Today’s installment has a shout-out for a fundraiser called C'ville STEM: Support Schools in COVID times. UVA doctors have teamed up with schools and want your financial support for school scientific supplies for up to 2,100 children in City Schools who might not otherwise have access. They are very close to meeting their goal.
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There are another 1,216 cases of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth as reported by the Virginia Department of Health, and another eight deaths bringing the total to 2,370. The statewide seven-day positive testing rate has dropped to 7.2 percent. Another 20 cases have been reported in the Thomas Jefferson Health District for a total to date of 2,067. No fatalities have been reported in the district in over a week, with the total at 44 since August 6.
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The Charlottesville Police Civilian Review Board (PCRB) met last night and heard from a couple members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus in advance of the General Assembly’s special session, which begins on August 18. PCRB Chair James Watson invited the elected officials to the virtual meeting to explain legislation to increase civilian oversight of police in Virginia localities.
“Right now we are a pretty big state and we only got three CRBs in the entire state so that legislation will empower localities to create CRBs and avert the various challenges they may face once they are established,” Watson said.
Charlottesville City Council authorized creation of a CRB in late 2017, and one formed but its members expressed concern about a lack of authorized oversight. A new board has formed and many of the same concerns are present, such as a lack of subpoena power and access to records. Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-9) is the vice chair of the Legislative Black Caucus.
“We are going to be putting on both the House and the Senate side bills to give localities the authority to have civilian review boards that have much more teeth than what you have now,” McClellan said.
McClellan said the special session will begin the process of “de-criminalizing poverty” and making punishments for crimes more proportionate.
“We are making it so that access to justice does not depend on how good of a lawyer you have or can afford,” McClellan said. “And then if you are sentenced that the Department of Corrections process focuses on rehabilitation and reentry.”
Delegate Don Scott (D-80) said he believed it is important for civilian review boards to have more oversight on what he refers to as the “criminal punishment” system.
“We’re going to have a higher expectation for those who we entrust to protect and serve our community,” Scott said.
The General Assembly special session begins on August 18. Last night’s meeting is available for viewing on the city’s website. (watch the meeting)
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The new director of Charlottesville’s public housing authority introduced himself to his Board of Commissioners last night. John Sales has been the executive director of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority since August 3rd.
“I came from the city [where] I was the housing program coordinator,” Sales said. “Before that I was at the Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority where I was the director of development and capital projects.”
Sales said the CRHA is poised to move forward with redevelopment and rehabilitation of public housing.
“It’s going to take off like a rocket,” Sales said. “We have a lot of stuff working on with redevelopment, working with increasing our volunteer slots, and just improving affordable housing in the community, something the community has been asking for for a very long time and I think we are at the position where we can give them that and be the leader of affordable housing in the city of Charlottesville.”
The two new Commissioners also introduced themselves. A’Lelia Henry is a public housing resident who has attended many meetings on the topic over the years.
“For the time that I have been involved in housing it seems to be that we have the least input into what comes out of public housing,” Henry said. “I guess I’m here to make good trouble.”
The other new member of the board is Lisa Green who is ending her ten-year stint on the Planning Commission. In March, the Planning Commission approved the site plan for a phase of development at South First Street, which had been created with input from residents.
“Working with the South First Street project, I got more energized and I felt more excited about projects than I have a long time in the city,” Green said. “I think sometimes the city gives away the farm so to speak instead of actually making sure we’re doing by our residents and the folks who live here now.”
Later in the meeting, the CRHA Board discussed ways to encourage more property owners to rent out to people and families with federal housing vouchers.
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The Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA) is in the early stages of testing a new app that could keep more discarded material out of landfills. If it passes out of a beta test, the Better Bin app would allow people to scan barcodes on products and be informed about where the material could be recycled or where they could get guidance on composting. Philip McKalips is the Director of Solid Waste for the RSWA and he updated the Solid Waste Alternatives Advisory Committee on the app.
“What this thing does is you go into the store, hopefully, or at least with the recycling bin after you’ve already bought a product, and you open the app, and when it accesses the camera you’ll see that it’s got this image of a barcode there,” McKalips said. “When you shine that on to the bar code of the product, it will either know it or it won’t know it and if it knows it, it will tell you how how to recycle that product and its packaging, and if it doesn’t know it, it will give you a chance to fairly easily send that information back to Better Bin in which case they are going to look for that information so that the database gets smarter.”
The Wisconsin company that built the app will conduct a second round of beta testing. The SWAAC committee also discussed legislation that passed the General Assembly such as the enabling authority to levy taxes on plastic bags. The legislation authorizes that to happen as of January 1, and the Board of Supervisors was briefed on the possibility on July 15.
“The revenue accruing to the county or city must be used for certain purposes including environmental cleanup and the provision of reusable bags,” wrote county attorney Greg Kamptner in his briefing for that discussion. The SWAAC members discussed a desire to move forward with the City of Charlottesville if the local officials decide to eventually levy the tax.
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August 14, 2020: Black legislators brief police review board; An app for better recycling