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WARD 1 UPDATE

Hello Neighbors:

This month, we celebrated the opening of the new Park Morton apartments. Fifteen former residents—so far—have moved back into their neighborhood. Many people worked through a lot of challenges to get us here.

I’ve been working on this project, with all of you, for more than 12 years, since before I was elected to the Council, and many of you have been working on it longer than that. So many people in the community have poured their hearts into this project.

This is exactly what we’ve talked about since the start—delivering beautiful, dignified housing to the people of Park Morton. This is an incredible accomplishment for the neighborhood, the Ward, the District. For affordable housing in D.C.

I’ve promised since my first term in office to build more affordable housing across Ward 1 and the District, and I’m excited to report that the planning area that includes Ward 1 has exceeded the housing targets set by the Mayor in 2019 by more than 50 percent! That is the biggest increase west of the Anacostia River.

That is a true testament to the advocacy and commitment of the people of Ward 1 to creating more housing. We are the densest and most diverse ward in the city and our shared values and commitment shine through on housing issues every day.

I’m thrilled to see this great surge in affordable housing and amenities across our ward and see our long-term vision for the community coming to fruition.

P.S. It’s that time again – leaf collection season begins Monday, November 3! Be sure to read on for important reminders from DPW. 

COUNCIL UPDATES

I’m holding a public hearing on possible human rights violations resulting from coordination with fed agencies

Residents are scared and angry about D.C. government coordination with federal law enforcement, especially around immigration enforcement – and the possible human rights violations that result from it.

My committee at the Council will give them a public forum to share their concerns on Wednesday, starting at 9:30 am. Testimony may include instances of government agencies sharing arrest or booking info – including immigration status – with federal agencies, conducting stops or detentions that disproportionately target people perceived as immigrants, disproportionate enforcement activities in residences and businesses in neighborhoods with larger immigrant populations, and encampment clearings.

You can submit written testimony and watch the hearing live.

The crisis of chronic absenteeism

Truancy and chronic absenteeism are crises we need to tackle if our students are going to reach their full potential. At a Council hearing on October 15, I was eager to hear from educators about what's working and what isn't. It’s clear we have a lot of work ahead of us.

Watch the video and read my full remarks.

Protecting concert goers, renters, and homeowners

Last week was all about consumer protection at the Committee on Public Works & Operations. I chaired a hearing on three bills that seek to protect District residents as concert goers, renters, and homeowners. Here's a quick video rundown on the three bills.

You may have heard about the RESALE Act: This bill aims to cap resale prices for live entertainment events and require licenses for resellers who sell more than 50 tickets in a year. It also requires pricing transparency and refunds in certain cases.

The second bill, the Enhancing Consumer Protection Procedures Act, I introduced along with Chairman Mendelson to make updates to the Consumer Protection Procedures Act and protect consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices. The updates focus on providing District agencies with the necessary enforcement tools.

The third bill, the Housing with Integrity Act, is designed to create more consequences for landlords with repeated housing code violations. I'm eager to find a way to create greater accountability for the property owners who refuse to provide livable conditions for their tenants.

The Committee will now work to mark up these bills and decide whether to send them to the full Council for a vote.

A flawed TOPA amendment still needs a fix

An amendment to the RENTAL Act passed by the Council last week will allow an exemption to the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) for buildings with two to four units – arguably the largest change made to TOPA in decades.

There’s so much we still don’t have answers to about this amendment that was passed with no public input – despite taking housing rights away from more than 15,000 households. I voted no.

I will propose legislation to further streamline the sale process for small buildings and fix this flawed amendment, and it will get a full public hearing with time to get it right. All tenants, regardless of the size of building they live in and who owns it, deserve a say in what happens to their home.

BRIANNE IN WARD 1

I stopped by the awesome children’s hour at this month's Kilbourne Place block party. Thanks to Frank Agbro for keeping this community celebration going all these years.

The opening of the new Park Morton apartments was an amazing day! Part of the Ward 1 housing production success story!

COMMUNITY UPDATES

Free meals for furloughed federal workers

World Central Kitchen is serving free meals at locations across D.C. for furloughed federal workers and their families that have been affected by the U.S. government shutdown. Locations will be updated daily on their website.  

We have additional resources for federal workers on our website. 

Leaf collection begins November 3

The days are getting shorter, the smell of pumpkin is in the air, and the leaves are falling! DPW teams will be fanning out across the city for leaf collection on every street from now until December 27. The second pass will take place after the first is complete and as weather permits.

Leaf collection will begin on Monday, November 3, for DPW-serviced households in Section A. Find your collection section and use the real time leaf tracker on the dedicated DPW website.

If your street has not been serviced after DPW announces that crews have moved on to the next section, please call 311 (202-737-4404) or visit 311.dc.gov to open a “Leaf Collection Missed” service request.

Compost your pumpkins

Don’t trash that Jack-O-Lantern. Reminder that pumpkins – without paint, glitter, glue, and stickers – can be composted at any of the 31 food waste bins across the city (cut them into 3-inch pieces first!) or at one of the weekend drop-off sites. You can also participate in Zero Waste DC’s Annual Pumpkin Toss at the Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market on Saturday, November 8, 15, and 22.

Get help with apartment heating issues

As temperatures turn colder, a reminder that the Office of the Attorney General’s mediation services prioritize lack of heat complaints from District tenants when it is your landlord’s responsibility to provide heat. The program also prioritizes utility disconnections, such as loss of water, electricity, or gas.

To submit a complaint, call the OAG Consumer & Tenant Hotline at 202-442-9828 and leave a message, or visit oag.dc.gov/complaint.

IN THE NEWS

THE POLITICS HOUR
The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi

“It’s all about getting litter up, and everybody hates litter. You know, this is the most effective way to cut litter off our streets, out of our parks, out of our rivers.”
Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau joined The Politics Hour to talk about D.C.’s Bottle Bill, TOPA, and more.

AXIOS
D.C. Council votes again on major changes to tenant protections

WASHINGTON POST
D.C.’s renegade ride-hailing service keeps on running

“The only outcome that will be acceptable to me will be that they comply with our laws or cease operating,” council member Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1), who has been investigating the company, said in a statement. “Until one of those two things happen, all of their riders and drivers are at risk with no recourse.”

THE 51ST
Is the long saga of the ride-hailing app Empower finally over?

STREET SENSE
A deposit-based bottle recycling program could offer homeless communities an opportunity to make a profit

CALENDAR

Council Committee on Public Works & Operations Roundtable
Wednesday, October 29, 9:30 am | online and in-person
The committee will hear testimony from residents and organizations about incidents that involve D.C. government coordination with federal entities or joint enforcement activity and possible violations of the D.C. Human Rights Act that may result.

Council Legislative Meeting
Tuesday, November 4, 12 pm | online and in-person

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1C
Wednesday, November 5, 7 pm | online

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1B
Thursday, November 6, 6:30 pm | online

Council Committee on Public Works & Operations Hearing
Thursday, November 6, 9:30 am | online and in-person
The committee will hear testimony on the Nonprofit Services Preservation Amendment Act of 2025.

Council offices closed in observance of Veterans Day
Tuesday, November 11

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1D
Tuesday, November 18, 7 pm | Mt Pleasant Library (3160 16th Street NW) and online

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1A
Wednesday, November 19, 7 pm | Latin American Youth Center (1419 Columbia Road NW) or online

Council offices closed in observance of Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 27

Office of Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau closed
Friday, November 28

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1E
Wednesday, December 3, 7 pm | online

CONTACT US

Brianne K. Nadeau | Councilmember | [email protected]

Ariel Ardura | Committee Director | [email protected]

Abigail Boshart | Legislative Aide | [email protected]

Amanda Chulick | Legislative Analyst | [email protected]

David Connerty-Marin | Communications Director | [email protected]

Kara Dunford | Communications Manager | [email protected]

Estelle McKinney | Constituent Services Director | [email protected]

David Meni | Deputy Chief of Staff & Legislative Director | [email protected]

Maricela Nava | Deputy Chief of Staff & Scheduler | [email protected]

Sabrin Qadi | Senior Legislative Aide | [email protected]

Niccole Rivero | Chief of Staff | [email protected]

Eliza-Roche Robinson | Constituent Services Specialist | [email protected]