👋🏼 It's Cuneyt, back with Town Talker — my column on money and power.

Barring major surprises, Janeese Lewis George will walk into the mayoral suite in January with a powerful hand, thanks to new democratic socialist allies joining the D.C. Council.

Why it matters: The leftist surge reshapes D.C. politics, and shores up JLG's wish list of affordable child care, confronting utility companies and ending cooperation with federal law enforcement.

🥊 The big picture: With expected wins in November, the next mayor's allies include democratic socialists Aparna Raj (Ward 1) and Oye Owolewa (at-large) and progressive Elissa Silverman (at-large).

• Catapulting leftists into office is D.C.'s new political machine: An alliance of labor union muscle and money and the canvassing hustle of the Democratic Socialists of America.
• And next year, they'll set their sights on two more openings — to fill Lewis George's Ward 4 seat and the at-large seat of Congress-bound Robert White.

🌹 Zoom in: Under the most rose-tinted scenario, JLG's coalition swells to seven out of the council's 13 members.

• Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, the Wilson Building's middle-man between mods and progressives, will get swarmed by the left.
• ArentFox Schiff alerted its K Street clients that Mendelson will serve as the "counterweight to this progressive bloc."

Last year, I wrote that President Trump's return to Washington derailed local progressive politics.

• Next year, it could be D.C.'s democratic socialist era.

📝 What's ahead: I asked JLG what she wants to get done with that power.

• Lowering utility costs through "expanding government solar," she said at last Thursday's victory news conference, and "balcony solar" for apartment dwellers.
• Running agencies more efficiently, she continued, and not squandering federal grants for housing.
• What about her headline campaign promise, capping any family's child care expenses to 7% of their income?
• It'll look like a multi-year ramp-up, through expanding the city's existing subsidy. "We are aggressively trying to get this done," she said.

👀 What I'm watching: Wealth tax and rent caps.

• Lawmakers will mull tax increases this fall, trying to plug recurring budget gaps that widened to $1.1 billion. There's one idea to tax investments at 3% for joint filers making over $500,000, the Washington Business Journal reports.
• Raj floated the idea of freezing commercial rents to help small businesses.

🧠 Yes, but: "We are facing down a really big economic crisis" and a "hostile federal government," Raj told me on the "Dream City Podcast," acknowledging challenges ahead of being able to "govern in the way we want to."

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Add D.C. sandwich shop Bub and Pop's to the growing list of people and organizations distancing themselves from the Great American State Fair.

Why it matters: The festival on the Mall is becoming increasingly politicized because of its ties to Trump, who'll headline Wednesday's opening rally.

• Musicians, several states and now a beloved local business are skipping.

Driving the news: Bub and Pop's owner Jon Taub tells Axios his sandwich shop never agreed to participate, despite being added to a vendor lineup released by Freedom 250 organizers.

• In early June, when they realized the invitation was connected to the Trump-backed Freedom 250 organization, "we quickly and politely declined," Taub said.

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🏀 The Wizards are betting on AJ Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 freshman at BYU, for a turnaround — making him the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft last night. The Wiz went 17-65 last season and have lost almost 200 games over the past three years. (ESPN)

🦆 D.C.'s environmental agency is investigating why three ducks died near the Reflecting Pool. (NOTUS)

💰 The D.C. Council approved a budget yesterday that uses $150 million in city reserves to prevent cuts to child care subsidies and housing vouchers. The chief financial officer had accused lawmakers of creating an "unbalanced" budget by relying on the rainy-day fund. (WaPo)

🗳️ The pricey Democratic primaries in our Maryland suburbs have been called, per AP: state Del. Adrian Boafo won the 5th congressional district race yesterday, while Rep. April McClain Delaney prevailed in the 6th district.

⚖️ The Trump administration wanted two reporters with the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal to testify before a grand jury. But the subpoenas were rescinded after the news orgs pushed back in federal court. (WaPo)

Cult favorite pottery brand East Fork is opening a store in Georgetown.

Why it matters: What started as a small wood-kiln pottery operation on an old tobacco farm near Asheville, North Carolina, has since grown into a coveted homeware brand with pop-up sales that bring out Black Friday-esque crowds.

• All of East Fork's pottery is still made in the Asheville area with Southeastern clay — a region with a rich history of pottery arts.

State of play: The over 2,000-square-foot space will open this fall on Wisconsin Avenue. It's the brand's first store in the area and its biggest yet, per a release shared with Axios.

• Expect goods beyond just tableware, with products for gardening and "apothecary," and in-store events and workshops.
• The new shop comes as the group is expanding its production in North Carolina, even after losing about $1 million in business after Hurricane Helene.

The intrigue: The group was founded 15 years ago by Alex Matisse — yes, the great-grandson of that Matisse — and has since expanded to stores in Asheville and Brooklyn.

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Washingtonians are being asked to conserve water as a drought continues to impact the region.

Why it matters: The DMV is currently under a drought watch, and the Potomac River saw its lowest levels in 130 years earlier this spring.

Driving the news: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger asked Virginians last week to voluntarily conserve water amid the state's driest period since 1941.

• And both Maryland and the DMV oversight group the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) are recommending water cutbacks.

Zoom in: Locals should do the following, per COG:

🏠 Inside:

• Keep showers under five minutes
• No running water while brushing your teeth and shaving
• Wait until there's a full load of dishes and clothes to run appliances
• Fix plumbing leaks

☀️ Outside:

• Don't go crazy watering your plants
• Sweep sidewalks and driveways — no spraying with a hose
• Don't wash your car yourself — go to a car wash that recycles water

Yes, but: This is all still voluntary — although restrictions could become mandatory if the drought progresses.