District officials found a piece of good news in President Obama’s fiscal 2013 budget submission Monday, praising the White House for including a call for the city to gain a measure of fiscal autonomy.

“Consistent with the principle of home rule, it is the Administration’s view that the District’s local budget should be authorized to take effect without a separate annual Federal appropriations bill,” Obama’s submission says, adding that he “will work with Congress and the Mayor to pass legislation to amend the D.C. Home Rule Act to provide the District with local budget autonomy.”

Calls for the District to be able to spend its own money without waiting for congressional approval have intensified in the past year as the threat of a federal government shutdown put some of D.C.’s government operations in peril.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray adjusts a teleprompter ahead of his “One City” summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the District on Feb. 11. (Marvin Joseph - The Washington Post) Mayor Vincent C. Gray welcomed about 1,800 District residents to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday for a citizens’ summit, an event praised for engaging the public but criticized for its $600,000 price tag and seeming bureaucracy.

Grouped at numbered tables as if at a banquet, participants prioritized the city’s issues, ranking the lack of affordable housing and corruption first and second, respectively. They also discussed ways to improve public education, create jobs and dispose of vacant city property.

Update 7:48 p.m.

DC police arrested a woman Friday evening when several dozen union and Occupy DC protesters marched on a hotel hosting the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Shortly after 5 p.m. about 100 protesters gathered near the Marriott Wardham Park Hotel to protest a planned speech by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R).

As the attendees attempted to leave the hotel, shouting matches erupted between them and protesters. At times, District police formed human barriers to keep the two sides separate.

About 6 p.m., a group of Occupy DC protesters marched to a side entrance of the hotel and attempted to enter the lobby.

Dozens of police officers quickly rushed to the scene, prompting a scuffle between them and protesters. Some protesters fell to the ground as officers, including two on horseback, attempted to push the protesters away from the hotel.

During the fracas, police arrested one woman for assaulting an officer, according to a police official at the scene. It was unclear if the woman was a protester.

As the protesters moved away from the hotel, they chanted, “racist, sexist, anti-gay, right-wing bigots, go away.”

Conference attendees responded by chanting, “USA, USA USA.”

Despite the initial tension, the scene quickly turned peaceful as conference attendees and Occupy protesters debated various political issues in front of the Woodley Park Metro station.

District homeowners are eligible for an estimated $40 million from a landmark settlement of more than $25 billion with five banks over fraudulent foreclosure practices.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the deal Thursday morning with Wells Fargo, Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Ally Financial and Citigroup.

D.C. Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan ruled Thursday that a proposed ballot initiative to ban corporate donations to city candidates can move forward, saying the proposal is a “proper subject” to put before voters.

 The ruling appears to clear the way for supporters of the initiative to start collecting the 22,000 signatures needed to get the question on the November ballot.

 In response to a question from the Board of Elections and Ethics, Nathan said the “Fair Elections to Restore Public Trust” initiative would not conflict with the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court ruling that found personal political contributions are largely free speech.