Dear neighbors,

Chairman Mendelson appears to have responded to public pressure to not cut funding for violence interruption programs, rental assistance, mental-health treatment in schools, cash assistance for workers who are excluded from federal assistance, libraries and more. Civic engagement does work!

But his latest proposal includes a $4 million cut to non-school based mental health services. Because this program is matched with federal dollars, it constitutes a $8 million cut, in a time when stress levels are at a historic high due to the pandemic and economic crash. This is unconscionable.

Speak up before the vote TODAY (scheduled for 12:30pm): Click here to email your Councilmembers to urge them to NOT cut mental health funding. Our own Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, as well as Councilmembers Grosso and Bonds, are key votes. It appears that Councilmembers Silverman and Robert White have committed to voting NO to budget cuts.

Potential sources of revenue include asking the wealthiest DC residents to pay more. The richest 2% of DC households, who take home almost one third of all income in the entire District of Columbia, got more than $300 million in the Trump tax cut in 2019 alone. Is it really asking too much to ask them to fund mental health programs?

I believe the overwhelming majority of Ward 3 residents have compassion and a sense of justice. Let us ask our Councilmembers to represent our values as they vote today.

Kesh Ladduwahetty
Van Ness Street

Agreed and thank you for the link to the order, Chuck. I had actually been wondering if it was inappropriate to go maskless when out walking my dog. I had also wondered if I was supposed to make a special effort to avoid briefly passing by someone within six feet. My interpretation of the order is that the answer to both of these questions is "no." I'd felt somewhat self-conscious about going maskless outside and infrequently quickly passing someone on the street. Now, I'll feel totally confident that my actions are consistent with city guidelines.

Court

- from previous message -
[snip] Mayor Bowser's July 22 (today's) order as it applies to wearing a mask outdoors, subject to certain exceptions, says:

"Persons leaving their residences shall wear a mask when they are likely to come into contact with another person, such as being within six feet of another person for more than a fleeting time (underlining added)."
https://coronavirus.dc.gov/maskorder

My whole family has used Packy Kennelly, Spark Motion Physical Therapy. 5420 Butler Rd. In Bethesda, right over the DC line. He’s great, give him a call, (240) 460-8983.

Marjorie Dick Stuart
Top 1% in North America
240-731-8079
Marjorie@...

Coldwell Banker
301-718-0010

Thank you all our kind neighbors for helping us find Shelby! She is home and we are very excited for her reunion with our two boys who were beside themselves yesterday while she was out on her adventure. We really appreciate all the emails we received!

Brinkley

Wonderful to see the old Roma. I remember it well and with great affection.

Mary Cooper

- previous message -

For all those who came to the neighborhood when Firehook was already here, you may be interested in this video, posted on the Popville blog, about the former long-time restaurant, The Roma (est. 1932), that was at that location until 1997. It starts off with the auction of all the safari-game trophies and furnishings that took place soon after the restaurant closed. For those who were here back then and used to dine at The Roma – here’s a strange trip backward in time!

CLEVELAND PARK, HISTORY, RESTAURANTS
An Extraordinary Cleveland Park Time Capsule Video Lamenting the Loss Firehook’s Predecessor: The Fall of the Roma by Jeff Krulik
https://www.popville.com/2020/07/dc-cleveland-park-history-roma-restaurant/

I am very sorry about Coppi’s and Firehook closing, but it is not a surprise that some of our businesses will not generate the revenues they need to continue. Even before the pandemic, some CP businesses did not seem robust. For the bars and restaurants, gyms and salons, it is devastating to suffer a loss of all or most income for months. We all know that.

My point in writing is that there are different reasons why specific businesses decide to close at a particular time—-not always the landlord or the developer. Maybe it’s a lease expiration, a repair, a loan rollover, costs of re-opening or restaffing. Or just that in Cleveland Park, we are recovering slowly with the Zoo closed until this Friday, schools closed, and with a sizable health focused community concerned about eating out, even outside. My understanding is that CP is recovering more slowly than some other areas in town.

I don’t have the knowledge to be an apologist or accuser of landlords, banks, or our businesses, or us, but it’s predictable that the pandemic and the consequent government restrictions to protect the community will accelerate and deepen the problems of consumer facing businesses. They run out of money. But some will make it and prosper. Good judgment from our federal and local governments in devising programs would help, as would our support.

The Cleveland Park Main Street effort has included evaluation of our businesses and the underlying ownership of property. The group is doing all possible to provide assistance with grants and such.  The link is  https://www.districtbridges.org/cleveland-park-main-street/. 

Kathy Gibbons 

Firehook and its owner, Pierre Abushacra, have been wonderful neighborhood assets. Losing them is very sad, especially since Pierre was planning to expand into the next-door store (formerly Wake Up Little Susie). Like other businesses, Pierre sought a long-term lease that the landlord wouldn’t give him.

It's clear that some landlords are enticed by the possibility of redevelopment. “Smart Growth” advocates targeted the Cleveland Park commercial area for radical change that would be enabled by amendments to the Comprehensive Plan now before the City Council. If those amendments are adopted, our section of Connecticut Avenue could see new 90’ - 120’ tall buildings replacing the low-scale neighborhood shopping area that has served us so well. I fear that landlords, like Firehook’s, are willing to absorb rent loss for years, even to create a derelict strip of vacant storefronts, by betting on increased property value with up-zoning. It is not too late to challenge the amendments.

Margaret Lenzner

I had a great experience with Dr. Mehta

Thank you for your clarification.

I actually find this reporter’s characterization of the order to be inaccurate and a cause for confusion in a political atmosphere where specificity is important. I would like to think the Washingtonian would make a correction in order to show its commitment to journalistic integrity and staying above the misinformation that seems to abound.

I’m so glad we live somewhere that mandates masks, but I’m also glad the regulation is reasonable and we are allowed to leave our homes without one, when safe to do so. 😊

Lee Ayres
Nebraska Ave

- previous message -
Thanks. What is the enforcement mechanism? A fine?
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Editor's note: The Washingtonian article cited below did not include information about fines, but The Washington Post reports the following:
"John Falcicchio, the mayor’s chief of staff, said D.C. police will be empowered to fine people not wearing a mask, although the city expects such fines to be limited."
The full article is here: https://wapo.st/32FRaj0

- original message -
FYI: Masks are now mandatory in DC, with minor exceptions:
https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/07/22/masks-are-now-mandatory-in-public-in-dc/?fbclid=IwAR15dJ7uVygnaFSBIRRiGPaTvmAZ1wKVbwUoc3jSqwhkTHce5UkMMNTJVqg
[go to https://bit.ly/2OJi8y2 if the long link above is broken during processing]

I used Homework Solutions for my mother’s caregivers in CA. Ironically, i think they are based in Sterling or something. I can send my contact there offline if wanted. 

Dear Neighbors,

The Racial Justice Task Force and the Sanctuary Ministry of the Washington National Cathedral invite you to a discussion about the impacts of COVID-19 on DCs Black and Latino communities. 

Please register here to join this virtual meeting and learn more about our speakers.

Best,
Dora Currea
Co-Chair of the Washington National Cathedral Sanctuary Ministry