Before heading back down to Richmond in January, Alexandria’s state-level elected officials are hosting a townhall to hear from locals.

State Sen. Adam Ebbin, Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Del. Charniele Herring and Del. Alfonso Lopez are hosting a pre-legislative town hall on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m. in Alexandria City Hall.

After Virginia Democrats secured a majority in the House of Delegates and the Senate, Bennett-Parker said there’s hope that Alexandria’s state senators and delegates can accomplish more of their goals.

According to Bennett-Parker’s newsletter:

As we get ready for the start of session on January 10th, the General Assembly will be very different. Earlier this month, the voters of Virginia elected a Democratic majority in both the House of Delegates and the Senate. Thanks to redistricting and election results, both chambers are also experiencing significant turnover.

Bennett-Parker noted that the upcoming session will be a “long” one, lasting for 60 days. Bennett-Parker said some of the bills and joint resolutions being considered include:

As introduced, the bills and joint resolutions will: institute a ban on AR-15 style assault firearms and certain ammunition; increase the minimum wage to $15 by January 1, 2026; work to create a constitutional amendment to codify the automatic restoration of voting rights; and work to create a constitutional amendment that will codify abortion access in Virginia.

Attendees to the town hall are asked to register in advance.

Alexandria Democratic members of the Virginia’s General Assembly were swept back into office on election night.

There were no surprises from the unofficial election returns Tuesday night. Facing no opposition, Democratic incumbents Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (5th) was reelected to a second term with 21,622 votes, and Del. Charniele Herring (4th) was reelected to her eighth two-year term with 10,368 votes. Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3rd) was also reelected with 81% (16,837 votes) and defeated independent candidate Major Mike Webb.

State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) was reelected with 78% of votes cast (38,789 votes), soundly defeating Republican Sophia Moshasha who got 22% (10,706 votes).

Most of the Democratic candidates spoke after the unofficial results were announced at an Alexandria Democratic Committee watch party at Pork Barrel BBQ in Del Ray.

“With the legislature that we hope to return to Richmond tonight, we’re going to have tell (Republican Governor) Glenn Yongkin that he can work with us or he can face a brick wall,” Ebbin said.

Statewide, Virginia Democrats campaigned on protecting abortion rights and retook control of both houses of the General Assembly, making Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin a lame duck for the remainder of his term.

Bennett-Parker said that she is one of a handful of Virginia legislators to have a child while in office.

“She inspires me every day to do this work,” Bennett-Parker said of her daughter. “I want her to grow up in Virginia where she has the right to make decisions about her own body.”

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine also stopped by to congratulate the winners.

“Times are tough in this country right now,” Kaine said. “Times are tough in this world right now. But when times are tough families pulled together and that’s what we’re doing… I always say I was born with a good compass, and I married a good anchor. And if you have a good compass and a good anchor, there is nothing that will ever stop good.”

Voter turnout in Alexandria exceeded expectations. About 35% (40,166 votes) of the city’s active registered voters cast ballots on Tuesday.

COVID-19 Cases increase by 10 — “Positive tests up 10 to 2,759 in the City 7-day Positivity Rate down to 5.6% 0 new hospitalizations Still safer at home, wash hands, wear masks and support our essential workers.” [Twitter]

Beyer Votes for Republican Colleague by Proxy — “Beyer is a popular proxy choice for House Democrats, since he represents a Northern Virginia district that is just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.” [Roll Call]

Volunteer Alexandria Hosting Emergency Disaster Response Class — “This class will teach you how to recognize violent activities, respond safely, provide immediate rescue tactics to the injured, and report them to 9-1-1 efficiently. The skills you will learn are transferable to countless situations involving traumatic injury, which include car accidents, household injuries, or an active shooter.” [Volunteer Alexandria]

WMATA Virtual Job Fair at 2 p.m. — “Attendees will meet the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMTA) team and learn more about immediate employment opportunities, including Metrobus Operator, Elevator/Escalator Apprentice, Special Police Officer and General Transit Mechanic. Apply after the event. Learn more about the event and register at the link below.” [City of Alexandria]

Delegate Herring and Councilman Chapman Hosting Chat on Policing at 6:30 p.m. — “Please join Councilman John Taylor Chapman for a Special Zoom Meeting With Delegate Charniele Herring, will give an update on the General Assembly Special Session in August about Criminal Justice Reform and Police.”  [Facebook]

Office of Historic Alexandria Harry Potter Trivia Night Canceled Over Racial Concerns — “While OHA intended to leverage a popular annual museum program to share elements of Alexandria’s African American history, residents have raised concerns about the event being perceived as disrespectful. Disrespect was never our intent and we have canceled the event. OHA strives to create historical programs that are uplifting and done through a lens of equity. Unfortunately, we failed to do so with this event. We are very proud of our African American history and always want to improve the visitor experience. We appreciate those community members letting us know their concerns.” [City of Alexandria]

Today’s Weather — It will be partly cloudy most of the day, there will be a high temperature of 94 degrees and a 50% chance of thunderstorms at 10 p.m. [Weather.com]

New Job: Ice Cream Ambassador — “At Jeni’s, we’re devoted to making better ice creams and bringing people together.” [Indeed]

Passing the Equal Rights Amendment, decriminalizing marijuana and giving localities the power to move Confederate monuments — those are just a few of the pieces of legislation that local Democrats will unveil over the next two months in the Virginia General Assembly.

As Democrats prepare to arrive in Richmond with complete control of all branches of Virginia’s government, there are a slew of bills that will result in serious changes to the way the Commonwealth does business.

Del. Charniele Herring (D-46th) is the incoming House Majority Leader — the first African American woman to hold the post. Herring will also chair the Courts of Justice Committee, and said she is confident that ERA will pass, in addition to pot decriminalization and gun reform.

The latter, however, has some local Democratic members questioning what gun legislation will, in fact, pass. Herring suggested that it can, but as long as Democrats don’t overreach.

“I think our challenge is to be disciplined with ourselves, and it’s our time to govern and we’re up to the challenge,” Herring said on Sunday at her annual fundraiser at Tempo Restaurant.

Herring’s story is unique. A U.S. Army brat, she and her mother moved into a homeless shelter in Alexandria. Mayor Justin Wilson congratulated Herring said that “great things” are expected in this year’s session.

“There is no better person to be going down to Richmond and leading our new majority caucus,” Wilson said. “This is an exciting time for Virginia, with Democratic control of the House of Delegates and the state senate.”

Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-30th) chairs the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus, and said he will support Gov. Ralph Northam’s package of gun-related bills that would reduce magazine sizes, keep firearms from public property, register firearms and ban assault weapons. He also supports universal background checks, red flag laws and child access prevention.

“One of the bills that will be challenging at least is banning assault weapons,” Ebbin said at a fundraiser in Alexandria on Friday, Jan. 3. “What we’re going to do is rather than say we’re going to take away the guns you already own, my proposal is going to be that if you already own a weapon that you can keep it but you have to register it.”

Del. Mark Levine (D-45th) will introduce at least 45 bills, many of which failed in previous sessions. Among the legislation he’s proposing are bills to reverse an antiquated law prohibiting sex outside of marriage, a bill that would expunge a single non-violent drug offense from criminal records, and, should marijuana be decriminalized, Levine is proposing a bill that would expunge any marijuana-related offenses from someone’s record.

Levine is also proposing a raise in the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 and a bill that would require landlords evicting tenants to notify tenants in English and Spanish. He also supports a bill that would allow localities to determine the replacement of Confederate statues throughout the state.

“We’re making history for the first time in 26 years,” Levine said at his own fundraiser on Sunday, adding that his bills range in complexity. “Some are really big progressive ideas, you’ve been waiting a long time for some small fixes in the wall, and everything in between, and I think you’ll see it’s quite a range.”