July 28, 2022

Ward 3 Update: Monkeypox and School Readiness

Dear Neighbors,

As you may have seen, the World Health Organization has [1]declared
monkeypox a global health emergency. Monekypox is a rare but serious
disease that is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. It does not
spread as easily as COVID-19, but it still requires our attention to stop
the spread and keep our community safe. More information about how to
identify monkeypox, prevent transmission, and get vaccinated is listed
later in this newsletter.

On a lighter note, my annual school readiness tours will begin next week.
I'll be touring every school in the ward (and Hardy, which has a high
population of Ward 3 students) to ensure our principals, teachers, staff,
and students have what they need for a successful start to the school year.
The first day of school for DCPS students is on Monday, August 29th.

Regards,

Mary

Upcoming Events
* Monday, August 1st at 7pm: [2]Fort Reno Concert Series
* Tuesday, August 2nd at 5pm: [3]MPD's National Night Out
* Tuesday, August 2nd at 7:30pm: [4]Trivia Night
* Thursday, August 4th at 7pm: [5]Fort Reno Concert Series
* Monday, August 8th at 7pm: [6]Fort Reno Concert Series
* Thursday, August 11th at 7pm: [7]Fort Reno Concert Series
* Monday, August 29th: [8]DCPS First Day of School
* Friday, September 16th: [9]Council returns from recess

Monkeypox

The symptoms of monkeypox can begin with:
* Fever
* Headache
* Muscle aches
* Backache
* Swollen lymph nodes
* Chills
* Exhaustion

DC Health reports that "within 1-3 days (sometimes longer) after the
appearance of fever, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the
face and then spreading to other parts of the body. The rash can progress
from being flat and red, to being a bump, to being fluid-filled, to being
pus-filled, and then to being a scab.Symptoms usually appear between 7-14
days after exposure but can range between 5-21 days. The illness typically
lasts between 2-4 weeks."

To prevent transmission, DC Health recommends taking the following steps:
* Avoid coming into contact with people recently diagnosed with the virus
or those who may have been infected.
* Wear a face mask if you are in close contact with someone who has
symptoms.
* Practice good hand hygiene, especially after coming into contact with
infected — or suspected infected. For instance, wash your hands with soap
and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
* Use personal protective equipment when caring for patients with
confirmed or suspected monkeypox infection.

There is a monkeypox vaccination available. Here are the eligibility
criteria:
* Gay, bisexual, and other men 18 and older who have sex with men and
have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the last 14 days); OR
* Transgender women and nonbinary persons assigned male at birth who have
sex with men; OR
* Sex workers (of any sex); OR
* Staff (of any sex) at establishments where sexual activity occurs
(e.g., bathhouses, saunas, sex clubs).

If you meet these criteria, you can preregister for a vaccination
appointment [10]here.

MPD National Night Out

MPD's Second District will host their annual National Night Out on Tuesday,
August 2nd, from 5pm-8pm at Guy Mason Recreation Center (3600 Calvert
Street NW). The purpose of National Night Out is to:
* Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
* Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;
* Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
* Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are
organized and fighting back.

For more details, [11]click here.

Legislation Introduced before Summer Recess

On July 14^th, I introduced three key pieces of legislation on solitary
confinement, solar energy, and booting and impoundment.

The Eliminating Restrictive and Segregated Enclosures (“ERASE”) Solitary
Confinement Act of 2022 would prohibit almost all forms of segregated
confinement in jails and youth detention facilities. It would strictly
limit the use of safe cells and require that incarcerated people with
mental health emergencies receive the care to which they are entitled. It
would also require the Department of Corrections and the Department of
Youth Rehabilitation Services to create a plan to eliminate segregated
confinement and report to the Council the effects of doing so. The
legislation was co-introduced by Councilmembers Nadeau, Lewis George,
McDuffie, Silverman, and R. White.

Patricia Sulton, executive director of DC Justice Lab, said “This bill is
extraordinarily important. Solitary confinement is a cruel, inhumane and
degrading form of punishment and amounts to torture under international
law. Any amount of time in solitary confinement increases the chances of
suicide, opioid addiction, death by homicide and recidivism upon
release.”

The Local Solar Expansion Amendment Act of 2022 would amend the District's
renewable portfolio standards to raise the local solar carveout from 10% to
15% by 2041. It would also eliminate a phaseout of the alternative
compliance payment. These two changes will ensure that the Council's
policies continue to incentivize local solar development; without them,
many residents might instead be discouraged from installing solar panels.
The legislation was co-introduced by Councilmembers Nadeau, Pinto, Lewis
George, Allen, Gray, Bonds, and Henderson.

The Booting and Impoundment Reform Act of 2022 would provide the Department
of Public Works (DPW) with authority to enter private commercial garages
and parking lots for purposes of booting boot-eligible vehicles. It would
also require DPW to implement a real-time boot crew alert system; to, at
times, deviate from pre-determined routes in order to boot or impound
eligible vehicles; and to publish an annual report on the agency’s booting
and impoundment efforts.

I also plan to have a roundtable in the fall on traffic enforcement
including booting and towing, points for ATE violations, and other possible
enforcement strategies.

Len Oliver

I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Len Oliver, a longtime District
resident and soccer enthusiast. Len was a member of the National Soccer
Hall of Fame and served as the director of coaching for DC Stoddert Soccer
(now DC Soccer Club) for many years. I actually got my soccer coaching
license through his program.

I had previously introduced a [12]ceremonial resolution for Len in 2014,
which was passed by the Council, but I plan to introduce another this fall
when the Council returns from recess.

[13]Click here to read the Washington Post's obituary.

Fort Reno Concert Series

Fort Reno's annual summer concert series is ongoing. Here are the upcoming
dates and performers:
* Monday, August 1st: [14]My Sonic Daydream, [15]Nomad
Showers, [16]Sleepmarks
* Thursday, August 4th: [17]Spring Silver, [18]Weird Babies, [19]Bad
Moves,
* Monday, August 8th: Verdant Fields, [20]Good Omens, [21]The Things You
Killed
* Thursday, August 11th: [22]The Owners, [23]Koshari, [24]Ted Leo (Solo)

The concerts begin at 7pm in Fort Reno Park (4000 Chesapeake St NW). For
more information, [25]click here.

DCPS Vaccine Requirement

As the beginning of the school year approaches, it's important to remember
that the COVID-19 vaccination requirement is in effect for students 12 and
older. If you haven't already done so, please make a plan to get yourself
and your family vaccinated at a local pharmacy or at one of the District's
[26]COVID Centers.

Of course, COVID-19 is just one of the vaccines required to attend school.
Make sure you're up-to-date on the following vaccinations as well:
* Diphtheria
* Tetanus
* Pertussis
* Mumps
* Measles
* Rubella
* Polio
* Haemophilus influenza type (Hib)
* Hepatitis B
* Varicella

For more information on the vaccination requirement, [27]click here.

Report Helicopter Noise

The Eastern Region Helicopter Council and the Helicopter Association
International are running a trial helicopter noise reporting system.
Residents can submit helicopter noise issues to the trial helicopter noise
reporting system via [28]website, [29]mobile app, or by calling
877-209-3200.

Tenleytown Main Street Trivia Night

Tenleytown Main Street will host Trivia Night on Tuesday, August 2nd at
7:30pm at Guapo's (4515 Wisconsin Ave NW). It's free, and you can win $25
in Tenley Bucks to spend at local businesses.

In the News

Legal Sports Report: [30]Councilmembers Unconvinced GambetDC Can Lead DC
Sports Betting

"Councilmember Mary Cheh pulled no punches in her opening statement:

'Like many others on the Council and elsewhere, I’ve been very frustrated
by the way sports betting has played out here so far. … Now I hate to say I
told you so but I’m going to. I told you so. I opposed this contract from
the beginning. … We were told we needed a sole-source compact to hurry up
and beat the other jurisdictions and all this other stuff; it was all
nonsense.'"

WUSA9: [31]'Chaos' | DC Council, non-profits call on Mayor Bowser to assist
migrants bused from Texas

"Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau, Robert White, Elissa Silverman, Charles
Allen, Janeese Lewis George, Mary Cheh, Brooke Pinto, Christina Henderson,
Vincent Gray, and Chairman Phil Mendelson sent Mayor Bowser a letter
Thursday about the situation at Union Station."

E&E News: Washington set to be 2nd East Coast city with gas ban

"Mary Cheh, a D.C. councilmember and Democratic lead sponsor of both bills,
called climate change 'the single most important environmental issue of our
time.' She said the legislation would serve as a blueprint for the
district’s climate action, particularly since buildings account for about
three-quarters of the district’s emissions.

'The technology is there to do this; this bill puts us on a path toward
getting it done,' said Cheh in a statement.

One of the Washington bills, known as the 'Clean Energy DC Building Code
Amendment Act,' would prohibit the use of fossil fuels for space and water
heat in new commercial buildings — a category that includes residences four
stories and up — starting in 2027. By that same year, those buildings would
need to be considered 'net-zero energy,' meaning they would have to produce
or conserve more energy on-site from solar panels or other sources than
they consume. . . .

A second bill, called the 'Climate Commitment Act,' contains a similar ban
on fossil fuel heat for new district-owned buildings, such as schools,
starting in 2025.

Its provisions would also look beyond the buildings sector. By 2026, all
vehicles bought or leased by the district would have to be zero-emissions
models, while all of the district’s operations would need to be carbon-free
by 2040. Five years later, the entire city would have to go carbon-neutral,
with a 60 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions arriving in 2030,
compared with 2005 levels.

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s top energy official, Tommy Wells, said the mayor
supported both bills. . . .

'This is implementing what the mayor said she was going to do,' said Mark
Rodeffer, co-chair of the Beyond Gas subcommittee for the Sierra Club’s
D.C. chapter, which worked closely with Cheh on the measures. 'So we think
it’s really important to make sure these plans are realized.'"

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 [32]email or phone through our main line
at (202) 724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent
services requests.

[33]Facebook [34]Twitter [35]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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