December 8, 2021

Coronavirus Update:

Dear Neighbors,

Yesterday, the Council voted in support of a measure to require all
eligible students be vaccinated against COVID-19. The [1]legislation, of
which I co-introduced, would add the coronavirus vaccine to the existing
list of 11 other mandatory vaccinations for school attendance. Importantly,
the bill requires that students be vaccinated once the FDA has fully
approved the vaccine for their age group. Once passed, the Office of the
State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) would enforce the new requirement
in the fall of 2022. After working on this measure for some time now, I'm
very pleased to see it passed with a super-majority of Council support. As
we're also in the middle of two major holidays, I would like to share other
important vaccination updates and local resources:

Expanded In-Home Vaccination - At-home vaccinations are now open to all
residents, regardless of age or mobility challenges –this includes the
pediatric Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5-11. Call 1-855-363-0333 to
schedule an at-home vaccination for your whole family.

Get Vaccinated with Your Child - Pediatric vaccines will now be available
at all library and pop-up vaccination sites. Adults accompanying their
child can also access a COVID-19 vaccine (including boosters). Upcoming
Ward 3 pediatric vaccination clinics:
* December 10th, 3:30-7:30 pm - Janney Elementary (4130 Albemarle St NW)
* December 14th, 3:30-7:30 pm - Janney Elementary (4130 Albemarle St NW)
* December 23rd, 3:30-7:30 pm - Palisades Recreation Center (5200 Sherier
Pl NW)

Paid Leave for Vaccination - Workers in the District are now guaranteed up
to 2 hours of paid leave to get vaccinated and up to 8 hours of paid leave
for recovery. For more information, please see: [2]Paid Leave Vaccination
Expansion.

Testing - DC Health is working to bring rapid COVID-19 testing to the
District and has recently placed an order for 51,000 rapid testing kits.
Emergency legislation is forthcoming to help with the agency's procurement
challenges that are impeding their ability to access a higher quantity of
testing supplies.

In the meantime, there are four sites in Ward 3 where residents can access
free at-home testing kits (a great resource to use before and after holiday
gatherings):
* Kits are available for pick-up at the Chevy Chase Library, Cleveland
Park Library, and Tenley-Friendship Library from 10 am to 6 pm Monday,
Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday; 10 am to 8 pm on Wednesday; and 12 pm to 8
pm on Thursday.
* Kits are available for pick-up at the Palisades Recreation Center from
8 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday and 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday (closed on
Sunday).
* For more information, please see: [3]Test Yourself.

Regards,

Mary

In Pursuit of Meaningful Road Safety & Traffic Enforcement

[4]

Accountability & Road Safety - On Monday, December 6, Councilmember Cheh
called the Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure and the
Department of Public Works (DPW) before the Committee on Transportation &
the Environment for a [5]public roundtable on the District's insufficient
ticket enforcement program.

The are almost 550,000 DC, Virginia, and Maryland vehicles that are
currently boot-eligible, and a number of these tickets are for dangerous
driver behaviors:
* 5,000 vehicles have tickets for going 21+ over the speed limit
* 50,000 vehicles have tickets for running a red light
* One Virginia driver identified by the Committee has amassed over 200
tickets, including 180 moving violations

At the current daily rate of booting and towing, it would take DPW over 25
years to respond to the number of vehicles that are currently eligible to
be booted and towed. The result is that the region's most dangerous drivers
are not held accountable for unsafe driving on District roads. Moving
forward, DPW will seek partnerships with private booting companies to
address the current backlog and a task force has been formed with the
Metropolitan Police Department to address the proliferation of [6]fake
temporary tags. The Committee will also be looking to enhance agency
enforcement resources in the upcoming budget.

To watch the discussion, please click [7]here or on the video above. To
read more, please see [8]The Washington City Paper and [9]Fox 5.

Ward 3 Community Corner

Ward 3 Legislative Brief:
* Redistricting - The Council voted 11-1 in support of the Special
Subcommittee on Redistricting's proposed Ward boundaries. As Ward 3 fell
within the acceptable population range, the proposal made no changes to the
Ward 3 boundaries and primarily focused on adjusting the boundaries of
Wards 6, 7, and 8. To read more, please see [10]The Washington Post.
* Renaming Wilson High School - The Council voted to change the name of
Woodrow Wilson High School, the only high school located in Ward 3 and the
largest in the District, to Jackson-Reed High School. As noted in previous
newsletters, the new name honors the contributions and work of Edna Jackson
and Vincent Reed, the schools' first African American teacher and
principal, respectively. For more on the renaming effort, please see
[11]DCist.
* Upcoming Climate Resilience Hearing - Next Friday, December 16th at
9:00 am, Councilmember Cheh will be holding a joint Public Hearing on
Climate Resilience Planning in the District. At the hearing, climate
experts and agency planners will discuss the efforts underway to prepare
the District for, and to mitigate wherever possible, the effects of climate
change. To offer testimony or to watch the hearing live, please click:
[12]here.

Upcoming Community Events:

Palisades Cookie Exchange - Join the Palisades Community Association for
its annual Holiday Breakfast and Cookie Exchange! Take a picture with
Santa, enjoy coffee, hot chocolate, and pastries with your neighbors and
participate in the cookie exchange. December 11th at The Hub (5200
Cathedral Ave) from 9:30 to 11:30 am. Event details: [13]here.

Cleveland Park Winter Market - December 11th from 1:30 to 5:30 pm, the
Cleveland Park Main Street is hosting a Winter Market in front of the
Uptown Theater with pet treats, coffee, artisans, food, home goods & decor,
and so much more!

Van Ness Main Street Holiday Pop-Up - December 12th from 11 am to 5 pm, the
Van Ness Main Street will be hosting a holiday pop-up event with artisans,
a book sale, and caroling along Connecticut Ave!

Oyster-Adams Tree Sale - Holiday trees, wreaths, and greenery will be sold
this weekend, December 11th and 12th, from 10 am to 5 pm at the school's
[14]Oyster campus in Woodley Park.

Chevy Chase Community Walk - Join the Office of Planning for the final
community walk along the Chevy Chase commercial corridor as part of the
Chevy Chase Small Area Plan. [15]Sign up here for the upcoming walk on
December 11th (11 am to 12:30 pm).

COVID-19 Vaccination Virtual Town Hall - Parents and community members are
invited to attend a virtual town hall to ask the DC Hospital Association's
panel of local experts questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for children.
December 13th at 7:30 pm. Register: [16]Here.

Van Ness/Forest Hills Public Safety Meeting - On December 16th at 6:30 pm,
Councilmember Cheh is hosting a virtual public safety meeting to discuss
the recent uptick in crime along the Connecticut Ave NW corridor in Van
Ness/Forest Hills.
* To join this meeting by Zoom, please click here: [17]Van Ness/Forest
Hills Public Safety.
* To call in to the meeting, please dial 888 475 4499 or 877 853 5257,
Meeting ID: 999 6572 9813, Passcode: 053874.

An Update on Leaf Collection in Ward 3

Councilmember Cheh has pressed the Department of Public Works (DPW) for
answers as to why many parts of Ward 3 have not yet received leaf
collection services. Here are the insights and solutions as shared by DPW's
Interim Director:

"As of Tuesday, December 8th, 66% of Ward 3's first pass leaf collection
has been completed. This is the overview of Ward 3's section collection
status:
* Section A is 99% complete
* Section B is 90% complete
* Section C is 87% complete
* Section D is 22% complete
* Section E is 0% complete

The DPW team is deployed in Ward 3 and their goal is to complete the first
pass of leaf collections for all sections by December 19th.

The leaf collection schedule is often disrupted by weather events,
personnel changes, or other unforeseen circumstances. Because of these
factors, DPW has allocated additional personnel resources and extended
tours of duty in an effort to service residents as expeditiously as
possible."

Celebrating the Success of Solar for All

Solar for All Means All - Above, Councilmember Cheh joins the Fairfax
Village community in Ward 7 for the ribbon cutting of a new community solar
panel installation that will cut electricity bills in half for over 230
income-qualifying residents. The project was possible due to a partnership
between the DC Green Bank, Flywheel Development, and the District's Solar
for All program.

Councilmember Cheh created[18] Solar for All through 2016 legislation with
the aim to expand the District's solar energy portfolio while also
providing access to solar-generated energy (and the many economic and
environmental benefits it provides) to low-income residents. Not only has
this program proven to be a local job creator, it removes the up front cost
barriers to solar energy, thereby ensuring equitable access to solar energy
for all District residents.

Spread Joy through the Friendship Place Holiday Gift Drive

A December to Remember - Friendship Place's annual holiday gift donation
drive is here!

There are over 400 children of all ages involved in Friendship Place
programming, and they could use our help in making this a special holiday
season.

From now through December 17th, residents are invited to get a special gift
from a child's wish list.

Click on the link below for sign up and drop off details:

[19]Friendship Place's December to Remember

Hypothermia Resources to Keep on Hand

Add These Hotline Numbers To Your Phone - The District’s [20]Hypothermia
Alert has already been activated this month and will likely be activated at
numerous times throughout the winter season. Hypothermia Alerts are
activated when the temperature forecast is 32°F (or below) or when the
forecast is 40°F (or below) and the chance of precipitation is 50% or
greater.
* If you see someone experiencing homelessness in need of transportation
to an emergency shelter or a safety/wellness check, please call the
District's 24-Hour Shelter Hotline at 202-399-7093
* If you see an animal in need or a pet left outside during extreme
weather, please call the Humane Rescue Alliance's s Emergency Hotline at
202-723-5730

Residents may sign up to receive direct weather and/or emergency alerts (by
email or text) with Alert DC [21]online or by texting "DC" to 411911.

Spotlight on the DC Food Project

An Incredible Ward 3 Non-Profit - In 2018, the DC Food Project was launched
by a group of Ward 3 parents with the goal of helping school children and
their families access additional food during the school day and over the
weekends when school meals are not available to them. This work began as an
in-school share table and has since grown into a thriving pantry/food
access program serving families across the District. Pictured center is
Councilmember Cheh celebrating the DC Food Project's growth with the
organization's Ward 3 founders.

To learn more about this wonderful program and to support their efforts to
combat hunger, please click here:

[22]The DC Food Project

Reminder - Collect Your Electric Leafblower Rebate

Electrify this Winter - In 2018, the Council passed Councilmember Cheh's
"[23]Leaf Blower Regulation Amendment Act" to phase-out the use and sale of
gas-powered leaf blowers by January 2022. Not only are gas-powered leaf
blowers noisy and disruptive, but they are also exceptionally [24]polluting
and harmful to the environment, public health, and local wildlife.

In anticipation of the upcoming deadline, the [25]DC Sustainable Energy
Utility has launched a rebate program to replace commercial and residential
gas-powered leaf blowers with electric or battery-powered alternatives:
* $50 rebate for residential equipment
* $75 rebate for commercial equipment

Rebates will be available through December 31st, 2021.

[26]Click Here for Rebate Information

The Launch of Myrna on Main Street!

[27]

Shop Small & Local - The Tenleytown Main Street has launched "[28]Myrna on
Main Street" –a new video series featuring veteran small business owner
Myrna Sislen as she visits the many cornerstone businesses of the
Tenleytown neighborhood. This is a wonderful way to celebrate Ward 3's
small business community. Click on the video above to watch the premier
episode!

Follow the [29]Tenleytown Main Street for more Myrna moments:
* Instagram: @tenleytownms
* Twitter: @TenleytownMS
* Facebook: @TenleytownMainStreet

Ending this Update on a Happy Note:

Fire & Emergency Services' First Ever Gelt Drop

Hanukkah with FEMS - On the last night of Hanukkah, the District's
firefighters from Tower 3 hosted its first ever Gelt Drop! Families enjoyed
music, latkes, and a Menorah lighting while DC's Bravest dropped chocolate
coins from the department's tower ladder.

To all those who celebrated, we hope you enjoyed a joyful, warm, and very
happy Hanukkah!

Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is
closed during the public health emergency, she and her staff are
teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to reach us via [30]email or phone through our main line
at (202) 724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent
services requests.

[31]Facebook [32]Twitter [33]marycheh.com

FOLLOW MARY

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Mary Cheh
Mary Cheh Ward 3
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NWSuite 108
Washington, DC 20004
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