Newsletters
Newsletter - January 8, 2019
I am excited about what this session and year will hold for all of us. This Sunday -- in what will become weekly newsletters all during session -- I will share the legislation I am introducing this year. My 2019 legislative slate will, as always, be focused on protecting the most vulnerable among us. And of course, I will be introducing my comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation to make sure that people aren't discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Click the photo below to view my two-minute announcement of this legislation at Monday's press conference with Equality Virginia.
Newsletter - December 14, 2018
Newsletter - November 24, 2018
After a number of you reached out to me about issues with Metro closures, I spoke at length with Greg Potts, Virginia Government Relations Officer for Metro.
I wanted to make sure Metro has learned the lessons of what happened over the Veterans' Day Weekend so that in the two weeks after Thanksgiving (when the Yellow Line Bridge across the Potomac is shut down) and in the summer of 2019 when all stations south of the Airport will be shut down), the process will be much smoother for everyone.
We discussed making sure 1) sufficient buses were available; 2) sufficient signage was available; and 3) sufficient personnel were there to tell people what to do and where to go. I also made clear that the airport could have better handled the process by which it transferred folks from the airport shuttle to the Metro shuttle.
Newsletter - November 20, 2018
As everyone in Northern Virginia with a pulse knows by now, Amazon has announced it will be splitting its new headquarters between Arlington/Alexandria and New York City. As the only Virginia Delegate to represent both Alexandria and Arlington, I've been watching developments closely. About two-thirds of the area that will soon be called National Landing will be located in the 45th district I'm honored to represent in the House of Delegates.
The same day Amazon announced its intention to build its headquarters in Crystal City (Arlington), Alexandria announced the creation of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in the city’s Oakville Triangle between Del Ray and Potomac Yard.
Newsletter - October 28, 2018
As I write this newsletter, I'm watching CNN. I'm simultaneously horrified, depressed, and enraged. It is reported that a well-armed gun enthusiast, with a long history of posting hateful comments about Jews, took his licensed AR-15 assault weapon and gunned down worshippers at a baby-naming ceremony at a Shabbat service while shouting, "All Jews must die!" 11 are dead. 6 are injured, including the brave law enforcement who confronted him.
Newsletter - October 14, 2018
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. You may already know how domestic violence has affected my family. If you don't, you can learn more by reading this 2015 article in the Washington Post about my fight for justice for my sister and my family. Because of how personal this issue is for me, fighting for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence has been one of my top priorities since long before I was first elected. This month, I participated in numerous public awareness events and behind-the-scenes strategizing with women's advocates to make sure we do everything in our power to stop the scourge of domestic and sexual violence.
Newsletter - September 21, 2018
Alexandria Renew, our sanitation facility, is seeking public input on RiverRenew, the city's initiative to overhaul its19th-century combined rainfall/sewage overflow system. A state law passed in 2017 required Alexandria to remediate all four of its combined sewer outfalls by July 1, 2025. You can learn more about the project here. Click here for details on possible comment topics.
Newsletter - September 1, 2018
Ultimately, elected officials must be taken completely out of the redistricting process. I believe we must amend the Virginia Constitution to require an independent, non-partisan commission to draw all our district maps for both state and federal elections. The partisan division of districts should reflect the overall partisan divisions of the Commonwealth.
Newsletter - August 20, 2018
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has ordered the legislature to go back into special session on August 30 to undo the scourge of the racial gerrymandering which the US Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals found the Republicans illegally imposed on Virginia in 2011. The Courts held the Virginia GOP illegally drew 11 House of Delegates districts for the purpose of concentrating black voters so as to diminish their (and Democrats') power in Virginia's House of Delegates.
Newsletter - August 4, 2018
Salem Republican Delegate Greg Habeeb announced last Friday that he is resigning in the middle of his fourth term, effective August 31. This is great news and not only because Delegate Habeeb, as subcommittee chairman of various committees, made it his regular practice to kill hundreds of common-sense progressive measures that helped Virginians. The special election to decide the next Delegate from Virginia's 8th District will take place on November 6, 2018, the same day as the General Election for Congress. The Democratic nominee for this Southwestern Virginia seat in Salem, Roanoke County, and adjoining rural counties should be determined on Wednesday, August 15.