state politics | ARLnow.com

Arlington helps lead statewide push for new law combatting ‘swatting’

Published December 8, 2022 at 10:55AM

Police outside Yorktown High School after a false report of threats, February 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

In February of this year, a hoax call about an armed suspect inside Yorktown High School holding hostages triggered a lockdown, evacuations and a massive police response.

That incident is now informing one of Arlington’s legislative priorities for the upcoming Virginia General Assembly session. The Arlington County Board and School Board are calling for a law that specifically names and criminalizes false calls to police, describing a life-threatening situation, with the intent to trigger a police response. It is widely known as “swatting” because of the SWAT teams it sometimes elicits.

News

Nearly half of bills vetoed by Gov. Youngkin had Arlington ties

By Jo DeVoe

Published April 14, 2022 at 11:30AM

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Tysons (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed 25 bills this week, of which nearly half were proposed or championed by Arlington lawmakers.

The new governor signed 700 bills sent to his desk during the 2022 General Assembly session, including some from Arlington lawmakers addressing mental health treatment, medical debt and virtual meetings.

News

Bill from Del. Lopez supporting local journalism fails

By Jo DeVoe

Published March 2, 2022 at 3:55PM

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam answers reporters' questions at Amazon announcement in Pentagon City in 2018 (file photo)

Proposed legislation from Del. Alfonso Lopez that would support local journalism has withered away without bipartisan support.

HB 1217 would have provided up to $5 million annually in income tax credits to eligible news outlets that employ local journalists and up to $10 million annually in income tax credits to businesses that advertise with these outlets.

News

JUST IN: Youngkin vetoes Arlington police auditor bill

By Jo DeVoe

Published March 1, 2022 at 12:00PM | Updated March 1, 2022 at 1:59PM

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in Tysons (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 1:55 p.m.) Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s first veto could mean Arlington’s police oversight board cannot be led by an independent policing auditor.

Today (Tuesday), the Republican governor vetoed his first bill: HB 670, put forward by Arlington’s Del. Patrick Hope (D). It would have granted the Arlington County Board permission to appoint an independent auditor who would oversee the Community Oversight Board (COB), which is tasked with handling civilian complaints of misconduct by Arlington police officers.

Schools

W-L students give away books they say could be ‘banned’ under new bill

By Jo DeVoe

Published February 23, 2022 at 3:55PM | Updated February 23, 2022 at 4:26PM

Washington-Liberty High School students browse copies of "Beloved" and "Maus" (courtesy photo)

(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) This afternoon, a group of Washington-Liberty High School students are giving their peers more than 100 copies of two politically controversial books.

The books are “Beloved,” Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel following a Black family during the Reconstruction era, and “Maus,” Art Spiegelman’s award-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust and his father’s life during World War II. Both have explicit content that has some parents and politicians questioning their place in schools.

News

Typo causes hassle for county, prompts critique of public notice law’s limits

By Jo DeVoe

Published February 16, 2022 at 3:45PM | Updated February 22, 2022 at 3:48PM

Board Chair Katie Cristol during the Tuesday, Feb. 15 County Board meeting (via Arlington County)

(Updated 3:45 p.m. on 2/22/22) A typo in a recent public hearing notice has had some larger consequences for Arlington County.

The error — an incorrect date printed on posters around town — also sparked a County Board discussion yesterday (Tuesday) about finding more effective ways to communicate with residents about upcoming hearings and projects.

News

New candidate for District 2 House of Delegates steps forward

By Jo DeVoe

Published January 25, 2022 at 9:30AM | Updated January 26, 2022 at 9:11AM

Adele McClure (courtesy photo)

(Updated 9:10 a.m. on 1/26/22) A second candidate for the new, metropolitan House of Delegates District 2 has emerged.

And Adele McClure, 32, says she was in the right place at the right time to even consider running. She was in the middle of moving apartments when the state Supreme Court accepted new district maps after a months-long redistricting process.

News

Virginia lawmakers are considering a slate of bills from Arlington legislators

By Brandi Bottalico

Published January 21, 2022 at 1:00PM

Today (Friday) marks the last day lawmakers can file legislation to be considered in the 2022 session.

Several of the bills Arlington County legislators introduced align with County Board priorities — from making permanent electronic participation in public meetings to increasing state funding for affordable housing and including race and ethnicity on driver’s licenses.

News

New AG will pursue state housing discrimination inquiry into Serrano Apartments

By Jo DeVoe

Published January 18, 2022 at 3:45PM

Serrano Apartments (photo via Google Maps)

Attorney General Jason Miyares won’t be axing a state investigation into potential housing discrimination against residents of the Serrano Apartments launched under his predecessor.

Early last week, the civil rights division of the Office of the Attorney General — led by former AG Mark Herring — began searching for evidence of discrimination against tenants based on their race, national origin and disability by local affordable housing developer AHC Inc., which owns the Columbia Pike affordable housing complex.

News

There’s already a candidate for a new state house district in Arlington created by redistricting

By Jo DeVoe

Published January 3, 2022 at 3:45PM

The final Virginia House of Delegates district map (via Virginia Redistricting)

Arlington officially has a new Virginia House of Delegates district that has local Democrats talking about who will run for the seat. One hat has already been tossed into the ring as of today.

The Supreme Court of Virginia last week unanimously accepted new district maps for Virginia’s House of Delegates, the state Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. For Arlington’s Richmond representation, the maps created an entirely new House District 2 encompassing Arlington’s Metro corridors, and redrew boundaries for the state Senate.

News

Del. Lopez files bills strengthening tenant protections after Serrano saga

By Jo DeVoe

Published December 21, 2021 at 3:00PM

Del. Alfonso Lopez during his 2019 bid for re-election (file photo)

A half-dozen bills are set to hit the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates in January that were inspired by the poor conditions at the Serrano Apartments and other Virginia affordable housing properties.

After residents exposed poor living conditions at the Columbia Pike apartment complex, Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49) tells ARLnow he began drafting bills to strengthen tenant rights and improve living conditions in affordable housing properties across the Commonwealth.

News

How Arlington’s Richmond representation could change under proposed redistricting maps

By Matt Blitz

Published December 13, 2021 at 3:45PM | Updated December 13, 2021 at 4:46PM

Newly-proposed House of Delegates District 2 (photo via screenshot/Supreme Court of Virginia)

Newly proposed redistricting maps would create a new Virginia House district in Arlington while potentially pitting long-time Senate incumbents against each other.

Last week, the Supreme Court of Virginia unveiled draft maps for the Virginia House of Delegates, the Virginia Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. The maps were drawn up by one Democrat and one Republican appointed by the court, after a non-partisan committee failed to complete the task earlier in the year.