Thursday, October 27, 2005
Octoberfest has been cancelled
The Bates Area Octoberfest has been cancelled.
That is all.
That is all.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Rent Control Issues Hearing October 26
From Jim Graham's office
Dear Friends,
This is a good time for tenant rights! As you know, all but one of my colleagues joined me last Tuesday in support of the first major strengthening of rent control in decades. Now, we need to hear from you.
Please mark your calendars for an important hearing on tenant rights issues to be held on Wednesday, October 26 at 10 a.m. in the Council Chamber at 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. The hearing will be televised life at that time. The Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, which I chair, will hear testimony on five bills.
One of these is the Rental Control Reform Amendment Act of 2005, which has the support of 12 Councilmembers. This bill would abolish two provisions in the current law -- the "vacancy" provisions -- that have caused rent ceilings to escalate far beyond what is reasonable or rational. It replaces those provisions with a vacancy formula that is fair to both landlords and tenants. Upon a vacancy, the landlord could raise the rent ceiling by 1% for every year since the last vacancy.
The bill would also limit the amount of any adjustment in rent charged on an occupied unit to 10% of the current rent charged. Finally, instead of the biannual rent increases now allowed, landlords could only increase the rent once per year.
We will also consider the Right of Tenants to Organize Amendment Act of 2005, which spells out the basic right of tenants and tenant associations to organize without interference from landlords.
Two other bills would give tenants access to much more information about how rent increases are calculated. Finally, the Committee will consider legislation to allow a hearing examiner to consider a tenant's challenges to rent increases taken before the Act's 3-year statute of limitations period, so long as any damage award is limited to that 3-year period.
Your testimony is needed. Please call John Adams at 724-8198 if you wish to testify.
Bests, Councilmember Jim Graham
I typically answer emails before 9 AM on weekdays. If you email me after that, it is likely that you will hear from me the next weekday. If there is a need to communicate prior to that, you may wish to call me.
Jim Graham, Councilmember, Ward One, 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #105,
Washington, DC 20004. 202-724-8181; 202-724-8109 (fax).
Chairman, Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Main Committee
Number: 202-724-8198. 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #112, Washington, DC 20004.
Website: www.grahamwone.com
Dear Friends,
This is a good time for tenant rights! As you know, all but one of my colleagues joined me last Tuesday in support of the first major strengthening of rent control in decades. Now, we need to hear from you.
Please mark your calendars for an important hearing on tenant rights issues to be held on Wednesday, October 26 at 10 a.m. in the Council Chamber at 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. The hearing will be televised life at that time. The Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, which I chair, will hear testimony on five bills.
One of these is the Rental Control Reform Amendment Act of 2005, which has the support of 12 Councilmembers. This bill would abolish two provisions in the current law -- the "vacancy" provisions -- that have caused rent ceilings to escalate far beyond what is reasonable or rational. It replaces those provisions with a vacancy formula that is fair to both landlords and tenants. Upon a vacancy, the landlord could raise the rent ceiling by 1% for every year since the last vacancy.
The bill would also limit the amount of any adjustment in rent charged on an occupied unit to 10% of the current rent charged. Finally, instead of the biannual rent increases now allowed, landlords could only increase the rent once per year.
We will also consider the Right of Tenants to Organize Amendment Act of 2005, which spells out the basic right of tenants and tenant associations to organize without interference from landlords.
Two other bills would give tenants access to much more information about how rent increases are calculated. Finally, the Committee will consider legislation to allow a hearing examiner to consider a tenant's challenges to rent increases taken before the Act's 3-year statute of limitations period, so long as any damage award is limited to that 3-year period.
Your testimony is needed. Please call John Adams at 724-8198 if you wish to testify.
Bests, Councilmember Jim Graham
I typically answer emails before 9 AM on weekdays. If you email me after that, it is likely that you will hear from me the next weekday. If there is a need to communicate prior to that, you may wish to call me.
Jim Graham, Councilmember, Ward One, 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #105,
Washington, DC 20004. 202-724-8181; 202-724-8109 (fax).
Chairman, Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Main Committee
Number: 202-724-8198. 1350 Pa. Ave., NW, #112, Washington, DC 20004.
Website: www.grahamwone.com
Thursday, October 13, 2005
501 PSA meeting-TODAY
Hi,
Sorry for the last minute notice. The PSA meeting scheduled for Thursday October the 13th is being relocated.
The PSA 501 meeting will not be held at the Mt. Calvary Greater Mt. Calvary Family Life Center.
The new location is:
St Martin's Catholic Church
Community Room
1908 North Capitol St NW
7-9pm
I will post signs on the doors at Mt. Calvary in case someone misses the change notice.
Thanks,
Tom Usselman
Sorry for the last minute notice. The PSA meeting scheduled for Thursday October the 13th is being relocated.
The PSA 501 meeting will not be held at the Mt. Calvary Greater Mt. Calvary Family Life Center.
The new location is:
St Martin's Catholic Church
Community Room
1908 North Capitol St NW
7-9pm
I will post signs on the doors at Mt. Calvary in case someone misses the change notice.
Thanks,
Tom Usselman
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Truxton Circle Happy Hour 10/7 on U Street
TC will be having a happy hour (no discounts on booze) Friday. Click here for more info (you must be registered to Truxton Circle.Org).
D.C. Tenants' Mobilization Campaign Needs Support
From an e-mail
Hello All,
This is as serious campaign effort. We need 1,000 people to sign-up as soon as possible-- especially since Jim Graham is holding a hearing on October 11th to strengthen rent control and to introduce the "Right of Tenants to Organize Act. Ask five to 10 of your friends who rent in the District to visit www.tenac.org and pass this e-mail along. Signing-up to support this campaign is urgent between now and October 11th and we need your help. There's power in numbers. For those of you who are getting this message again, I apologize, but we need your support!
Thanks,
Jacqueline
