Results tagged “dccouncil”

As the political fracas continues over the $82 million in parks and rec contracts that D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty quietly funneled through the D.C. Housing Authority (much of it handed to contractors with cozy ties to the mayor), members of the D.C. Council are demanding accountability. None more so than Council member Michael A. Brown (I-At Large). Or not. No, he is. Really. We think.

D.C. Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) has introduced a bill that would ban more than a dozen hazardous chemicals from being sold in the District, the Examiner reports. Among the materials listed in the proposed ban: Mattresses and furniture containing polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, which act as flame retardents; food or beverage containers intended for children younger than 6 that contain Bisphenol-A, or BPA, which has been linked to neurological health problems; and body scrub beauty products that contain synthetic microbeads, which are often blamed for contributing to oceanic pollution.

Rumors about a possible D.C. Council run by ANC 1C chair Bryan Weaver have been circulating for weeks now, and DCist had been dutifully pestering the longtime Adams Morgan activist to confirm his intentions for some time before ... getting royally scooped by Loose Lips this afternoon. Sigh. Weaver "filed exploratory papers with the Office of Campaign Finance on Tuesday," Mike DeBonis reports.

It was obviously pre-planned, but the ongoing D.C. Council hearing on the same-sex marriage bill just had a little awwww moment. D.C. resident and local architect Andy Rollman started it out with his testimony, during which he explained that he's been a happily single gay man all of his life, up until recently.

As the 2010 election season gets underway, DCist will endeavor to interview as many of the candidates for city office as we can. This week, we speak with At-large D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D), who is currently running for re-election.

So D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles gave Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh (D) some flowers today (City Desk even has a photo of said flowers). He did this in an attempt to apologize for telling a Washington Post reporter he thought Cheh, who recently criticized the Fenty administration for trying to keep Ximena Hartsock in her job at DPR for a while longer, was "stupid" and "an angry woman," remarks that struck this writer as pretty sexist. So it's hard not to raise an eyebrow at least partially at the act of giving this "angry woman" some flowers to appease her irrational temper.

Legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in the District is going to pass, and no one is more aware of that fact than its opponents. Seeing that they've got little chance of swinging any votes on the D.C. Council, they've instead announced an offensive that will include pushing Congress to stop the legislation from taking effect and using the courts to enforce the federal Defense of Marriage Act on the city.

I only made it through watching about 3 1/2 hours of Monday's D.C. Council hearing on the same-sex marriage bill before I had to call it a night, and the majority of speakers I heard supported the legislation. Gay, straight, and religious leaders alike came forward to share moving personal stories about what it would mean for the longtime committed same-sex couples in their lives to finally be able to marry. But there were plenty of opponents among those who testified as well. Many cited their anger that the bill's passage appeared to be a foregone conclusion, since it already has enough co-signers to clear the full Council. Others referenced deeply held religious beliefs that marriage can only be between one man and one woman. The tone of the evening ranged from reasoned discourse to tears to outright shouting.

The D.C. Council Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary's hearing on the same-sex marriage bill is going on now, and you can watch it live online.

The story of Pepin Tuma, the local lawyer who back in July was arrested by a D.C. police officer after singing the words "I hate the police" while walking down U Street, has made its way in front of the D.C. Council, leading to serious talk about revising the District's disorderly conduct laws. The Legal Times blog and Huffington Post both covered Friday's hearing, during which Tuma testified about his experience while flanked by pro bono counsel from his former firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. And it looks like Tuma's message got through to Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary chairman Phil Mendelson. From the BLT: 'During the hearing, Mendelson made it clear he thought it was time for changes in the law, pointing out that parts of it were more than a century old, and that it had been criticized by Gerald Ford’s President’s Commission On Crime in the District of Columbia.' Unsurprisingly, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier and D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles have expressed their opposition to changing the law, which currently allows officers latitude in making arrests for what they deem to be disorderly conduct. The officer in this case, however, is being investigated by both the police department's Internal Affairs Bureau and the independent Office of Police Complaints, according to Huffington Post.

Let's just say that the Fenty administration and the D.C. Council aren't planning any friendly get togethers any time soon.

Mary Cheh is a smart lady. She's got tenure at George Washington University Law School and has a master's degree from Fair Harvard. That said, it was slightly mystifying to read the following, located about halfway through an interview Cheh gave to the Washington Post magazine. Cheh's gee-whiz tone throughout (the best part of being a politician: "hugs and the free food") certainly didn't help when the magazine asked what her biggest "goof" was. Cheh's answer:

As we wrote this morning, Monday's going to be a long day for members of the D.C. Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, as they hear public testimony on the same-sex marriage bill. The committee has since released the list of witnesses for Monday – all 100 of them.

If you've got a whole lot of free time on Monday, think about heading down to the John A. Wilson Building. On that day, the D.C. Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety is holding a hearing to record public testimony on legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in the District. The hearing is shaping up to be one of those marathon sessions where Council members struggle to stay awake as they participate in a ritual of representative democracy: letting everyone have their say.

Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham is relinquishing his lead role in oversight of the city's taxicab industry, despite an earlier determination from Council Chair Vincent Gray that Graham should keep taxis in his portfolio as chairman of the public works and transportation committee. Graham has asked Gray to transfer taxicab oversight powers to the Committee of the Whole.

Both D.C. Wire and WJLA have updates on the health of former mayor and Ward 8 D.C. Council member Marion Barry, who was hospitalized early Tuesday morning to be treated for "dehydration," according to his spokesperson. Barry remained in Howard University Hospital's intensive care unit on Wednesday, according to both reports, and will likely not be discharged for at least a "few days." Seems kind of extreme for a case of dehydration, but considering Barry's age and health (he's 73, has diabetes and recently underwent kidney transplant surgery), we suppose it makes sense for his doctors to be overly cautious. Barry spokesperson Natalie Williams elaborated to WJLA that Barry's doctor also diagnosed the councilman with a mild infection.

At last, we have the details on the D.C. Council committee hearing on the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009, aka, the same-sex marriage bill that members of the D.C. Council, led by David Catania (I-At large), did indeed introduce this morning.

The D.C. Council voted today to give preliminary approval to a bill that would allow District of Columbia voters to cast early ballots and to register and vote on Election Day. The Post has more on the story.

Whatever you may think of the tenor of Friday's parks and recreation committee hearing, it looks like it won't end up mattering: the D.C. Council has just voted 7-5 to deny confirmation to acting Department of Parks and Recreation director Ximena Hartsock.

Marion Barry may be sick in the hospital today, but he and fellow D.C. Council member Harry "Tommy" Thomas, Jr. (D-Ward 5) were taken to task today by the Washington Post's editorial board for making racist and sexist comments Friday night at a parks and recreation committee hearing on the confirmation of acting Department of Parks and Recreation director Ximena Hartsock.

D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) has been hospitalized for dehydration, the Post is reporting this morning. Barry did not show up for the Council's Tuesday morning legislative session, at which point word finally came down from Bernadette Tolson, his chief of staff, that the councilman was admitted to Howard University Hospital at 3 a.m. this morning.

More than two dozen people have been indicted in the rapidly expanding federal bribery investigation into the D.C. taxi industry, the Post's Del Quentin Wilber is reporting. That's a whole lotta people. So who, besides Ted Loza, are they? They're "cab drivers or others with financial ties to the industry," most of whom will probably be arrested today, according to anonymous sources. Keep your eye out for handcuffed cab drivers this afternoon!

Despite offering some lukewarm remarks last week deferring to the D.C. Council on the effort to extend full marriage benefits to same-sex couples in the District of Columbia, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton offered a statement today in support of marriage equality legislation the Council will take up next week. "Although opposition by some in the House already has been announced, I believe Congress will and should defeat opposition to gay marriage rights in the District of Columbia as enacted by the District’s own elected officials," Norton said. "Opposition to civil rights is not new. We should approach the rights of gay couples and families with the same resolution and results as we had for others who have sought their human rights in Congress and in the District."

The plight of the D.C. urban chicken owner has been a hot topic this year, with a big write-up in the Post about how awesome it is to have fresh eggs, and how much of a drag it is to be forced into adopting a clandestine approach to chicken ownership. Enter Ward 6's Tommy Wells, who, in addition to a chicken in every pot, would like to see a chicken in every backyard. Wells has introduced legislation that would do away with the current regulations, which prohibit fowl within 50 feet of any building “used for human habitation,” the Examiner reports.

At-Large D.C. Council member David Catania (I) will introduce legislation to extend full marriage rights to same-sex couples in the District of Columbia on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Even though a new Washington Post report today suggests D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) may not actually be a target of the corruption investigation that ensnared his chief of staff, the D.C. Republican Committee keeps hounding him like he definitely is.

After first merely postponing a hearing on his recently proposed taxicab legislation in the wake of related federal bribery charges against his chief of staff, Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham has gone ahead and withdrawn the bill entirely, Tim Craig is reporting at D.C. Wire. In a rich bit of political theater, Graham is also apparently trying to sell reporters on the notion that this decision has "nothing to do" with the charges against Ted Loza. "Graham said he is pulling the bill because of confusion and opposition within the taxicab industry to a medallion system." Suuuuuure.

Two big updates today on the ongoing federal bribery probe into Ted Loza, chief of staff to Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham.

Last week's arrest and indictment of Ted Loza, Ward 1 D.C. Council member Jim Graham's chief of staff, continues to put Graham in a rather unpleasant spotlight this morning. After WUSA9 first reported on Monday that the FBI investigation was also targeting the councilman, FOX-5 followed up last night with its own story, noting that Graham refused to go on the record all day on Monday in response to the allegations (earlier that morning when we saw him, Graham claimed he still hadn't read the story).

The D.C. Council is taking up a bill this session that would expand parts of the existing citywide smoking ban, including a provision that would allow property owners to legally prohibit smoking within 25 feet of any building entrance, even if that area includes public areas like sidewalks, Michael Neibauer reports today in the Examiner. The idea is to cut down on the number of times city residents are forced to walk through a gauntlet of smokers standing outside office building doors, an experience that's admittedly unpleasant for plenty of folks. But the question then becomes: if every business follows through on such a ban, where are smokers supposed to go? Not to mention: who would be responsible for enforcing this rule? Could individuals end up being ticketed by police for smoking on the sidewalk? There's going to be a lot of details to iron out on this one.