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GoGreenNation news

Kelly Janes (KJ): Portland City Council District 3

News Feed
Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Name: Kelly Janes (KJ)Neighborhood: Foster-PowellRenter/homeowner: HomeownerEducation: U.C. Berkeley, B.A. Anthropology (focus: social anthropology and Native American studies)Occupation: Business owner -- Web design and development agencyHow long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: 8 yearsAge: 50, will turn 51 before Election DayPronouns: she/herPortland is facing an historic election involving a new voting system and an unusually high number of candidates. Journalists at The Oregonian/OregonLive and Oregon Public Broadcasting share a goal of ensuring that Portland voters have the information they need to make informed choices, and we also know candidates’ time is valuable and limited.That’s why the two news organizations teamed up this cycle to solicit Portland City Council candidates’ perspectives on the big issues in this election. Here’s what they had to say:For each of the following questions, we asked candidates to limit their answers to 150 words.Name two existing city policies or budget items you’d make it a priority to change. Why did you select those and how do you plan to line up at least 7 votes on the council to make them happen? Please avoid broad, sweeping statements and instead provide details.Did not answer.What previous accomplishments show that you are the best pick in your district? Please be specific.I first joined the Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association (FPNA) as communications chair to grow our shelter meal volunteer list. Due to our online promotion, our volunteer list grew sufficiently that we have not had to cancel a meal in two years due to low volunteer sign-ups. After being elected as chair/president of FPNA, I guided the program through various iterations due to changing requirements from our neighborhood shelter partners. As chair, I have collaborated with Foster Southeast PDX, our local business association, to promote foot traffic to brick & mortar businesses along Foster Road.I am the President of Benson TechBoosters, the 501(c)(3) fundraising organization for Benson Polytechnic High School. Go Astros!I have owned and operated a small business for fourteen years, moving it across the country from Brooklyn, New York to Portland and certifying the business as a Woman-Owned Emerging Small Business in the state of Oregon.Portland is on track to permit the fewest number of multifamily units in 15 years and remains thousands of units below what’s needed to meet demand. What steps would you take to dramatically and quickly increase the availability of housing?Portland needs to attract investors for multifamily units by lowering costs and improving expected return on investment.To lower costs, I’d streamline the permitting process. There should be an online portal where property owners, developers and contractors can see all permitting requirements for their project. I frequently hear that the current process is complicated and unclear. This portal would enable stakeholders to see the current status of each permit application, along with next steps in the process.Improving expected return on investment is an equation with several parts, including:Ensuring Portland is a safe city to live, work, and play,compassionately sheltering our unhoused population,promoting Portland nationally as a premier destination on the West Coast,supporting restaurants, food carts, and retail businesses from the central business district to the furthest neighborhoods,investing in improved transportation, andaligning city policy with our deserved reputation as a city of nature lovers.The next City Council is going to have to make some very difficult decisions regarding what to fund and how. What essential services must the city provide and how should the city sustainably fund them?The city is required by charter to provide many essential services. Public safety, utilities, and infrastructure maintenance and investment are among these core obligations. The new City Council will need to work creatively and collaboratively to determine what to fund and how.Portlanders have approved many tax measures in the past decade – supporting affordable housing, free preschool programs and green energy initiatives. Are there specific taxes or levies you want eliminated or would choose to not renew? Are there specific taxes or levies you would support creating? Why?If I had to cancel one tax, it would be the Arts Tax. I do support funding arts and art education, but roughly 25% of eligible Portland residents refuse to pay voluntarily, and administrative costs are higher than projected. Intended recipients are not receiving the money expected. This needs to be redone.Do you have any concerns with the changes coming to city elections and city governance? If so, what would you like to see change?I am very excited by the possibility presented by the coming changes to city elections and governance. That said, I do have a few concerns.I am concerned that there has not been sufficient training on ranked-choice voting (our Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association is providing training at our Sept. 9 meeting), and there are many ways a ballot can be invalidated.The first few months of the new city governance structure will be challenging. My primary motivation for running is to help form a successful new government. It is essential that those elected work collectively and collaboratively to determine priorities and then work together to create effective policy in alignment with those priorities. I want to expand communications so that Portlanders are aware of what City Council is doing and have transparent access to provide input and feedback.For the five remaining questions, we asked candidates to answer in 50 words or fewer:Do you favor arresting and jailing people who camp on public property in Portland who refuse repeated offers of shelter, such as the option to sleep in a city-designated tiny home cluster?I do not favor arresting and jailing people who camp on public property in Portland and refuse offers of shelter. I favor providing shelter options that are flexible and address the needs of various sub-populations.Would you vote yes on a proposal to fund hundreds more police officers than the City Council has already authorized? Why or why not? How would the city pay for it?Portland needs more police officers to handle our current call rate. Sheltering unhoused residents and providing deflection options may help reduce the need.Do you support putting the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot? What, if any changes, would you support?PCEF has generated seven times the projected revenue. There is work to do to ensure environmental safety, like creating a risk mitigation plan for potential hazards at the Critical Energy Infrastructure hub. I support expanding financial allocation to include environmental work provided by other city bureaus.Which would you prioritize: Creation of more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes or improved surfacing of existing degraded driving lanes?Road safety is important for everyone. Resurfacing existing degraded driving lanes is good for bicyclists and buses as well as drivers. I fully support more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes in conjunction with improved surfacing of driving lanes.Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention from current city leaders? Why?The problems impacting downtown Portland are a key aspect of making Portland a safer, more livable city, which will, in turn, lead to economic growth for the city.Read answers from other Portland City Council and mayoral candidates

Read the candidate’s responses to questions about homelessness, police accountability, Portland’s budget and taxes.

Name: Kelly Janes (KJ)

Neighborhood: Foster-Powell

Renter/homeowner: Homeowner

Education: U.C. Berkeley, B.A. Anthropology (focus: social anthropology and Native American studies)

Occupation: Business owner -- Web design and development agency

How long you’ve lived in the city of Portland: 8 years

Age: 50, will turn 51 before Election Day

Pronouns: she/her

Portland is facing an historic election involving a new voting system and an unusually high number of candidates. Journalists at The Oregonian/OregonLive and Oregon Public Broadcasting share a goal of ensuring that Portland voters have the information they need to make informed choices, and we also know candidates’ time is valuable and limited.

That’s why the two news organizations teamed up this cycle to solicit Portland City Council candidates’ perspectives on the big issues in this election. Here’s what they had to say:

For each of the following questions, we asked candidates to limit their answers to 150 words.

Name two existing city policies or budget items you’d make it a priority to change. Why did you select those and how do you plan to line up at least 7 votes on the council to make them happen? Please avoid broad, sweeping statements and instead provide details.

Did not answer.

What previous accomplishments show that you are the best pick in your district? Please be specific.

I first joined the Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association (FPNA) as communications chair to grow our shelter meal volunteer list. Due to our online promotion, our volunteer list grew sufficiently that we have not had to cancel a meal in two years due to low volunteer sign-ups. After being elected as chair/president of FPNA, I guided the program through various iterations due to changing requirements from our neighborhood shelter partners. As chair, I have collaborated with Foster Southeast PDX, our local business association, to promote foot traffic to brick & mortar businesses along Foster Road.

I am the President of Benson TechBoosters, the 501(c)(3) fundraising organization for Benson Polytechnic High School. Go Astros!

I have owned and operated a small business for fourteen years, moving it across the country from Brooklyn, New York to Portland and certifying the business as a Woman-Owned Emerging Small Business in the state of Oregon.

Portland is on track to permit the fewest number of multifamily units in 15 years and remains thousands of units below what’s needed to meet demand. What steps would you take to dramatically and quickly increase the availability of housing?

Portland needs to attract investors for multifamily units by lowering costs and improving expected return on investment.

To lower costs, I’d streamline the permitting process. There should be an online portal where property owners, developers and contractors can see all permitting requirements for their project. I frequently hear that the current process is complicated and unclear. This portal would enable stakeholders to see the current status of each permit application, along with next steps in the process.

Improving expected return on investment is an equation with several parts, including:

  • Ensuring Portland is a safe city to live, work, and play,
  • compassionately sheltering our unhoused population,
  • promoting Portland nationally as a premier destination on the West Coast,
  • supporting restaurants, food carts, and retail businesses from the central business district to the furthest neighborhoods,
  • investing in improved transportation, and
  • aligning city policy with our deserved reputation as a city of nature lovers.

The next City Council is going to have to make some very difficult decisions regarding what to fund and how. What essential services must the city provide and how should the city sustainably fund them?

The city is required by charter to provide many essential services. Public safety, utilities, and infrastructure maintenance and investment are among these core obligations. The new City Council will need to work creatively and collaboratively to determine what to fund and how.

Portlanders have approved many tax measures in the past decade – supporting affordable housing, free preschool programs and green energy initiatives. Are there specific taxes or levies you want eliminated or would choose to not renew? Are there specific taxes or levies you would support creating? Why?

If I had to cancel one tax, it would be the Arts Tax. I do support funding arts and art education, but roughly 25% of eligible Portland residents refuse to pay voluntarily, and administrative costs are higher than projected. Intended recipients are not receiving the money expected. This needs to be redone.

Do you have any concerns with the changes coming to city elections and city governance? If so, what would you like to see change?

I am very excited by the possibility presented by the coming changes to city elections and governance. That said, I do have a few concerns.

I am concerned that there has not been sufficient training on ranked-choice voting (our Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association is providing training at our Sept. 9 meeting), and there are many ways a ballot can be invalidated.

The first few months of the new city governance structure will be challenging. My primary motivation for running is to help form a successful new government. It is essential that those elected work collectively and collaboratively to determine priorities and then work together to create effective policy in alignment with those priorities. I want to expand communications so that Portlanders are aware of what City Council is doing and have transparent access to provide input and feedback.

For the five remaining questions, we asked candidates to answer in 50 words or fewer:

Do you favor arresting and jailing people who camp on public property in Portland who refuse repeated offers of shelter, such as the option to sleep in a city-designated tiny home cluster?

I do not favor arresting and jailing people who camp on public property in Portland and refuse offers of shelter. I favor providing shelter options that are flexible and address the needs of various sub-populations.

Would you vote yes on a proposal to fund hundreds more police officers than the City Council has already authorized? Why or why not? How would the city pay for it?

Portland needs more police officers to handle our current call rate. Sheltering unhoused residents and providing deflection options may help reduce the need.

Do you support putting the Clean Energy Fund measure back on the ballot? What, if any changes, would you support?

PCEF has generated seven times the projected revenue. There is work to do to ensure environmental safety, like creating a risk mitigation plan for potential hazards at the Critical Energy Infrastructure hub. I support expanding financial allocation to include environmental work provided by other city bureaus.

Which would you prioritize: Creation of more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes or improved surfacing of existing degraded driving lanes?

Road safety is important for everyone. Resurfacing existing degraded driving lanes is good for bicyclists and buses as well as drivers. I fully support more protected bike lanes and priority bus lanes in conjunction with improved surfacing of driving lanes.

Have the problems impacting downtown Portland received too much or too little attention from current city leaders? Why?

The problems impacting downtown Portland are a key aspect of making Portland a safer, more livable city, which will, in turn, lead to economic growth for the city.

Read answers from other Portland City Council and mayoral candidates

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

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How Promote Giving, a New Investment Model, Will Raise Millions for Charities

Joel Holsinger, a partner at Ares Management Corp., on Wednesday launched Promote Giving, an initiative encouraging investment managers to donate a portion of their fees to charity

The first foreign trip Joel Holsinger took in 2019 after joining the board of directors at the global health nonprofit PATH convinced him that he needed to do more to raise money for charities.The investment manager, who is now also a partner and co-head of alternative credit at Ares Management Corp., saw firsthand how a tuberculosis prevention program was helping residents of Dharavi, India's largest slum. He also saw that the main hurdle to expanding the program’s success was simply a lack of funding.“I wanted to do something that has purpose,” Holsinger told The Associated Press. “I wanted a charitable tie-in to whatever I do.”Shortly after returning from India, Holsinger created a new line of investment funds where Ares Management would donate at least 5% of its performance fee, also known as the “promote,” to charities. The first two funds of the resulting Pathfinder family of funds alone have raised more than $10 billion in investments and, as of June, pledged more than $40 million to charity.Holsinger wanted to expand the model further. On Wednesday, he announced Promote Giving, a new initiative to encourage other investment managers to use the model, which launches with funds from nine firms, including Ares Management, Pantheon and Pretium. The funds that are now part of Promote Giving represent about $35 billion in assets and could result in charitable donations of up to $250 million over the next 10 years.Unlike broader models like ESG investing, where environmental, social and governance factors are taken into account when making business decisions, or impact investing, where investors seek a social return along with a financial one, Promote Giving seeks to maximize the return on investment, Holsinger said. The donation only comes after investors receive their promised return and only from the manager's fees. “We’re not doing anything that looks at lower returns,” Holsinger said. “It’s basically just a dual mandate: If we do good on returns for our institutional investors, we will also drive returns that go directly to charity.”Charities, especially those who do international work, are in the midst of a difficult funding landscape. The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and massive cuts to foreign aid this year have affected nearly all nonprofits in some way. Those nonprofits who don't normally receive funding from the U.S. government still face increased competition for grants from organizations who saw their funding cut.Kammerle Schneider, PATH’s chief global health programs officer, said this year has shown how fragile public health systems are and has reinforced the need for “agile catalytic capital” that Promote Giving could provide.“There is nothing that is going to replace U.S. government funding,” said Schneider, adding that the launch of Promote Giving offers hope that new private donors may step in to help offer solutions to specific public health problems. “I think it comes at a time where we really need to look at the overall architecture of how we’re doing this and how we could be doing it better with less.”Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy, which offers free learning resources for teachers and students, says the structure of Promote Giving could provide nonprofits stable income over several years that would allow them to spend less time fundraising and more time on their charitable work. “It's actually been hard for us to raise the philanthropy needed for us to have the maximum impact globally,” said Khan. While Khan Academy has the knowledge base to expand rapidly around the world and numerous countries have shown interest, Khan said the nonprofit lacks enough resources to do the expensive work of software development, localization and building infrastructure in every country.Khan hopes Promote Giving can grow into a major funder that could help with those costs. "We would be able to build that infrastructure so that we can literally educate anyone in the world,” he said.Holsinger hopes for that kind of growth as well. He envisions investment managers signing on to Promote Giving the way billionaires pledge to give away half their wealth through the Giving Pledge and he hopes other industries will develop their own mechanisms to make charitable donations part of their business models. Kate Stobbe, director of corporate insights at Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose, a coalition that advises companies on sustainability and corporate responsibility issues, said their research shows that companies that establish mission statements that include reasons for existing beyond simply profit generation have higher revenue growth and provide a higher return on investment.Having a common purpose increases workers' engagement and productivity, while also helping companies with recruitment and retention, said Stobbe, who said CECP will release a report that documents those findings based on 20 years of data later this week. “Having initiatives around corporate purpose help employees feel a connection to something bigger,” she said. "It really does contribute to that bottom line.”That kind of win-win is what Holsinger hopes to create with Promote Giving. He said many of the world's problems don't lack solutions. 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EU's Von Der Leyen Says Private Sector Deals Could Unlock 4 Billion Euros for Western Balkans

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AI at work has drawbacks such as ‘workslop,’ which can hinder productivity. Strategic AI use and transparency are top solutions.

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The HBR researchers found that receiving workslop caused approximately half of recipients to view the sender as “less creative, capable and reliable” — even less trustworthy or intelligent.But, as mentioned above, it’s probably not wise — or feasible — to avoid using AI. “AI is embedded in your everyday tasks, from your email client, grammar checkers, type-ahead, social media clients suggesting the next emoji,” said Dean Grant from Port Angeles, Washington, whose technology career has spanned 50 years. The proper question, he said, is not how to avoid using it, but what it can do for you and how it can give you a competitive advantage.But even readers who said they use AI appropriately acknowledged its flaws and limitations, including that its implementation sometimes takes more effort than simply performing the task themselves.“[H]ow much time should I spend trying to get the AI to work? If I can do the task [without AI] in an hour, should I spend 30 minutes fumbling with the artificial stupid?” asked Matt Deter of Rocklin, California. “At what point should I cut my losses?”So it seems an unwinnable struggle. If you can’t avoid or opt out of AI altogether, how do you make sure you’re not just adding to the workslop, generating resentment and killing productivity?Don’t make AI a solution in search of a problem. This one’s for the leaders. Noting that “indiscriminate imperatives yield indiscriminate usage,” the HBR article urges leaders encouraging AI use to provide guidelines for using it “in ways that best align to the organization’s strategy, values, and vision.” As with return-to-office mandates, if leaders can articulate a purpose, and workers have autonomy to push back when the mandate doesn’t meet that purpose, the result is more likely to add value.Don’t let AI have the last word. Generating a raw summary of a meeting for your own reference is one thing; if you’re sharing it with someone else, take the time to trim the irrelevant portions, highlight the important items, and add context where needed. If you use AI to generate ideas, take time to identify the best ones and shape them to your needs.Be transparent about using AI. If you’re worried about being judged for using AI, just know that the judgment will be even harsher if you try to pass it off as your own work, or if you knowingly pass along unvetted information with no warning.Weigh convenience against conservation. If we can get in the habit of separating recyclables and programming thermostats, we can be equally mindful about our AI usage. An AI-generated 100-word email uses the equivalent of a single-use bottle of water to cool and power the data centers processing that query. Knowing that, do you need a transcript of every meeting you attend, or are you requesting one out of habit? 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Check out Post Tech at Work reporter Danielle Abril’s brilliant articles on developing AI literacy.

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Richard Tice has 15-year record of supporting ‘net stupid zero’ initiatives

Firms led by deputy Reform UK leader since 2011 have shown commitment to saving energy and cutting CO2 emissionsUK politics live – latest updatesHe never seems to tire of deriding “net stupid zero”, but Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, has a 15-year business record of support for sustainability and green energy initiatives.The Reform party has made opposition to green energy and net zero part of its policy platform. Its founder, Nigel Farage, has called net zero policies a “lunacy”; the party has called to lift the ban on fracking for fossil gas; and one of the first Reform-led councils, Kent, rescinded last month its declaration of a climate emergency. Continue reading...

He never seems to tire of deriding “net stupid zero”, but Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, has a 15-year business record of support for sustainability and green energy initiatives.The Reform party has made opposition to green energy and net zero part of its policy platform. Its founder, Nigel Farage, has called net zero policies a “lunacy”; the party has called to lift the ban on fracking for fossil gas; and one of the first Reform-led councils, Kent, rescinded last month its declaration of a climate emergency.However, companies led by Tice since 2011 boasted of their commitments to saving energy, cutting CO2 emissions and environmental responsibility. One told investors it had introduced a “green charter” to “mitigate our impact on climate change” and later hired a “full-time sustainability manager” as part of “its focus on energy efficiency and sustainability”.Another said it was “keen to play its part in reducing emissions for cleaner air” and said it had saved “hundreds of tonnes of CO²” by installing solar cells on the rooftops of its properties.A glance at Tice’s account on X reveals contempt for warnings of climate breakdown and efforts to mitigate it. Last year he said: “We are not in climate emergency; nor is there a climate crisis.” In May he stated: “Solar farms are wrong at every level” and insisted they would “destroy food security, destroy jobs [and] destroy property values”.He recently adopted the slogan “net stupid zero”, describing efforts to neutralise the UK’s fossil fuel emissions as “the most costly self-inflicted wound in modern British history”.But Steff Wright, a sustainability entrepreneur and former commercial tenant of Tice, found that statements in the annual reports from CLS Holdings and Quidnet Reit, property companies led by Tice, contradicted his public position.Wright said: “These reports reveal that Tice can clearly see the financial, social and environmental benefits of investing time, money and energy into sustainability focused initiatives.“He is a businessperson, and if he has chosen to be a chief executive of at least two companies who have taken steps to reduce carbon emissions and implement energy-efficient innovations, it’s because there is a business case to do so.”In 2010, the year Tice joined CLS Holdings as deputy chief executive, the company said it was committed to “a responsible and forward-looking approach to environmental issues” by encouraging, among other things, “the use of alternative energy supplies”. The following year, when Tice was promoted to chief executive, the company implemented the green charter and hired a sustainability manager. In 2012, CLS celebrated completing its “zero net emissions” building, adding: “The board acknowledges the group’s impact on society and the environment and … seeks to either both minimise and mitigate them, or to harness them in order to affect positive change.”In the company’s 2013 report, climate change was identified as a “sustainability risk”, requiring “board responsibility”, “dedicated specialist personnel” and “increased due diligence”. The company’s efforts were rewarded in 2014, when it was able to tell shareholders it had exceeded its CO2 emissions reduction targets.Tice launched Quidnet Reit, a property investment company, the following year. When it published its first full accounts, covering 2021, Tice was also chair of Reform UK, and already setting out his stall against “net stupid”. But for his company, fossil fuel emissions remained a priority.The 2021 report stated: “The company is keen to play its part in reducing emissions for cleaner air,” and detailed investments in solar power which “importantly … will reduce CO² emissions by some 70 tonnes per annum”.Quidnet’s emissions reduction efforts continued into 2022 and 2023, with the company stating both years that its solar investments were “saving hundreds of tonnes of CO²” a year. However, after a Guardian report last year covered some of Quidnet’s environmental commitments, no mention was made of them in last year’s report.skip past newsletter promotionThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essentialPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionWright said: “Solar initiatives and other energy efficiency schemes have benefited Tice’s property companies whilst he was in charge, but now … there is a political advantage to gain Tice is all too happy to label these schemes as ‘perilous’ for investors.”Tice said critics were “in danger of confusing apples with pears”, insisting the comparisons revealed no contradiction. “I have never said don’t reduce emissions, be they CO2 or other, and where sensible use technology to do so efficiently,” he said.“Solar panels on roofs, selling electricity to tenant[s] underneath are [an] excellent double use of [a] roof and involve no subsidies. Solar farms on farmland is insane, involves large public subsidies and often include dangerous [battery energy storage] systems.”Tice said that when he ran CLS, net zero was not a legal requirement. “My issue has always been the multibillion subsidies, fact that renewables have driven electricity prices higher, made British industries uncompetitive and destroyed hundreds thousand jobs,.“Also in annual reports, because of [the] madness of ESG, so banks and shareholder became obsessed with emissions so companies felt pressured to report on all this. ESG is also mad, stands for Extremely Stupid Garbage, and is now rapidly sensibly being abandoned by many companies and banks.“So my position has been clear and logical and never involved subsidies. Big difference.”

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