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While no longer an elected commissioner, [Zach] Israel still uses his social media to break news to residents and keep tabs on ANC vacancies, reminding anyone who will listen to pick up a petition. He is a proponent of legislation introduced by council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large) and backed by a majority of lawmakers that would stand up a task force to make recommendations on compensation for D.C.’s many elected officials, boards and commissions.

"We often talk about what the lack of amenities means for the growth and stability of neighborhoods, and this was an opportunity to directly do something about that in Ward 7. When Darren first looped me on the emails regarding their campaign for a dog park east of the Anacostia River, it blew my mind that there wasn’t already one there, especially since the city had invested so much in dog parks in other parts of the city. This seemed like a layup to me in terms of the District living out its values around equitable access to recreational amenities. As a dog mom myself, I was happy to secure the additional funding to keep it on track and I’m happy to see the Texas Ave Dog Park being enjoyed by residents in that community and their fur babies."

[Councilmember Christina] Henderson and White said it was concerning to have the city facing financial penalties for poor performance particularly on the heels of a tight budget season. Now officials will have to find money to pay the fine.

At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson, perhaps the most vocal champion for the Pay Equity Fund throughout the budget process, tells LL that it was an “eleventh hour” decision on Lee’s part, which made things more difficult than it needed to be. She says the CFO became concerned that the fund would become insolvent in the later years of the financial plan, which runs through 2028.

"... she praised efforts to effect systems-level change, such as a bill from D.C. Council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large) to lengthen the time a person in a mental health crisis can be involuntarily held for emergency observation from seven days to 15, to provide health workers more time to complete an evaluation."

The DMV Moves task force held its first meeting Monday since it was created six weeks ago to address future plans on how to provide consistent funding and world-class transit service as a region.

At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson (I) briefed the commission on the DC Council’s FY25 budget discussions. Henderson, chair of the Committee on Health, detailed recent legislative achievements.

D.C. Council member Christina Henderson (I-At large), chair of the health committee, on Friday sent a letter to Unity urging management to improve relations with the newly formed union. She said a thriving community health network is critical to the District reversing stark disparities in health outcomes for Black residents.

D.C. Councilmember Christina Henderson (I-At large) said she wanted a deeper exploration of the legislation, and online sports betting as a whole, outside of budget deliberations. D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) later alluded to public health drawbacks of gambling, which she said overshadow the programs funded by gambling revenue.

“I don’t want to say the baby bonds is not important, but the council has gotten in a pickle in the past with this particular contract,” Henderson said. McDuffie argued that the bill had already had a hearing and defended his committee’s work to develop the bill. Nadeau has long said she is against sports betting, noting that opening the market could “escalate the growing public health crisis.”

On Wednesday, Henderson had a smile on her face, with funding for the program back in the budget. "I'm excited," she said. "$70 million investment to pay equity. It's not the whole, but it's certainly better than zero."

“Because the Senate is so broken, there are no judges that can get confirmed through unanimous consent,” says Christina Henderson, an at-large independent member of the D.C. Council and herself a former Democratic Senate staffer. “No one is talking about it and nobody cares because D.C. doesn’t have any Senators.”