State leaders are reacting to the US Supreme Court upholding birthright citizenship.

“Today’s decision reaffirms one of the most fundamental promises of the Fourteenth Amendment: that every child born in the United States is a citizen, regardless of their parents’ immigration status,” Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi (D) said in a statement. “This ruling upholds our Constitution, protects countless families from fear and uncertainty, and affirms that citizenship is not a partisan tool.”

Tomorrow, I’ll be in Richmond to cover a protest of Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s vetoes of the public-sector collective bargaining bill, legislation prohibiting warrantless ICE arrests at courthouses, a bill that would have created a prescription drug affordability board, and the Red Onion State Prison transfer ban.

Like what we do at Dogwood? Consider donating here on the last day of our summer fundraiser.

Below, I report on the progress made in Virginia on tenants’ rights.

And, I share the Virginia city councilman who went viral for his high pants and work on sidewalks.

Want to get in touch, or have stories you want me to cover? Reply to this email or reach out to me directly at michaeloconnor@couriernewsroom.com.

Michael O’Connor

Reporter, Dogwood

Then-candidate Abigail Spanberger speaking after an event where she announced her affordable housing policies in Sandston on June 6, 2025. (Michael O’Connor/Dogwood)

For today’s story on housing policy, I spoke with Laura Dobbs, the director of policy at Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, and State Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon).

Dobbs gave progress on housing policy an “A-” this past legislative session, and she chalked that up to Democrats making housing central to the affordability platform that Spanberger ran on last year.

“I think, for the first time, housing featured in a really real way,” Dobbs told me. “There’s a whole affordability agenda from the Democrats, and housing affordability was really top line on that.”

Boysko was happy about the success of her bill allowing tenants to bring up the conditions of their homes in court as a defense against eviction even if they are behind on rent. And she pledged to bring back a failed bill to combat rent gouging.

“We have to have a variety of tools to address the housing crisis that we’re in,” Boysko said. “Anti-rent-gouging is one of those tools to address it for immediate protection for these folks.”

Heciel Nieves Bonilla at The Commonwealth Times reports on the frustrations of current and former employees over the working conditions at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Bella Walser at WSLS has a story about Flock Safety’s Raven gunshot detector devices getting installed in the wrong locations in Roanoke.

Orlando Weekly Reporter McKenna Schueler posted a thread arguing a new Florida law requiring 50% voter turnout when public-sector workers vote on whether to recertify their unions will make it harder for unions to survive.

Athena Jones, chair of the Virginia SEIU Virginia 512 home care chapter, at a labor rally in Richmond on April 22, 2026. (Michael O’Connor/Dogwood)

Spanberger included two labor-friendly provisions in the budget amendments that the General Assembly ultimately adopted.

The first, is that home care workers won’t have to wait until 2028 to get an 8% raise. Instead, they’ll get a 4% raise in 2027 and then a 3.9% raise in 2028.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia 512, which represents many home care workers in Virginia, applauded the amendment. The union thanked Spanberger and the General Assembly for “investing in home care workers” before noting that work remains on improving their working conditions.

“Despite providing essential care that allows thousands of Virginians to live independently, home care workers continue to earn poverty wages, lack basic benefits, and remain excluded from fundamental workplace rights, including the freedom to bargain collectively,” the union said in a statement.

Athena Jones is a home care worker and chairs the home care chapter with Virginia SEIU 512. She told me the pay increases “are welcomed, appreciated, and represent forward movement,” but she reiterated that they should be viewed as the first steps in a broader conversation.

“If the Commonwealth is serious about addressing its long-term cared needs, home care must be viewed as an essential public investment rather than simply another budget expenditure,” Jones said.

The other provision Spanberger added to the budget was $4 million over two years to help localities pay for cancer screenings for professional firefighters.

Kurt Detrick, president of the Virginia Professional Firefighters, told me cancer is the leading cause of death for firefighters. He noted it’s not just smoke from the fires his members put out that can cause cancer: There are also cancer-causing carcinogens in the diesel exhaust from fire engines and even in some of their gear.

“Early detection and screening has always been something that we’ve been adamant about getting done,” Detrick said. “We’re very pleased that we’ll be able to get this through.”

In the wake of the rhetorical fireworks that ensued after Spanberger vetoed the collective bargaining bill, I wonder if this is the beginning of a new chapter in her relationship with labor.

@VApoliticalmeme/Xe

Danville City Councilman Dr. Gary Miller has gone viral for a video he did on fighting for more sidewalks.

While many in the comments on Instagram are poking fun at his high pants, others are stepping in to applaud his work.

“This video is obviously funny because he looks a little goofy, but this man clearly knows Danville and genuinely cares about its residents,” one commenter said. “He’s absolutely right about the sidewalks too – there are people walking in the street all the time in Danville.”