separate minimum wage for tipped workers.

At-large Council member Elissa Silverman is pushing a compromise proposal, however. She announced Friday that she had the backing of Ward 1’s Brianne Nadeau and Ward 3’s Mary Cheh for her amendment, which would preserve a tipped wage credit for servers and bartenders while phasing out the subminimum wage for other workers in restaurants and other industries who receive tips.

“It listens to everyone,” Silverman said in a tweet. But Mendelson criticized the approach on Monday, saying, “That strikes me as a compromise that is not based on principle.”

Both versions incorporate provisions to address wage theft by stepping up government oversight and enforcement. The Washington Post, Washington City Paper and WAMU have covered the issue in recent days.

Meanwhile, Mendelson said he expects “healthy debate” on the measure to restrict Airbnb-type rentals. Officially dubbed the Short-term Rental Regulation and Affordable Housing Protection Act of 2018, the bill would set a 90-day annual cap on home-sharing rentals if the owner is not present. The measure would also prohibit the rental of second homes or apartments through Airbnb or similar services.

It’s a contentious subject, as it was at the council’s public hearing in April 2017. Airbnb has released a report decrying the impact on DC homeowners, including those living east of the Anacostia River; it also has purchased TV commercials criticizing the proposed restrictions for benefiting primarily the hotel industry. At Monday’s press briefing, Mendelson dismissed both objections and said the 90-day limit is consistent with regulatory approaches in many other jurisdictions. Meanwhile, a coalition of community groups, labor unions and residents is urging the council to pass the law in an effort to protect affordable housing.

The Post, WAMU and Curbed DC have written about the issue and Mendelson’s bill; the Post editorial board recently urged DC to “avoid taking a hacksaw” to the industry. Ward 6 Council member Charles Allen told The Post on Monday that he may introduce amendments to soften the bill.

Also up for consideration: In the wake of a summer spike in overdoses from synthetic drugs often called “K2” and “Spice,” the council is also set to consider emergency and temporary legislation that would make it easier for law enforcement to crack down on suppliers. At the behest of DC Attorney General Karl Racine, the council passed a similar emergency measure 2016, but the measure expired last year without action on a permanent version. Earlier this year, the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety held a public hearing on the permanent legislation just before the council’s summer recess. DCist, WTOP and The Post have covered the mayor’s request.

Among the many other topics on Tuesday’s council agenda:

• the nomination of DC Department of Transportation director Jeff Marootian to the board of directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority;
• the nominations of Joelle Robinson, Alexander Moore, Paul Reichel and Tambra Raye Stevenson to the Food Policy Council;
• a bill to expand the number of DC agencies that must provide language access services;
• legislation promising to ensure community access to recreation spaces, including changes in how the Department of General Services and DC Public Schools issue permits;
• the Save Good Food Amendment Act of 2018, which would create a tax credit for donating healthy, perishable foods such as fruits and vegetables, fresh and frozen meats, eggs, dairy products and prepared food;
• the Pathways to District Government Careers Act of 2018, which would establish a public-sector apprenticeship initiative as well as new partnerships between the DC Department of Human Resources and DC’s public schools; and
• a provision to require more frequent review of the boundaries of voting precincts to better reflect population shifts, part of an elections modernization measure that also would allow members of the State Board of Education, like other DC elected officials, to serve in leadership capacities in political parties.

Upcoming council committee hearings: In addition to the legislative meeting, the council has an array of public hearings on Wednesday and Thursday, including a continuation of an earlier examination of truancy and chronic absenteeism in DC schools. Among the other matters being discussed at committee hearings are:

• a measure to help protect seniors from financial exploitation;
• a bill to crack down on ivory and rhinoceros horn products in DC;
• a bill to create a center to research the “causes and effects of urban firearm violence” and to identify solutions to the problem in DC;
• a measure to protect residents from extortion based on their immigration status; and
• permanent and emergency legislation to regulate amplified noise in public space.

 

Mayor’s plans

Mayor Muriel Bowser will attend a Wednesday groundbreaking for the Early Childhood Academy Public Charter School in Ward 8, according to the Weekly Press Guidance released by her office. The ceremony from 2 to 3 p.m. at 885 Barnaby St. SE will mark the start of a project to rehabilitate an abandoned church and build a new 30,000-square-foot addition to provide a new home for the school, which has operated for 13 years in two separate community centers.

Also this week, Bowser will host a Thursday lunch for residents of the Arthur Capper Senior Apartments who were displaced by last month’s fire. Invitees also include the first responders from the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, community members who helped during the incident, and Marines from the nearby barracks who ran toward the fire to help rescue the building’s residents.

The mayor kicked off the week Monday with a groundbreaking at Delta Towers, a Ward 5 housing project for seniors; she also announced that her administration had committed $167.6 million from the Housing Production Trust Fund to projects that create or preserve affordable housing.

 

In the neighborhoods

There’s also a full lineup of community meetings held by advisory neighborhood commissions and community organizations (for a full list and meeting details, check The DC Line’s Civic Calendar). On Tuesday night, the Palisades Citizens Association will hold a candidates forum for the Ward 3 and at-large DC Council races. The same night, the DC Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of General Services will hold a community meeting to provide an update on the contentious Hearst Park and Pool modernization project. On Wednesday morning, the DC Office of Tax and Revenue will host the first in a series of seven workshops this month on real property tax relief programs that are available to reduce the tax liability for senior citizens; the session at 11:30 a.m. will be held at the Model Cities Senior Wellness Center in Ward 5.

 

Education matters

On Wednesday, the State Board of Education will hold its monthly working session, which will include discussion of a research report commissioned from data analyst Mary Levy on DC schools, students and teachers. And on Thursday, the Ward 8 Education Council and DC State Board of Education representative Markus Batchelor will hold a town hall to discuss the selection of the next permanent chancellor, with Ward 8 Council member Trayon White expected to attend. Also on Thursday, the Ward 7 Education Council will hold an open discussion with at-large DC Council member David Grosso, chair of the Education Committee.

This post has been updated to include links to additional articles and to include the Ward 7 Education Council meeting.