DC Council

District lawmakers Monday grappled with whether they should take the extraordinary step to overturn a law approved by voters that raises wages for servers, bartenders and others who earn tips. A marathon hearing on a bill to repeal…

The D.C. restaurant industry spent the summer grappling with a divisive ballot referendum that seeks to eliminate the tip credit in the District. Today the pros and cons of Initiative 77 will resurface at a marathon hearing on a bill…

Guess who's back! The D.C. Council returns from its summer recess on September 17 with no shortage of issues on the docket. These next few months are particularly important because they're the final ones of this two-year council session.…

The fate of a wage hike approved by voters for servers, bartenders and other tipped workers in the nation’s capital comes before the D.C. Council on Monday. A majority of the council wants to repeal the measure, which was passed by 56 …

Ahh. With fall just around the corner, what better way to introduce a season-opening show titled B 22-913 Tipped Wage Workers Fairness Amendment Act of 2018 and starring the same Democratic lawmakers who take longer summer breaks than most…

The District could halve its emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change if the DC Council passes clean energy legislation that was introduced over the summer, according to internal DC government numbers.

The District’s business establishment endured a devastating blow this week when its handpicked candidate to unseat a progressive lawmaker was tossed off the November ballot after it was determined her qualifying petitions were filled with…

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson plans to revise a bill that amends a key chapter in the city's comprehensive plan with language to establish affordable housing as a priority and provide clarity on how the Zoning Commission can…

On Tuesday afternoon, 17 years and four hours after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh pulled up to the Engine 31 firehouse on Connecticut Avenue in Forest Hills. Six firefighters stood to attention as Cheh swept in,…

At-Large Council candidate dumped by Mayor Williams intends to fill the void left by the disqualification of S. Kathryn Allen.

If you plan to attend next Monday's hearing on the bill repealing Initiative 77, bring snacks that do not require refrigeration. As of this morning, 140 people are signed up to testify. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson's office expects the…

The mini-drama over fraudulent nominating petitions playing out before D.C.’s Board of Elections proves the new normal in District politics: Business elites and political machines no longer call the shots. On Monday, the elections board is…

Call it the wage increase that wasn’t. In June, 10 percent of registered D.C. voters supported Initiative 77, a ballot measure to raise the base wage for tipped employees by 200 percent. Proponents of the measure portrayed this low-turnout…

This fall, the D.C. Council is expected to join other local jurisdictions in considering regulations for short-term, Airbnb-style rentals in which homes and apartments function as hotels. Council members should learn from the…

Next week, the Council will reconvene until this legislative period concludes in December. Over the coming months, my colleagues and I will work feverishly on a wide range of legislative topics. One piece of legislation that I will focus on…

Thanks to the District’s growing economy, the city is collecting a lot more tax revenue this year than expected, creating an immediate opportunity to meet some of the city’s most urgent needs, like housing and schools. This is a chance to…

Since his release from prison weeks ago, Kareem McCraney has spent time wandering around Washington, barely recognizing the places where he grew up. The apartments and homes he knew have been replaced by upscale shops and condos.

I don’t understand the elitist, “let them eat cake” attitude of the Sept. 1 editorial “It’s okay to be cash-free.” Note that the banning of cash transactions is clearly a gentrification strategy to keep out the riffraff and has been imposed…