FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Victoria Casarrubias, Communications Director, vcasarrubias@dccouncil.gov
COUNCILMEMBER PINTO SENDS WARD 2 AND PUBLIC SAFETY BUDGET PRIORITIES TO MAYOR
Today, Councilmember Pinto shared her Fiscal Year 2025 budget requests with Mayor Bowser on behalf of Ward 2 residents and as the Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety. Councilmember Pinto met with and heard from Ward 2 residents, stakeholders, and government partners during meetings, community events, and her Ward 2 Budget Forum to inform her priorities to ensure the District moves forward in a more dynamic, stable, and safe direction. Specifically, Councilmember Pinto’s priorities focus on the District’s most pressing needs: public safety, housing, small business support and Downtown revitalization, education and youth support, public health and senior services, and reliable and affordable transportation.
Highlights of the letter include requests for Mayor Bowser to:
- Invest in Public Safety by funding the totality of Councilmember Pinto’s Secure DC Omnibus to prevent crime, increase accountability, and improve government coordination. Pinto also calls for bolstered funding to support staffing at critical public safety agencies, including at MPD, DOC, DYRS, OUC, ONSE, and FEMS.
- Catalyze the Reimagination of a Dynamic Downtown by investing in the short-term stabilization and long-term vibrancy of our Downtown to ensure it continues to draw residents, visitors, and businesses from across the region and world. As a substantial tax revenue source for District-wide initiatives, the economic viability of Downtown is vital to the District’s financial health.
- Support our Metro Transit System by fully funding the District’s contribution to WMATA to ensure a reliable, affordable, and safe transit system. Councilmember Pinto supports the District’s $200 million commitment, alongside Virginia and Maryland’s collective $280 million commitments, to help close WMATA’s $500 million funding gap and urges collaboration must work with Maryland and Virginia to fill the remaining $20 million gap without service cuts or fare increases.
To read the full letter, see below or click here.
###
