Doing the work.

THE FIGHT FORWARD: DELIVERING REAL RESULTS FOR DC & WARD 5

Neighbors are losing jobs, housing instability and displacement plague the District, and DC’s right to self-governance is under threat. Through it all, Zach has stood firm against federal overreach and worked to deliver practical results for everyday people.

Change Happens When People Organize for It

Progress isn’t automatic. It’s the product of organizing, advocacy, and relentless focus on fairness and opportunity.

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WINS THAT MATTER TO FAMILIES & WORKING-CLASS RESIDENTS

Anti-Poverty Leadership

Zach developed and funded the District Child Tax Credit (CTC), making DC the first city in the nation to provide a local child tax credit, that will provide $1,000 per child under 18 to working-class families. The CTC will put money back into the pockets of families and is projected to cut childhood poverty by about 25% in DC.

Expanding Good-Paying Jobs

Zach fought to ensure the RFK redevelopment deal supports strong labor standards and creates union jobs for DC residents. That means real career pathways, fair wages, and economic opportunity that stays in our community. This win would not have happened with out Zach’s leadership.

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES IN WARD 5

Better Communication & Community Investments

  • Revived community traditions like Ward 5 Day

  • Hosted annual food giveaways to help those in need

  • Improved communication channels between residents and city services

Supporting Ward 5’s Local Economy

  • Passed legislation lowering permitting fees for breweries

  • Supported the creation of Station DC, a transformative tech hub in Union Market

  • Championed grocery store investments in Lamond Riggs, Brookland, and one to come in the Reservoir District

  • Advanced long-stalled community projects like the Fort Lincoln Recreation Center and the Providence Hospital Redevelopment

PUBLIC SAFETY & SAFER STREETS

Zach approaches safety holistically, not by simply expanding enforcement, but by investing in jobs, behavioral health services, and neighborhood partnerships.

Under his leadership:

  • Ward 5 saw a 35% drop in violent crime from 2023 to 2024 — the steepest decline in the city

  • In 2025, violent crime in Ward 5 continued to fall, with an approximate 15% drop compared with the prior year

  • Pushed for targeted opioid abatement investments in Ivy City, ensuring resources for treatment, prevention, and community-based response reach the neighborhoods most affected.

  • Co-introduced the STEER Act to hold reckless out-of-state drivers accountable, secured closure of the 8th Street gap on the Metropolitan Branch Trail to protect cyclists and pedestrians, and continues advocating for safer street design to curb reckless driving. The number of traffic fatalities in DC fell by over 50% in 2025 compared to the previous year.

Zach also hosts quarterly ward-wide safety calls to keep residents informed and engaged.

YOUTH AFFAIRS & EDUCATION

As Chair of the DC Council’s Committee on Youth Affairs, Zach has:

  • Passed and funded the Child Behavioral Health Services Dashboard to help families access care and support faster

  • Passed and funded the School Improvement Amendment Act, expanding support for low-performing schools

  • Strengthened oversight of child welfare and rehabilitation systems, helping expand education services for incarcerated youth and address social worker vacancies so foster care youth receive the support they deserve

  • Established programs for job readiness, trade training, and youth reentry for incarcerated youth

  • Protected funding for every Ward 5 school modernization and fought to ensure Burroughs students remain learning within their school community while their campus is modernized

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE & STRONG COMMUNITIES

Zach is fighting to:

  • Improve air quality in neighborhoods like Ivy City and Brentwood

  • Grow the tree canopy in Ward 5 with partners like Casey’s Trees

  • Repair decades of environmental inequities that treated Ward 5 as a dumping ground through the Comp Plan and other legislative acts

  • Reimagine major corridors like Rhode Island Avenue through multi-year revitalization efforts with city partners

ADVANCING INCLUSIVE GROWTH & HUMAN RIGHTS

Zach’s leadership has expanded representation:

  • Secured $1 million for the DC LGBTQ+ Center

  • Championed housing vouchers and workforce support for seniors

  • Passed the Black LGBTQ+ History Project to document and honor overlooked contributions of Black queer pioneers

  • Introduced legislation like the Prep DC Act of 2025 to expand access to HIV prevention

  • Advocated for language access and protections for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing, including the largest such community in DC.