Ward 4 councilwoman and mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George is taking aim at Washington, D.C.’s booming rodent population with new legislation that would increase oversight of rodent subsiding efforts.
George introduced the Rodent Accountability and Transparency Amendment Act, which aims to boost oversight for pest control and hold landlords to a higher standard when rats become a problem.
Washington has the fastest-growing rodent population among 15 major cities, George said, adding that the spike is a serious threat to public health.
The District of Columbia Department of Health has taken note of the rat problem in district neighborhoods and attributes it to new construction, mild winters over the past decade, and trash not being stored properly.
In Georgetown, the rat problem has become a central point of contention in neighborhood zoning, with residents reporting “dead rats, living rats, and overflowing trash bins as daily fixtures.”
During a 2024 zoning hearing for the bagel shop Call Your Mother, neighbors testified that the shop’s popularity has exacerbated local infestations, forcing some to dispose of rodent carcasses found on their property themselves.
The bill introduced by George would give the Department of Health the power to charge property owners and managers for the costs of rodent treatment if they fail to resolve infestations on their own.
“This will strengthen our ability to hold property managers accountable,” Lewis George told news channel WUSA9.
She said one reason for the lack of resolve is broken communication between city agencies.
The Department of Public Works manages trash, while the Health Department handles pest control. The RAT Act would help bridge the gap by automatically alerting D.C. Health to rodent activity found during trash inspections.
Additionally, the RAT Act would mandate a public data dashboard to track infestation trends by ward and Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
Although the bill is still awaiting a vote date, D.C. Health recommends several preventive measures focused on eliminating food sources and nesting sites.
Key suggestions include storing all household trash and pet food in secure metal or heavy-duty plastic containers and only placing bags outside shortly before scheduled pickups. Homeowners are also encouraged to seal entry points, such as holes in windows or gaps in doorways, with mortar or metal trim.
George has made renter advocacy the center of her socialist mayoral campaign.
“Rent’s rising in homes people can’t afford,” she said in her campaign announcement video. “Folks working hard and still feeling the squeeze, while the few in power rake in profits. And now our neighbors, our families, under attack because we are failing to stand up to defend them.”
The 37-year-old hopeful has been named a front-runner in the district’s mayoral race. Just four hours after announcing her run, George qualified for the Fair Elections public financing program, raising $700,000.
George is leading the race due to her prolific fundraising and progressive appeal to young voters after Mayor Muriel Bowser’s tenure.
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Previous Washington Examiner reporting shows George raising $188,591 from district residents in the first 10 days.
Lewis is set to receive nearly $1 million through the district’s matching program, augmenting $30,000 in outside donations and an $80,000 grant. She attributes her fundraising strength to her grassroots movement.
