Janeese Lewis George

DC should enforce a curfew for minors as a tool to reduce youth crime.

Lewis George has publicly opposed teen curfews.

Sources: [Janeese Lewis George — Free DC Candidate Questionnaire]

Any youth curfew must be paired with substantial investment in alternative programming — jobs, recreation centers, mental health services — for young people.

Supports investment in out-of-school programming, jobs, and mental health services for youth.

Sources: [Janeese Lewis George — Free DC Candidate Questionnaire]

DC should treat violence as a public health problem, investing heavily in violence interruption programs and community-based solutions.

Supports treating violence as a public health problem; backs the NEAR Act approach. At the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate she championed violence-interruption partners like the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and Cure the Streets, and argued they should be funded with multi-year (three-year) grants rather than minimal one-off grants 'that allow them to … only put on one cookout,' so organizations can retain staff and plan.

Sources: [Janeese Lewis George — Free DC Candidate Questionnaire], [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]

The 2024 Secure DC omnibus legislation — which increased penalties and expanded pre-trial detention — was the right approach to addressing DC's crime surge.

Voted for the 2024 Secure DC omnibus legislation.

Sources: [Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024 — DC Council LIMS]

Hiring significantly more MPD officers is a priority for reducing crime in DC.

Supports hiring more MPD officers to restore staffing levels. In 2019 she tweeted about divestment but has since voted to fund MPD budgets for six years on council. 2019 statements are frequently used against her in attack ads.

Sources: [We fact-checked the attacks in the D.C. mayoral race — The 51st]

MPD should not assist ICE or other federal agencies in immigration enforcement operations within DC.

Supports DC's sanctuary values and opposes MPD cooperation with ICE and federal immigration enforcement.

Sources: [Janeese Lewis George — Free DC Candidate Questionnaire]

DC should restore and strengthen TOPA (the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act) to give tenants the right to purchase their building before it's sold to an outside buyer.

Campaign platform explicitly pledges, under 'Expanding homeownership,' to 'restore tenants’ purchasing rights by strengthening DC’s powerful anti-displacement law, the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA)' — directly endorsing restoring and strengthening TOPA. Her broader housing platform is strongly pro-tenant, including ending the 'slumlord business model' and funding cooperative conversions.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should use the District Opportunity to Purchase Act (DOPA) to buy apartment buildings and preserve them as affordable housing.

Proposes amending DOPA to require the Mayor to clarify why a given building should be sold to developers rather than having the City develop the building itself, citing the lack of sustained, deeply affordable housing resulting from such practice.

Sources: [Press Release: Councilmember Janeese Lewis George Introduces Green New Deal Legislation to Create Social Housing and Remove Lead Pipes in DC]

DC should place limits on new data center construction in the District.

Suggests she will limit new data center construction by implementing more restrictions to hold them accountable for rising utility costs.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should implement a comprehensive citywide rodent control program — including replacing standard trash containers with rodent-proof bins — to address the District's chronic rat infestation.

As councilmember, Lewis George has introduced a bill to establish a publicly accessible dashboard for rat activity tracking, including population estimates and geospatial trends in treatments and service requests. Also seeks to improve coordination between DPW and DPH in the event that DPW encounters rats when removing residential trash cans.

Sources: [B26-0492 - Rodent Abatement and Transparency (RAT) Amendment Act of 2025]

DC should raise taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest residents to close the District's budget gap.

Proposes progressive revenue measures including property taxes on long-term vacant commercial properties and a 15% price break for certified social-benefit businesses. Her platform prioritizes protecting housing, childcare, and education programs rather than cutting them, though she does not frame major new corporate tax hikes as her primary budget-gap tool.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should respond to Trump administration interference in city governance with an assertive, public stance — filing lawsuits, passing protective legislation, and refusing to comply with unlawful federal directives — rather than quiet diplomacy or pragmatic deal-making.

Has been sharply critical of the Bowser administration for not doing enough to resist federal encroachment, and frames aggressive use of legal tools and public advocacy to defend DC's budget autonomy as a defining contrast with the current mayor. At the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate she pledged to 'use every legal tool we have to fight back' with Attorney General Brian Schwalb, citing being 'the only council member in court with Eleanor Holmes Norton' when the administration tried to take over DC's police chief — 'and we won because we used our legal tools.'

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor], [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]

DC should use all available legal tools — including litigation and public advocacy — to protect federal workers from mass terminations and defend federal agencies from relocation out of the District.

Lewis George pledges to 'establish a rapid response Federal Workforce Transition Center for displaced federal employees and contractors, including partnering with universities to reskill and support transitions into DC teaching jobs and other in-demand jobs.' She has also been sharply critical of the Bowser administration for not sufficiently resisting federal intrusion.

Sources: [DC Mayoral Candidate Lewis George on Her Platform — NBC Washington], [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should open safe injection sites (overdose prevention centers) where people can use drugs under medical supervision.

Lewis George supports opening safe injection sites, calling opioid overdoses 'one of the most urgent public health crises' facing DC. In 2023 she requested $15 million in the FY2024 budget to open two overdose prevention centers.

Sources: [Janeese Lewis George backs safe injection sites in DC for drug use — Washington Examiner]

DC should expand subsidized childcare into a universal program — available to all DC residents regardless of income — building on the Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Program (PKEEP).

Lewis George's 'Childcare For All' platform calls for universal affordable childcare: every family eligible for assistance, capped at 7% of household income (under $600/month for families earning under $100K). Three-part plan: expand subsidy to all families, increase supply through co-location in schools and microgrants, and guarantee wages comparable to DCPS teachers through the Pay Equity Fund.

Sources: [DC Mayoral Candidate Lewis George on Her Platform — NBC Washington], [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should build more protected bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes.

Platform pledges to add dedicated bus lanes on DC's busiest routes and implement community-supported protected bike lanes citywide, including the Shepherd Branch Trail in Wards 7 and 8 and a northeast-northwest protected bike lane. Also pledges to make buses free for SNAP recipients and explore broader transit fare support.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should aggressively accelerate its transition to 100% renewable energy, installing solar on public buildings and investing in geothermal and other clean sources.

Lewis George's 10-point utility affordability plan includes substantially expanding community solar on all available government buildings, school parking lots, playgrounds, and vacant government land; incentivizing balcony solar for renters; implementing energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) in schools and government buildings; and expanding the Solar Shade Expansion Amendment Act.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should expand the 'community schools' model, where schools serve as neighborhood hubs providing mental health, family support, and other services beyond education.

Platform explicitly states: 'Invest in and expand Community Schools grants and expand successful home visiting services to connect with families.' Her 'Support the whole child' pillar mirrors the community schools model, adding caregiver navigation support and streamlined anti-truancy efforts.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should adopt a social housing model — publicly owned, mixed-income housing.

Platform pledges to 'Launch Dignified Homes DC by building DC-owned mixed-income housing with stable rents, ensuring that public housing investments prioritize residents over profit.' This is an explicit social housing model with public ownership and mixed-income design. Her June 2026 Greater Greater Washington op-ed reiterates the commitment: 'establishing a social housing program to enable District-owned, mixed-income housing with stable rents, ensuring that government investments prioritize people over profit.'

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor], [I'm running for DC mayor to build more housing to lower costs — Greater Greater Washington]

DC should expand rent stabilization to cover more housing, including buildings constructed after 1975.

Platform calls for 'Stabilizing rent by modernizing rent stabilization so tenants have predictable housing costs and housing providers have clear guidelines.' Her framing is 'modernizing' rather than explicitly expanding to post-1975 buildings, but she is firmly pro-rent stabilization as a tool for tenant protection.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should significantly increase the Housing Production Trust Fund.

Platform calls for 'Demanding accountability for housing investments by tying investments to measurable outcomes and prioritizing residents with the greatest need,' plus launching Dignified Homes DC as a new publicly-funded housing initiative. In her June 2026 Greater Greater Washington op-ed she says she would 'rely on funding mechanisms that already exist, like housing production trust fund dollars or federal dollars,' while cautioning that 'our housing supply challenges, however, are bigger than what we can solve via subsidy alone' — supporting the HPTF as an existing tool rather than calling to significantly increase it (a +1, not +2).

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor], [I'm running for DC mayor to build more housing to lower costs — Greater Greater Washington]

DC should increase funding for the Department of Parks and Recreation, including extended rec center hours and expanded youth and senior programming.

Platform pledges to 'Invest in afterschool and late-night weekend safe spaces where youth can socialize and have fun,' 'Expand afterschool and summer programming in every ward,' and create community hubs in all 8 wards. Implies support for DPR-style programming but doesn't explicitly name DPR or call for a budget increase.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should legalize apartments and 'missing-middle' housing (duplexes, triplexes, and small multifamily buildings) citywide by removing single-family-only zoning restrictions.

Platform pledges to build more homes by 'Allowing for more housing citywide by removing outdated zoning restrictions so more homes and more types of homes can be built across DC, particularly near transit corridors,' alongside streamlined permitting to accelerate production. In a June 2026 Greater Greater Washington op-ed she goes further, committing to build 72,000 homes in five years (double the current administration's target) by legalizing 'small apartment homes up to six units District-wide,' easing setback and side-yard requirements, ending parking requirements citywide, and rewriting the Comprehensive Plan to undo exclusionary single-family zoning in the District's most affluent neighborhoods.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor], [I'm running for DC mayor to build more housing to lower costs — Greater Greater Washington]

DC buses should be fare-free for all riders.

Supports targeted free transit rather than universal fare-free service: 'Buses will be free for DC residents enrolled in the SNAP food assistance program,' and she will 'explore other ways to expand financial support for transit.'

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should implement congestion pricing — charging drivers to enter the busiest parts of downtown.

Pushed for the DDOT Congestion Pricing study to be released (pledging to do so within 48 hours of taking office, which prompted Mayor Bowser to release it). As mayor she will 'carefully review and if necessary update the study and work with community members, District officials, and officials from surrounding jurisdictions to consider implementation' — open to it but committed to study and community process first.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should guarantee free, high-quality child care from birth through age three — with no waitlists — for District families.

Her 'Childcare For All' plan expands subsidy to every family (capped at 7% of income) and co-locates infant and toddler programs in schools and District facilities — strongly expanding infant/toddler care, but through an income-based affordability cap rather than a free, universal birth-to-three guarantee.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should cut taxes and fees on small and local businesses — and offer relief such as the small retailer property tax credit — to help them open, survive, and grow.

Supports targeted small-business relief — expanding DC's small business property tax credit, lease guarantees, a 15% price break for certified social-benefit businesses, and a 'Buy Local' campaign — while also raising property taxes on long-term vacant commercial space. Net supportive of small-business tax relief, paired with other tools. At the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate she answered 'yes' to more direct financial support, calling to streamline permitting and licensing (citing Ward 4 businesses waiting two years), consolidate small-business help under one agency, and open vacant and blighted buildings to young entrepreneurs, artists, and ghost kitchens as a path to brick-and-mortar.

Sources: [Platform — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor], [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]

DC should expand its automated traffic-enforcement camera program (speed and red-light cameras).

In the April 30, 2026 Fair Elections Program mayoral debate lightning round, George answered 'no' to expanding more traffic-enforcement cameras.

Sources: [DC Fair Elections Program mayoral debate (April 30, 2026)]

DC should directly intervene to eliminate food deserts — including by opening a publicly owned grocery store in underserved areas like east of the Anacostia.

George has made food access a centerpiece, proposing a publicly owned grocery store east of the Anacostia and prioritizing District development that brings grocery stores and retail amenities to underserved Wards 5, 7, and 8. Strongly supports direct city intervention to eliminate food deserts.

Sources: [Economic Development — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor], [Your guide to the June 16 DC primary — The 51st]

DC should act aggressively to lower residents' electricity bills — for example by contesting or rolling back Pepco rate increases through the Public Service Commission.

George's 'Affordable Utilities For All' platform is a 10-point plan to lower bills, opening by noting Pepco has 'increased rates each of the last three years' and that the Public Service Commission failed residents. She would appoint PSC commissioners who center community impact on rate approvals, protect residents from Pepco and Washington Gas rate hikes, and reduce bills for low-income households. Strongly supports aggressive intervention.

Sources: [Affordable Utilities For All — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should create a new tax on high-revenue professional-services firms — such as law firms, lobbyists, and consultants — to raise revenue for city programs.

George has proposed a new business-activity tax on high-revenue professional-services firms — such as law firms, lobbyists, and consultants — as a progressive way to fund services like universal affordable childcare, a signature contrast with McDuffie, who opposes it. Strongly supportive.

Sources: [Fact-checking the DC mayoral race (Business Activity Tax)]

DC should strengthen worker protections — expanding paid family and medical leave and raising the minimum wage — even if it raises costs for employers.

As Councilmember, George expanded Paid Family Leave, raised wages for early childhood educators, ended the subminimum wage for restaurant workers, and strengthened worker protections, and she pledges to require strong labor standards on DC contracts and expand protections for gig workers. Strongly supports expanding worker protections.

Sources: [Good Jobs for All — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should expand permanent supportive housing and 'Housing First' services to address homelessness, rather than relying on clearing encampments.

George frames stable housing as a foundation of safety and would fund transitional housing programs and a publicly owned mixed-income 'Dignified Homes DC' model, emphasizing supportive housing over enforcement. Supportive of a Housing First-oriented approach.

Sources: [Safe Communities / Making it Easier to Live, Own, and Build — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor]

DC should overhaul the IMPACT teacher-evaluation system and make the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) independent of the mayor.

George would work with the Washington Teachers' Union to overhaul the IMPACT teacher-evaluation system to focus on growth, and has called for an independent Office of the State Superintendent (OSSE). Strongly supports both halves of this question.

Sources: [Excellent Schools for All — Janeese Lewis George for Mayor], [Your guide to the June 16 DC primary — The 51st]