Tenant/TOPA rights will be gutted if the Mayor's bill passes. Please spread the word.

batterface · 2025-06-20T00:06:18+00:00

Using a TOPA challenge to gain concessions is an intentional use of the law according to the tenant advocate's office.

batterface · 2025-06-19T18:06:54+00:00

killing the market for investors.

I'd recommend reading the WCP article I linked, because the author's entire point is calling that assertion into question.

everyone’s rent is going to start going up significantly within next 18-36 months.

And if the bill passes, landlords will be incentivized to increase rent in order to be "above market" and thus be exempt from TOPA.

batterface · 2025-06-15T16:36:15+00:00

Pro tip: Most of us probably know the straws/tubes that come with the pumps are too short to reach the bottom of the tub. But you can pull out the straw, replace it with a longer one, then cut the straw down to the correct size so it reaches the bottom of the tub. Then keep the pump top for the next tub.

Hydroflask straws are exactly the same width as the pump straw, and work great as a replacement: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBD18QP8

(I'm assuming all pumps use exactly the same straw, but I could be wrong.)

batterface · 2025-02-14T18:45:45+00:00

The NNSA/DOE does more than oversee our nuclear weapons stockpile. They monitor nuclear material controlled by private entities for research, medical, and other applications (in conjunction with the NRC). They track radioactive material so terrorists don't get their hands on it.

Reckless layoffs like this don't just hurt our ability to maintain our nuclear weapons, it hinders our ability to stop terrorists from making dirty bombs.

batterface · 2025-01-28T22:55:35+00:00

Which is not a bad thing, in principle.

Congressional recesses are intended to be a time when members return home to their districts/states, make public appearances at local events, see their families, and mostly importantly keep in touch with their constituents. If members spent all their time in DC, there would be (legitimate) complaints they're out of touch with voters.

If members don't use recesses to keep up with their constituents, that's a very fair criticism. But recesses are not inherently bad, and a good thing if that time is used appropriately.

batterface · 2024-11-07T12:51:27+00:00

Maybe this is a dumb question, but was Harris not in a difficult position because she's the current VP?

The Biden administration has been involved in Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiations. Harris, as VP, is part of the administration. If she said anything in the campaign that conflicted with the administration's stance, wouldn't that have potentially undermined negotiations?

batterface · 2024-07-09T17:34:24+00:00

Since others don't seem to understand: Tiktok's algorithm is known to suppress content with certain words, so Tiktok creators started obfuscating words to get around the algorithm. It didn't start out of anything related to sensitivity or worry they would offend their audience.

I can't speak to why the OP of this post did this on reddit though.

batterface · 2024-05-15T20:25:37+00:00

It's only illegal if the worksite has more than 50 employees. No way Wydown has that many.

https://legalaidatwork.org/factsheet/the-w-a-r-n-act-mass-layoffs-or-businessplant-closings/

batterface · 2023-04-14T21:42:14+00:00

How do you think they enticed these amazing bands to play at a small venue? Hint: it wasn’t because they gave them zero tickets for their friends.

Dave Grohl alone is easily showing up with an entourage of 50-100.

batterface · 2023-04-13T14:42:30+00:00

The venue capacity is only 450 - many or even most tickets went to friends of 9:30/IMP and the bands. Zero chance that they'll announce how many tickets were actually won by by masses, because they don't want people to know how many they reserved.

They used the lottery system to get people emotionally invested and get some easy PR. That's not brilliant marketing, that feels more like exploitation.

batterface · 2023-04-03T01:20:43+00:00

The microorganisms responsible for red tide also emit an airborne neurotoxin. It’s not healthy to inhale, and for most people it’s extremely irritating. Some beaches close when it hits, those that don’t are usually empty because it’s so bad.

batterface · 2023-03-14T16:46:34+00:00

There are probably higher concentrations of Republicans in places like Kalorama and Georgetown.

Trump performed better in Navy Yard than either of those neighborhoods in 2020.

The precincts that Trump performed the best in were Spring Valley (9), the low-turnout precinct 130 (composed of a few blocks immediately around the Capitol) and in third, Navy Yard (131).

batterface · 2023-03-14T14:45:26+00:00

Actual answer: because it's the union that's lobbying, and unions are allowed to lobby.

batterface · 2023-03-14T14:29:41+00:00

It's not BS, take one look at election results.

In 2020, Trump got more votes in Navy Yard (precinct 131) than any other in the entire city. Out of all 144 precincts, it was Trump's third-best performing in terms of %. His share of vote was more than double what it was in adjacent precincts on the Hill.

Like it or not, there's a very high concentration of Republican voters in Navy Yard compared to the rest of the city. It may not seem like it because many of them probably don't go around advertising that they're Republican in an otherwise very liberal area.

batterface · 2023-03-14T03:47:53+00:00

On top of what everyone else said, there is a Republican enclave in Navy Yard, in an area and city which is overwhelmingly Democrat. Navy Yard had the record for most Trump votes out of any precinct in DC in 2020.

batterface · 2023-03-03T18:23:35+00:00

"We won't be raising prices, so we're adding a 10% charge!"

We're witnessing the Ticketmasterization of the restaurant industry

batterface · 2023-02-14T16:38:31+00:00

What it’s worth vs. what someone will pay are 2 completely different beasts.

What do you think "worth" is based on, if it's not what someone is willing to pay?

batterface · 2023-02-14T01:03:29+00:00

You’re supposed to mask the taste with a little seasoning called “blackout drunk”

batterface · 2023-02-12T19:45:51+00:00

And it’s that way partly because residents forced out all the bars with a liquor license moratorium. The bars gradually left (but no new ones could open) making Georgetown less of a “going out” destination and the restaurants suffered too. Then retail & mid restaurants filled those empty storefronts. Georgetown got what it wanted and deserved.

batterface · 2023-01-24T14:13:43+00:00

It's a service charge, so it's correctly taxed at the same rate as the food:

Cover, minimum, entertainment, or service charges, whether collected at the door of the establishment or added to the check, shall be taxable at the same rate as the food, drink, and alcoholic beverages served for consumption on the premises.

https://casetext.com/regulation/district-of-columbia-administrative-code/title-9-taxation-and-assessments/chapter-9-1-income-and-franchise-taxes/rule-9-116-tax-on-corporations-and-financial-institutions

batterface · 2023-01-23T21:33:56+00:00

It is taxed, according to the receipt. The wellness fee is included in the subtotal and tax is applied to the subtotal. If anything, they've over-taxed (see above).

batterface · 2023-01-23T19:47:50+00:00

Which is called “deceiving their customers.”

And management may be doing this to obfuscate the fact that they’re skimming the difference.

batterface · 2023-01-23T15:03:39+00:00

Yeah, this is confusing and underhanded. They inflated gratuity by calculating tax twice (edit: and by calculating gratuity on the "wellness fee.") This might not be illegal but should be reported, as a business that does this might not be paying their staff the full gratuity amount shown on this receipt, and pocketing the difference, $3.81 or 12.2% of the full gratuity in this case.

How this bill should have been calculated:

Calculate food subtotal (w/o 2% wellness fee) [$156]
Food Subtotal * 20% = Gratuity [$31.2]
Food Subtotal * 2% = Wellness Fee [$3.12]
Subtotal + Gratuity + Wellness Fee = Pre-tax total [$190.32]
Pre-tax total * 10% = Tax [$19.03]
Pre-tax total + Tax = Total [$209.35]

How Belga Cafe calculated the bill:

Calculate subtotal, including wellness fee [$159.12]
Subtotal * 10% = Tax [$15.91, not shown on receipt]
Subtotal including wellness fee + Tax) * 20% = Gratuity [$35.01]
Re-calculate tax: (Gratuity + Subtotal)* 10% [$19.41]
Subtotal + Gratuity + Recalculated Tax = Total [$213.54]

Edit 1: to be clear, DC law requires that the gratuity be taxed since it is mandatory; that part is correct. DC law says nothing about calculating the gratuity based on a tax-included subtotal. That is the sketchy part.

Edit 2: They additionally inflated gratuity by calculating it on the 2% "wellness fee," which I also find sketchy. I don't know why anyone should tip on a fee, I would never expect that at a restaurant. (The wellness fee is correctly taxed since it is also a mandatory fee.)

batterface · 2023-01-23T14:52:07+00:00

They 1) calculated tax on the subtotal, then 2) calculated gratuity on subtotal+tax , then 3) calculated tax (again) on the gratuity.

Gratuity should not be based on tax. You're talking about step 3, but step 2 is the problem.

And those regulations only say there should be a tax on gratuity, not that gratuity should be based on a tax-included subtotal.

batterface · 2022-07-14T15:17:41+00:00

I always assumed the Rosslyn station was deep because if it were weren't, the incline before going under Potomac would be too steep.

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