Currently holds the office of District of Columbia Council - Ward 4 until January 2, 2029.
Candidate for District of Columbia Mayor in 2026 DC General Election.
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Get StartedA key component of Janeese’s public safety platform is the creation of Community Hubs – places to bring people and resources together. We all know that DC is resource rich but coordination poor. Janeese will course correct by building on current infrastructure and resources, developing Community Hubs within all eight Wards. Learn more
Janeese will help businesses open and stay open, just as she has in Ward 4. She will do that by creating a one-stop shop for licensing and permitting to reduce the red tape and streamline the process. Janeese will also provide more help for small businesses struggling with rising rents by expanding tax credits and making more spaces available. Learn more
Establish a Federal Workforce Transition Center to reskill displaced federal employees and contractors for in-demand jobs. Learn more
Provide intensive job support to residents who aren’t in school and have dropped out of the labor market. Learn more
Every family will be eligible for childcare assistance and will spend no more than 7% of their household income on childcare, with many families paying less and some paying nothing. Families will still apply and choose their childcare setting. Learn more
Streamline and create more opportunities for students and young people, including expanding vocational, technical, and career-focused programs in schools and neighborhoods. Learn more
DC’s high rates of truancy and chronic absenteeism are unacceptable. Janeese will simplify the truancy system by unifying it and tasking one agency with the responsibility of navigating truancy referrals. She will expand after-school programming in all eight Wards because she knows firsthand how critical safe, enriching programming is for young people. Learn more
Janeese will boost investments to expand providers that offer nontraditional hours, create Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care, and create a dedicated facilities grant fund. She will also co-locate programs in underutilized school buildings and District-owned facilities. Learn more
Janeese will build on the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund to guarantee good wages and partner with our unions to create good, safe jobs. She will also maximize enrollment in affordable, early childhood education degree and certification programs. Learn more
Janeese will also ensure that students have the support they need to stay in school, including special education services, school-based mental health, and sufficiently staffed schools. She knows quality education starts with people, so it’s important to expand the workforce at schools to ensure there are enough professionals to meet the needs of all students. Learn more
Protecting Washingtonians from Pepco and Washington Gas Rate Hikes. Learn more
Removing Barriers to Energy Assistance for People Who Need It. Learn more
Increasing Access to Affordable Energy Tools. Learn more
Holding AI Data Centers Accountable. Learn more
As mayor, Janeese will create homes for all incomes. She will build more homes by removing barriers, allowing for more types of homes in more places, and building near transit corridors. She will build better homes by prioritizing truly affordable housing and not relying on the markets alone. Learn more
Janeese will also build social housing – housing that is publicly-owned and mixed-income – and she will reinvest rents to lower costs, not increase profit. She will give families a hand up into homeownership, strengthening the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) that helped her family buy the home they live in now, and expanding DC’s first-time homebuyer program to reach more residents and provide deeper support. Learn more
Rescinding the MPD order that permits our officers to work with ICE, sharing information and transferring people to ICE custody. Janeese will use every tool we have to build coalitions locally and nationally to defend our community’s rights and values. Learn more
Create free transit for those who need it. Janeese will make sure inability to pay isn’t a barrier to getting around the city. Buses will be free for DC residents enrolled in the SNAP food assistance program and she’ll explore other ways to expand financial support for transit. Learn more
Build a world-class bus system. Janeese will make the buses on DC’s busiest routes faster and more reliable by adding dedicated bus lanes and optimizing bus stops. She will assess and address gaps in the bus network, including transit deserts, and require major development projects to incorporate bus station amenities that are senior friendly and consistent with high-frequency transit service. Learn more
Designate car-free zones. Janeese will improve safety, spur economic activity, and animate public spaces by establishing car-free areas. She will engage residents and businesses in creating pedestrian-only streets, using the Penn Quarter Holiday Market as a model, as well as multi-use streets, like Adams Morgan’s 18th Street NW and 7th Street SE at Eastern Market, that close periodically for activities. Learn more
Prioritize safety. Janeese will use proven measures to keep people safe on our roads. She will fully invest in the STEER Act to remove dangerous drivers from our streets; create clear, protected space for deliveries, short-term stops, and other essential roadside activities; and redesign dangerous intersections where high speeds and poor visibility put pedestrians at risk. Learn more
She will walk the halls of Congress herself, and build relationships on both sides of the aisle, because that is our path to protecting DC autonomy and passing DC Statehood. Learn more
Vigorously enforce wage theft laws, expand protections for marginalized workers, and educate workers about their rights. Learn more
Require strong labor peace and project labor agreements and First Source standards for DC contracts and development projects. Learn more
Partner with unions and expand registered apprenticeships to build the workforce we need. Learn more
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.