Brooke's Briefing: Budget Priorities, Women's History Month, and Performance Oversight

<< Newsroom
Posted by
S. Manning
on
March 10, 2025
Brooke Pinto - DC Council - Ward 2

Dear Neighbor,

The District faces a challenging task of addressing budgetary restraints in the face of a projected $1 billion shortfall following the drastic cuts to the federal workforce, vacant office buildings, and trailing valuations impacted by the pandemic. In recognizing this sobering fiscal forecast, I have submitted my budget request for Fiscal Year 2026 with a focus on our most pressing needs: improving public safety, economic resilience, and youth education and services.

Together, the District has made significant progress in reducing violent crime following last year’s passage of my Secure DC legislation, and the work must continue. My budget priorities include increasing funding for recruitment and retention across our public safety agencies. It also includes investments in Downtown revitalization and supports for our young people to set them on a path of success. You can read my full letter detailing my budget priorities here.

Congress introduced a Continuing Resolution over the weekend that would have devastating impacts on the District’s budget for the current fiscal year, undoing our legally passed budget that was certified last July. In practice, this action by Congress would lead to an additional $1 billion of cuts to our budget to take place immediately that would have devastating impacts on crucial spending potentially to include layoffs or furloughs for our police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other essential government workers. It is critical that we ensure we have the resources to continue to improve public safety, ensure our schools can operate, and can continue to provide critical city services to residents such as homeless services and rental assistance. Across our local government, we stand together in fighting for DC’s budget and are asking Congress not to reduce the District’s funding levels for DC’s own locally generated revenue.

Women’s History Month

I want to wish everyone a happy Women’s History Month! While the contributions and accomplishments of women are felt year-round in the District, I am excited to celebrate the month of March in recognition of the strong and vibrant women of past, present, and future generations. I am committed to fighting for women and girls of all ages and backgrounds to ensure we protect access to reproductive healthcare, empower mothers and families in the workplace, and support the economic vitality of women in business.

As I reflect on the extraordinary women who inspire me every day, I often think of my Aunt and Godmother, Celeste Pinto McLain who attended Trinity College and Georgetown University Law Center here in Washington, DC as one of only several women in her law school class. Celeste has inspired me to pursue my passions, embrace challenges with a growth mindset, and live out my faith.

Speaking of being inspired, I want to thank all of our hardworking transportation workers who help District residents and visitors get safely to and from where they need to go every day. I was thrilled to take part in the 6th annual Transportation Bingo week, which helps highlight the importance of actively using and supporting our public transportation systems and our city’s public spaces. I encourage everyone to utilize our extensive public transportation systems to help reduce our carbon footprint.

Yours in Service,

Brooke

Performance Oversight

The Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety has been holding performance oversight hearings for District agencies under its purview. The Committee conducts oversight of agencies that affect criminal law and procedure, juvenile justice, police protection, correctional institutions, fire prevention, emergency medical services, homeland security, criminal justice, and public safety.  

On February 25th, the Committee heard from the Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG), Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, and Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE).  

OAG represents the District in most civil litigation, prosecutes certain adult and juvenile criminal matters, and represents the District in a variety of administrative hearings and other proceedings. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for OAG including:

HSEMA’s mission is to manage the planning and coordination of the District's emergency response efforts and to ensure the District is prepared to prevent, protect against, respond to, mitigate and recover from all threats and hazards, whether natural or manmade. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for HSEMA including:

ONSE was launched in 2017 to create a public health-based, community-oriented model of violence prevention and public safety. ONSE was created based on the premise that the overwhelming majority of serious violent crime is committed by a relatively small group of people, and that by identifying and engaging more robustly these individuals, we can drastically reduce violent crime in our city. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for ONSE including:

On February 27th, the Committee heard from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), the Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives (MOWPI), the Corrections Information Council (CIC), and the Department of Corrections (DOC).  

CJCC is an independent agency that serves as a forum for identifying challenges and generating solutions to enhance public safety and the fair administration of justice for District residents, visitors, victims, and justice-involved individuals. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for CJCC including:

MOWPI aims to support and advocate for women in the District through research and community involvement. MOWPI is also responsible for providing programs and workshops for women in the District to advance their health and economic status. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for MOWPI including:

CIC is an independent body responsible for inspecting, monitoring, and reporting on the conditions of confinement at any facility where District Residents are incarcerated, including DOC facilities, federal Bureau of Prisons facilities, and private facilities. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for CIC including:

DOC is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for individuals in custody at the District’s correctional facilities, which include pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for DOC including:

On March 5th, the Committee heard from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice (DMPSJ), Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS), the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS), and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME).

The Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice is responsible for providing direction, guidance, and support to, and coordination of, the District’s public safety agencies to develop and lead interagency public safety initiatives to improve the quality of life in the District’s neighborhoods. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for DMPSJ including:

The mission of FEMS is to preserve life and promote health and safety through excellent pre-hospital treatment and transportation, fire prevention, fire suppression and rescue activities, and homeland security awareness. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for FEMS including:

The mission of DFS is to provide high-quality, timely, accurate, unbiased, transparent, and reliable forensic science services to District and other law enforcement and investigative agencies, with the overarching goal of enhancing public safety. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for DFS including:

OCME is an important part of our public safety ecosystem. The agency investigates all deaths in the District that occur as a result of violence, those that occur unexpectedly, without medical attention, or in custody, or that represent a threat to public health. During the oversight hearing, the Committee discussed several priorities Councilmember Pinto has for OCME including:

The Committee’s next performance oversight hearing is on Tuesday, March 11, which will include the Office of Police Complaints (OPC) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Please reach out to my team at judiciary@dccouncil.gov if you have any questions or concerns you would like to share.

Witnesses who anticipate needing language interpretation, or requiring sign language interpretation, are asked to inform the Committee of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before a hearing during registration or by contacting Aukima Benjamin, Committee Manager to the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, at (202) 724-8058 or via e-mail at judiciary@dccouncil.gov.  

Over the last two weeks, Councilmember Pinto and Team Pinto have met with residents, advocacy groups, and District officials in Ward 2 and across the District, including:

DC 20250: The District’s Next Comprehensive Plan

The Mayor and the DC Office of Planning (“OP”) have announced the first full rewrite of the comprehensive plan for DC since 2006. Over the next two years, OP will work with District residents, community-based organizations, businesses, and elected officials to develop a plan that guides where and how the District builds new housing, creates jobs, connects neighborhoods, preserves history, and invests in public spaces.

Residents are encouraged to visit DC2050.com to take the DC 2050 Vision Survey and participate in upcoming public meetings:

Residents can register for these events here. At the meetings, attendees will learn more about DC 2050, participate in interactive discussions and stations, and share their perspectives on the city’s future.

Update on Dupont Deckover Project

Team Pinto would like to provide a brief update on the Connecticut Ave Streetscape and Deck-Over Project, known as Dupont Deckover. This project will provide intersection and drainage improvements and enhance safety, mobility, and sustainability and is estimated to begin around April 2025, but it depends on the speed of the contracting process.

The contracting process is now underway and typically takes a few months. It includes reviewing and approving the construction schedule. Councilmember Pinto has been urging the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) to work with the construction company to get construction started as soon as possible. Construction is currently estimated to last 27 months and be completed in 2027.

We know this project will be very impactful for surrounding neighbors and businesses and we will continue to think strategically about the best ways to be supportive as construction begins to mitigate the impacts as much as possible. We appreciate the strong support from ANC 2B and the Dupont Circle BID throughout this process.

Brandywine Valley SPCA

Beginning January 1, 2025, the Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) entered into a partnership with DC Health to deliver all animal care and control services for Washington, DC. In the first month, BVSPCA has also launched adoptions for dogs, cats, and other critters, Express Pet Health Services for family pets, as well as volunteer and foster programs to engage the community in our work. BVSPCA is already celebrating reuniting lost pets with their worried families, adoptions of pets needing a new home, and lifesaving medical care for DC animals in need.

You can learn more about Brandywine Valley SPCA and its services at bvspca.org/dc.

To report an animal in distress in the District, please call BVSPCA at (202) 888-PETS.  

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