Electoral Justice:  DC4D works in coalition to dismantle barriers to voter participation. We believe small, grassroots donors should have more power in our elections than corporate interests, and no one should win office with a minority of the vote.

Phil Mendelson’s votes on issues of electoral justice:

• Did NOT use Fair Elections public financing in most recent election

• Did not co-introduce legislation to create Ranked Choice Voting in DC 

• Voted against amendment to fund the implementation of Ranked Choice Voting starting in 2026

• Voted for amendment to delay implementation of Ranked Choice Voting to 2028

Housing Justice:  Housing is a human right. Too many DC residents, especially Black and brown residents, live in substandard conditions and yet pay more than half their income for rent. DC should ensure all residents have access to decent affordable housing. Ending long-term homelessness is an important first step in ending all forms of homelessness and housing injustice.

Phil Mendelson’s votes on issue of housing justice: 

• Did not support capping rent hikes at 5% for rent-controlled units in 2023 and 2024

• Did not support legislation to prohibit tent encampment clearings

• Did not vote for an income tax increase to fund housing for residents experiencing homelessness 

• Did not vote tomaintain tenant purchase rights in new downtown office-to-housing conversions

• Did not sign on toGreen New Deal for Housing legislation

• Voted to make it harder to qualify for Emergency Rental Assistance

• Did not vote to maintain a 30-day period before eviction can be filed.

• Voted to protect tenant purchase (TOPA) rights in 2025 RENTAl ACT

Community Safety: Thesafest communities are ones where everyone’s needs are met. Only by broadening our understanding of safety will allow us to make sustainable progress toward a District in which fewer people experience and then perpetrate harm. This work should center on meeting the needs of people most at risk of violence.

Phil Mendelson’s votes on community safety:

• Did not vote to remove police from schools

• Voted for the penalty-focused crime emergency bill in 2023

• Signed on to the Metro Safety Act with increased and harsh penalties for fare evasion

• Did not sign on to the ERASE Act to greatly limit solitary confinement at the DC Jail

• Did not sign on to the FRESH STARTS Act to improve the quality of food at the DC Jail

• Did not vote for an amendment to reduce use of pre-trial detention in the Peace DC Act

• Voted to limit powers of Special Police Officers in public transit in the Peace DC Act

• Voted for the Residential Tranquility Act that limits First Amendment protest rights

• Did not support amendment to Secure DC Act to prevent expanding DNA collection to people merely arrested for a felony.

• Did not support amendment to Secure DC act to speed up implementation of law to enable criminal record sealing and expungement. 

• Did not sign on to a bill to prevent MPD from cooperating with ICE/federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.

Education: Educational success shouldn't be defined by the ward we live in. Neighborhood public schools are the foundation of a strong school system and should be protected against privatization. Learning and equity begin at birth, and we should follow student leadership when it comes to school safety and priorities.

Phil Mendelson’s votes on education:

• Did not vote for an income tax increase to provide a pay increase to child care teachers 

• Did not sign on to legislation to make the State Superintendent of Education report to State Board of Education, instead of the Mayor

• Did not sign on to legislation to make school meals free to all students

• Did not sign on to legislation to make the Office of the State Superintendent of Education an independent agency.

• Did not sign on to legislation to make out-of-school time programs available to all students who want it

Note: These votes show Mendelson to be an Opponent of education equity in this scorecard.  However, Mendelson has used his significant role as Council Chair in shaping the DC budget to support critical education investments, such as community schools.  For this reason, DC4D designates Mendelson as having a Mixed Record on education.

Workers’ Rights: Workers’ rights are civil rights. Living wages, economic justice, and accountability from businesses are part of how we create a fair and just future for everyone in DC. Every worker should be protected by human rights, health and safety laws.

Phil Mendelson’s votes on workers’s rights:

• Voted to ensure domestic workers are covered by DC labor laws for wages and safety

• Voted for amendment to to reduce base wages for tipped workers to $8/hour

• Voted to cap the minimum wage for tipped workers at 75% of the full minimum wage, which reversed the Initiative 82 requirement to raise the tipped minimum wage to the full minimum wage 

• Did not sign on to legislation to raise wages for participants in the Summer Youth Employment Program

Economic Justice:  This category addresses whether the Councilmember fought for policies to reduce income and racial inequality, and whether they supported tax increases on high-income residents.

Phil Mendelson’s votes on economic justice:

• Did not vote for income tax increase to fund a pay increase for child care teachers, vouchers for people experiencing homelessness, and an expanded tax credit for working poor families

• Did not sign on to legislation to increase SNAP food assistance

• Voted to create Baby Bonds accounts for children in lower-income families

• Signed on to legislation to create a Child Tax Credit

• Did not vote to raise capital gains tax rates in FY2026 budget 

• Voted for the RFK Stadium deal, the largest stadium subsidy in U.S. history

• Did not vote to de-couple from federal tax cuts and use savings to create a Child Tax Credit and expand DC’s Earned Income Tax Credit

Environmental Justice: Climate change, global warming, and an endangered environment have impacts in every system of existence. Government and corporate greed have systematically and adversely infringed on the sanctity of our planet and our neighbors in vulnerable communities. Mitigating the climate disaster with stringent advocacy is how we care for our communities.

Phil Mendelson’s votes on environmental justice:

• Did not sign on to Green New Deal for Housing Act

• Did not sign on to the Healthy Homes Act to help residents with low-incomes electrify their home

• Voted for the Solar for All Expansion Act, which subsidized the solar industry at a cost to low-income consumers who rent or own but cannot afford to install solar’

• Did not sign on to the Clean Energy DC Building Code Act 

• Signed on to Climate Commitment Act

• Did not sign on to the Greener Government Buildings Act 

• Signed on to the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Act (aka, the Bottle Bill)

• Voted against the Sensible Pool Building Emergency Declaration to waive Green Building Act standards for a new pool

• Did not introduce legislation requiring a “cumulative impact statement” to prevent environmentally harmful projects in already overburdened communities