Dear Neighbor,
We are making important progress on the District’s budget. On Friday, the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety approved the Fiscal Year 2027 budget report and recommendations that focus on investments to support and empower our young people, interrupt cycles of violence, support our public safety workforce, and bolster foundational needs to empower healthy and thriving communities.
Yesterday, the DC Council held a budget work session and each committee chair outlined their priorities. The Council will hold the first reading and first vote on the budget on Tuesday, June 9th and will hold a second vote on the Local Budget Act and vote on the Supplemental Budget Act on Tuesday, June 23rd.
Finally, active civic engagement is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy and that includes exercising our right to vote. As we look ahead to the upcoming primary and special elections, I want to share information from the DC Board of Elections, which is the independent agency of the District government responsible for the administration of elections, ballot access, and voter registration. This will provide you with what you need to know about where and how you can vote, as well as information about Ranked Choice Voting, which is newly implemented for the first time this year in the District. The District’s primary election will be held on Tuesday, June 16th.
Yours in service,
Brooke
Legislative Updates
Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Passes Budget Report
On Friday, May 22nd, the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety unanimously approved the FY 27 budget report and recommendations.
In the Community
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:
- Celebrating our seniors and the support from Iona Senior Services that helps ensure our older residents in the District can age safely and with community
- Meeting with Kappa Alpha Psi for their advocacy day to discuss our shared goals of increasing housing production, expanding internet access for residents across the District, and promoting more economic opportunities for all DC residents
- Joining Bike to Work Day to encourage active alternatives and reduce traffic congestion and environmental impacts
- Meeting with neighbors and the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANCs) in Georgetown’s East Village to discuss solutions to improve pedestrian safety along P Street NW
Announcements
THRONE AT SHAW SKATE PARK
There is a new public restroom via Throne at 11th and Q Streets NW outside the Shaw Skate Park. This comes after Councilmember Pinto advocated for and funded free public restrooms around Ward 2. These restrooms are cleaned multiple times a day and allow users ten minutes to use. Public restroom access is a basic human right and these help keep our neighborhoods healthy and clean.
DC HEALTH LINK
Over 2,000 District residents are in jeopardy of losing health coverage unless they take action by June 3rd. Look out for mail, phone calls, and emails from DC Health Link. If you hear from DC Health Link or Healthy DC Plan, please do not ignore them. You need to verify some information to keep your health insurance coverage. Emails will come from healthydcplan@dc.gov.
