Council Member Brooke Pinto
Issue Area Rank
Worker’s Rights Mixed Record
Economic Justice Mixed Record
Environmental Justice Mixed Record
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.
Brooke Pinto’s votes on issues of electoral justice:
Used Fair Elections public financing in most recent election
Co-introduced legislation to create Ranked Choice Voting in DC
Voted to fund the implementation of Ranked Choice Voting starting in 2026
Voted against 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.
Brooke Pinto’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 to maintain tenant purchase rights in new downtown office-to-housing conversions
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.
Did not vote to protect tenant purchase(TOPA) rights in 2025 RENTAl ACT
Community Safety: The safest 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.
Brooke Pinto’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
Signed 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
Did not vote 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.
Brooke Pinto’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
Signed 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.
Signed on to legislation to make out-of-school time programs available to all students who want it
NOTE: These votes generally show a lack of support for education. However, Pinto separately pushed to create an Early Literacy Task Force and to fund its recommendations. For that reason, DC4D designates Pinto as having a Mixed Record on education rather than being an Opponent.
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.
Brooke Pinto’s votes on worker’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, reversing the Initiative 82 requirement to raise the tipped minimum wage to the full minimum wage
Introduced 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
Brooke Pinto’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
Signed 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
Voted 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.
Brooke Pinto’s votes on environmental justice:
Signed on to Green New Deal for Housing Act
Signed on to 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.
Signed on to the Clean Energy DC Building Code Act
Did not sign on to the Climate Commitment Act)
Signed 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
Issue Area Rank
Electoral Justice Champion
Housing Not Aligned
Community Safety Not Aligned
Education Mixed Record
Ward 2 Scorecard
Party: Democrat
First Elected: 2020
Used Public Financing in last election: Yes
Endorsements by DC4D in the last race? No
Overview: The DC4D scorecard assesses a DC Councilmember’s commitment to economic, racial, and social justice. The scorecard is broken into issue areas, and within each issue area, members are ranked based on their support for bills that would advance justice, as well as their opposition to bills that would widen racial or economic inequity.