D.C. Council Approves New Ward Boundaries After Heated Debate

D.C. will implement vaccination mandates for indoor gathering places in the new year. As of Jan. 15, 2022, all individuals 12 years of age and older will be required to show proof of at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine to visit indoor restaurants, exercise and recreation establishments, culture and entertainment facilities, and indoor meeting and event spaces. Individuals must be fully vaccinated by Feb. 15, 2022.

At yesterday’s D.C. Council meeting, legislators also passed a law that will require all eligible students and staff at schools and child care facilities to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. A final ward-level redistricting map, the renaming of Woodrow Wilson High School after two Black educators connected to the school, and pausing encampment clearings throughout the winter were other high-profile issues councilmembers considered during the final legislative session of the year on Tuesday.

Top of the agenda was the second and final vote on the new D.C. ward map, the product of a once-every-decade process of redrawing boundaries in the District according to the most recent census numbers. While the first Council vote (11-1) on Dec. 7 made it seem like the new boundaries were a sure thing, there was more passionate discussion than expected on Tuesday.

The most hotly contested map change during the first vote—moving two thinly populated parcels that include the Armed Forces Retirement Home and Washington Hospital Center from Ward 5 to Ward 1—was reversed in yesterday’s vote. On Dec. 7, Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie’s attempt to keep the parcels in his ward failed on a 6-6 vote (Ward 7 Councilmember Vince Gray did not join either meeting as he recovers from a small stroke). On Tuesday, Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto switched her vote to a “yes” and secured a win for McDuffie. Her change of mind came after Ward 5 residents lobbied for their ward to benefit from future development planned near the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

Read more: https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/543561/d-c-council-approves-new-ward-boundaries-after-heated-debate/