{"id":2041437,"date":"2023-09-22T13:12:07","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T17:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/portland-city-council-deliberates-on-750-million-climate-investment-plan-amid-rampant-crime-drugs-homelessness\/"},"modified":"2023-09-22T13:18:33","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T17:18:33","slug":"portland-city-council-deliberates-on-750-million-climate-investment-plan-amid-rampant-crime-drugs-homelessness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/portland-city-council-deliberates-on-750-million-climate-investment-plan-amid-rampant-crime-drugs-homelessness\/","title":{"rendered":"Portland City Council debates $750M &#8216;Climate Investment Plan&#8217; amidst rising crime, drug issues, and homelessness."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fportland-city-council-deliberates-on-750-million-climate-investment-plan-amid-rampant-crime-drugs-homelessness%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2041437&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Portland City Council Deliberates on $750 Million &#8216;Climate Investment Plan&#8217; Amid Rampant Crime, \u2063Drugs, Homelessness<\/h2>\n<p>For those of you who haven\u2019t taken notice, \u200bPortland, Oregon, is\u200d a mess.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Homelessness\u2063 is \u2063rampant. So are open-air drug use and\u200c overdoses. Antifa radicals still maintain a notable presence in the city. Crime is so bad that even the company most people associate with \u200dthe state of Oregon \u2014 Nike\u200d \u2014 is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/nike-shutters-home-state-store-dem-mayor-denies-extra-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closing one of \u2064its stores in Portland<\/a> \u200dbecause safety and shoplifting concerns have made its continued operation impossible.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>So, the \u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-fed-portland-residents-get-plans-scrap-failing-city-govt-ballot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">City Council<\/a> is all set to\u2064 do something and put $750 million behind it. Except the money won\u2019t address crime or\u200b homelessness or drug abuse. Oh, no. Instead, the council is spending three-quarters of\u200d a billion dollars on \u201cadvancing an equitable, climate-resilient Portland.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cPortland\u2063 voters passed the \u2018Portland clean energy community benefits fund program\u2019 in November of 2018. The\u2063 goal \u2063is\u200c to invest money in community-based\u200c projects that address \u200cclimate change over the next five years,\u201d \u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kptv.com\/2023\/09\/21\/first-reading-portlands-climate-investment-plan-begins-wednesday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KPTV-TV<\/a> reported Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThis plan\u2064 represents thousands of hours of engagement \u2063by\u200d numerous stake holders and sectors,\u201d Portland City Commissioner \u200cCarmen Rubio said. \u201cAnd prioritizes programs that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/embattled-midwest-carbon-pipeline-takes-another-permitting-hit\/\" title=\"Midwest Carbon Pipeline Faces More Permitting Setbacks\">reduces greenhouse gas emissions<\/a> and\u2062 strengthens the communities that are hit first and \u2064hardest by extreme climate \u200devents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unless \u201cfentanyl\u201d and \u200b\u201crobbery\u201d count as \u201cextreme climate events,\u201d I think the residents of Portland might be less than impressed by the allocation of resources here.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Alas, \u200ba quick readthrough of the second issue of a \u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.portland.gov\/bps\/cleanenergy\/news\/2023\/9\/11\/pcef-newsletter-issue-2-climate-investment-plan-guided-needs-our\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">newsletter<\/a> by the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (or PCEF, because apparently Portland is as good at acronyms as it is at controlling crime, homelessness and \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/cocaine-raccoons-blame-attacks-harshing-liberal-utopia-portlands-vibe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">drug use<\/a>) indicates that\u2019s not the case.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cGuided by the needs of our community, PCEF will invest more than $750\u2064 million in projects that will\u2062 make Portland a safer,\u200b healthier, more prosperous place to live today and for \u200bgenerations to come,\u201d the short newsletter read.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese projects include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Improving and electrifying our transportation system.<\/li>\n<li>Making cost-saving, \u2062clean energy upgrades accessible to those hit first and \u200cworst by climate change.<\/li>\n<li>Planting more trees and greenery in the neighborhoods most vulnerable to heat.<\/li>\n<li>Supporting a more diverse workforce in green career pathways.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These investments help \u2062ensure our most impacted residents are prepared for a changing climate as we support the City\u2019s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/resident-cheers-john-mellencamps-new-song-portland-land-plenty-nothing-gets-done\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">progressive piffle<\/a> \u200da proposed $750 million is going toward.<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind, this is a city that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world-nation\/story\/2023-02-10\/whats-the-matter-with-portland-urban-ills-tests-citys-progressive-strain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles Times<\/a>, hardly a bastion of covert conservatism, published a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/world-nation\/story\/2023-02-10\/whats-the-matter-with-portland-urban-ills-tests-citys-progressive-strain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">story<\/a> about in February titled thusly: \u201cWhat\u2019s the\u2062 matter with \u200bPortland? Shootings, theft and other crime test city\u2019s \u2062progressive strain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In \u200border \u201cto understand the schism that dominates the \u2063political and social landscape in this famously liberal\u2063 city,\u201d reporter Jenny Jarvie interviewed one resident of a blue-collar neighborhood there, Flora Gonzalez.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 40-year-old package handler for FedEx\u2064 said \u2062that people have openly dealt drugs and urinated on the sidewalk outside her\u200c family\u2019s duplex. They\u2019ve dumped feces and used syringes\u2062 in her manicured yard, played\u200c booming music at 3 a.m. and\u2064 stripped stolen cars for \u2062parts. Shots\u2062 have been fired behind her children\u2019s bedroom,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\" class=\"one-half\">\n<div class=\"firefly-poll-question\">Do\u2063 you think Portland\u2019s \u2062priorities are \u200dout of order?<\/div>\n<div id=\"pollFormBox\" style=\"display: none\">\n\t\t<label>Yes<\/label><br \/>\n\t\t<label>No<\/label><br \/>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-poll-disclaimer\">\n<p>\t\tCompleting this poll entitles you \u200dto The Western Journal\u2062 news updates free of charge. You \u200cmay opt out \u200dat anytime. You also agree\u2063 to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/about\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/about\/terms-service\/\">Terms of Use<\/a>.\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results\" style=\"display: none\">\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results-yes\" style=\"width: 100%\">\n<p>\t\t\tYes: 100% (7 Votes)\n\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-results-no\" style=\"width: 0%\">\n<p>\t\t\tNo: 0% (0\u200c Votes)\n\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe feel abandoned,\u201d Gonzalez\u2063 told the Times. \u201cWe pay our taxes and the police are not watching over our security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there are two sides to every\u2064 story, and one side\u200d lived right across the street from Gonzalez:\u200d Juniper Simonis, 38, \u200bis \u2062an \u200benvironmentalist, data \u200cscientist and left-wing activist. In her yard is a sign that reads: \u201cDISARM, DEFUND, DISMANTLE POLICE.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAn activist who marched downtown in 2020, Simonis said the problem is not that Portland is too liberal, but that it is not liberal enough. \u2018There\u2019s a lack of resources, and I think \u2064of\u200c being liberal in terms of spending money to provide support services,\u2019 Simonis said. \u2018Trying to regulate homelessness out of a city, I don\u2019t view that as liberal at all.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Well, the problem \u200dis that even if that model were to work \u2014 and it wouldn\u2019t, but let\u2019s just play\u200c pretend here \u2014 you\u2019d need <strong>money<\/strong> \u200dto do that. And, as the Times pointed out, \u201cthree years after pandemic \u200dlockdowns emptied out the city\u2019s core and \u2062protests\u200d against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kyle-rittenhouse-acquitted-of-all-charges\/\" title=\"Kyle Rittenhouse Acquitted of All Charges\">police brutality turned<\/a> a \u2064few downtown blocks into a battleground, this city of about 641,000 is dealing with\u200b skyrocketing numbers of homeless people, soaring \u200bcrime and strikingly high levels of public dissatisfaction with what the\u2063 city is doing about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/portlands-homeless-problem-bad-residents-disabilities-suing-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">homelessness numbers<\/a> \u200dprovide the \u200dmost jarring example of how far Portland has fallen into the mire. \u2063According to the city\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.portland.gov\/wheeler\/homelessness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>, \u2064\u201cthousands of people are living unsheltered on our streets. Overall homelessness in Portland increased by 65% from 2015 to 2023 (from 1,887 to 6,297\u200b individuals).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And what happens after the chickens come home to roost like this? The law-abiding half of the equation, progressives though\u200b they may be, start looking \u200dfor other places to live, putting a higher tax burden on people like Simonis who think things aren\u2019t \u200bliberal enough. The tax base \u2062to provide those \u201csupport services\u201d drops precipitously, and homelessness and crime \u2063get even worse. Wash, rinse, repeat.<\/p>\n<p>And this is counting on half of the upstanding citizens \u200dsticking around. A poll conducted in \u200c2022 found only 11 percent of Portland\u2019s voters thought the city\u200d was headed in the right direction. That\u2019s compared with 36 percent in the annus horribilis of \u200b2020 and 76 percent\u200b in\u200d 2000.<\/p>\n<p>But \u2063the important thing\u2062 is that three-quarters \u2063of a billion dollars is\u200c being spent to make Portland \u201cclimate-resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And the people \u200bbehind this think that not only will it help solve the city\u2019s climate problems, whatever they may be, but\u2062 it\u2063 also will be\u2062 the cure to \u2063whatever else ails the Pacific Northwest\u2064 metropolis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re unveiling our inaugural five-year climate investment plan which \u200dsets the stage for the investments that PCEF is going to be making over \u200bthe next five\u200b years, totaling almost nearly three-quarters of a \u2063billion dollars into climate projects that address\u200c racial justice, social justice and economic justice.\u201d Portland Clean Energy Fund program manager Sam Baraso told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opb.org\/article\/2023\/08\/24\/portland-clean-energy-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oregon Public \u200bBroadcasting<\/a> in\u2064 August.<\/p>\n<p>Right. Good luck \u2064with that \u2014 and with\u2064 getting enough people to stick around to contribute their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/portland-fining-taxpayers-2000-hour-fence-protecting-fed-courthouse-removed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tax dollars<\/a> in\u200b order \u200cto pay for this preposterous scheme.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/portland-city-council-deliberates-750-million-climate-investment-plan-amid-rampant-crime-drugs-homelessness\/\">Portland City Council Deliberates on $750\u200c Million &#8216;Climate Investment Plan&#8217; Amid Rampant Crime, \u2064Drugs, Homelessness<\/a> appeared \u200cfirst on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\">The Western\u2063 Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Is the council genuinely \u200cprioritizing the\u200d well-being of its citizens or pushing\u2063 a political agenda by \u200callocating such \u2064a substantial amount \u2064of\u200d money to climate change projects<\/h2>\n<p><span>  .com<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/portland-city-council-deliberates-on-750-million-climate-investment-plan-amid-rampant-crime-drugs-homelessness\/\" title=\"Portland City Council debates 0M 'Climate Investment Plan' amidst rising crime, drug issues, and homelessness.\">\/opinion\/story\/2022-08-30\/portland-homicides-rise-police-reform-social-justice-knit<\/a>&#8221; target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; \u200brel=&#8221;noopener&#8221;>Los Angeles Times<\/a> recently called &#8220;America&#8217;s Murder Capital,&#8221; \u200cwith a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosi-extends-proxy-voting-policy-that-republicans-sued-her-over-last-year\/\" title=\"Pelosi Extends Proxy Voting Policy That Republicans Sued Her Over Last Year\">record-high number<\/a> of homicides. It&#8217;s a city where residents feel unsafe, where crime rates continue to rise,\u2064 and\u2062 where \u2063drug \u200daddiction and \u2063homelessness are pervasive issues. Yet, the Portland City Council seems to be more concerned about advancing an &#8220;equitable, climate-resilient Portland&#8221; than addressing the urgent needs\u200c of its\u2063 citizens.<\/p>\n<p>The council&#8217;s decision to allocate $750 million to projects that prioritize climate change over public safety \u200dand\u200c social welfare is perplexing, to\u200d say the least. \u2062While\u2062 climate change is an \u200bimportant issue that requires action, it is hard to justify such a significant \u200binvestment when the city is facing a multitude of other pressing\u200b problems.<\/p>\n<p>According\u200b to \u200ba newsletter by the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, the projects that will benefit from this funding include improving\u200b and electrifying the transportation system, making \u200cclean \u200benergy upgrades accessible to \u2064those impacted by climate change, planting\u200d more\u200d trees in vulnerable neighborhoods, and supporting a diverse workforce in green career\u200d pathways. While these initiatives may contribute to Portland becoming a greener city, they fail to address\u2064 the immediate concerns\u2064 of its\u200c residents.<\/p>\n<p>One would expect that \u2063the city council&#8217;s primary responsibility is to ensure the \u200csafety and well-being of\u200d its citizens. However, by prioritizing \u200bclimate change over crime, drug\u200d abuse, and homelessness, the council appears to be out of touch with the reality on the ground. \u200dPortland&#8217;s residents\u200c are \u2064in dire need of effective solutions to combat the rising crime rates, provide support for those battling addiction, and find sustainable solutions \u2064to address homelessness. Unfortunately, the \u200bcouncil&#8217;s decision seems to disregard these pressing issues.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the timing of \u200cthis massive\u2062 investment is questionable. With crime rates soaring and businesses like Nike closing\u200d their stores due to safety concerns, it is hard to\u2063 understand why the council would allocate such a substantial amount\u2063 of money to projects that seem secondary to \u200bthe\u2064 immediate needs \u2062of the\u2062 community. It begs the question of whether the council is\u200d truly \u2063prioritizing the well-being of its citizens or\u200b pushing a political agenda.<\/p>\n<p>In \u2064conclusion, Portland&#8217;s City Council&#8217;s \u2063decision to invest\u200b $750 million\u200b in a &#8220;climate\u2064 investment plan&#8221; while ignoring the rampant crime, drug abuse, and homelessness in \u200cthe\u2064 city raises concerns about its priorities. While climate change is an important issue, the immediate needs of Portland&#8217;s residents should \u200bnot\u200d be\u200c overlooked. It is crucial for the council \u2062to reevaluate its allocation \u200cof\u2064 resources and address the urgent problems that \u200dare plaguing the city. Only by addressing \u200dthese pressing issues \u200dcan Portland truly become a safer, more prosperous place for\u2062 its residents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Portland, Oregon is in disarray. Homelessness, open-air drug use, and overdoses are prevalent. Antifa radicals persist in the city. Crime is severe, prompting even Nike, synonymous with Oregon, to shut down one of its locations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":663,"featured_media":2041438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2041437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/663"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2041437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2041437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2041438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2041437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2041437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2041437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}