Washington Mayor, Council Struggle to Reach Common Ground on Criminal Code Reform

The chairman of the District of Columbia City Council said he has not been briefed on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s new legislation to address rising crime in the district, but he and the other council members share the mayor’s concerns about public safety.
“I don’t know a single member of the council who’s not concerned about public safety,” Chairman Phil Mendelson said.  “And if there are opportunities to make the city safer, we want them.”
However, the mayor and D.C. City Council have not been able to agree on the best way to reduce crime in the city. Earlier this year, the mayor vetoed the council’s Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 over concerns about some provisions in the updated code, including insufficient penalties for violent crimes. The council then overrode the executive veto….}