Council Member Telis

This is the why behind City Council’s Right to Cooling Ordinance.

The updated proposal—released last week and not reflected in this morning’s Spokesman-Review companion article—is the product of collaboration between council members, staff, Brian Henning at the Gonzaga Climate Institute, and Ben Stuckart at the Spokane Low Income Housing Coalition.

Will it prevent every heat-related death? No. But it can prevent some. And that’s reason enough to act.

This ordinance recognizes the realities of Spokane’s housing stock while creating a path toward a simple goal: making sure everyone can stay safe in their own home during extreme heat.

I’m also excited about the proposed partnership between Avista and SNAP to provide free or low-cost cooling units to those who need them most.

Extreme heat is a public health issue. We can—and should—do better. 💙

'Right to cooling' might have saved some, but not all, of Spokane's heat dome deaths The 14 Spokane residents who died during the 2021 heat wave were living in a wide variety of circumstances.

Way to go, Londyn!

This is the WHY for City Council's Right to Cooling Ordinance. The newest version, released at the end of last week, and not contemplated by the article in the S-R this morning, is a result of a collaboration between council members, staff, Brian Henning, executive director of the Gonzaga Climate Institute and Ben Stuckart, executive director of the Spokane Low Income Housing Coalition. It would not have prevented all 19 deaths we saw from 2016-2021 but it would've prevented some. In addition, it takes into account the realities of Spokane's current housing supply and condition and sets benchmarks for how best to achieve the ultimate goal in years to come: the ability for everyone, tenants and homeowners alike, to remain safe and comfortable in their own home, even in cases of extreme heat.

I look forward to the proposed collaborative program between Avista and SNAP to get people who cannot afford a unit, the ability to receive one for free or at a severely discounted rate for this summer and in the years to come until we achieve that goal.

CLIMATE EXPERTS SAY CITY MUST PREPARE FOR HOTTER FUTURE CLIMATE EXPERTS SAY CITY MUST PREPARE FOR HOTTER FUTURE

Real Talk: patience is a struggle for me. I often want results immediately and get frustrated when that doesn't happen, especially when the answer (to me, at least) is obvious. Everyone should have a roof over their head. Everyone should get addiction/mental health treatment if they need it, right?

This is a great article that highlights three men who have escaped homelessness despite these obstacles and reminds me that patience is a virtue. You never know when people will decide to make a change for the better and it'll take all of us to help them along the way. As our news cycle seems to focus on the negative and what hasn't changed, it is refreshing to hear the success stories. Thank you, Daniel Walters, and Range Media, for providing the hope that we all NEED to end these crises.

Stabbed. Frostbitten. Overdosed. Sheltered. Sober. Saved. In 2023, I interviewed three unhoused men at the Spokane library. Over the next three years, all of them escaped homelessness

IMPORTANT: The data center moratorium will not be on the agenda tonight. I and three of my colleagues voted for it to be heard tonight but the motion to suspend the rules and add it tonight failed 4-3. We needed 5 votes to get it on tonight’s agenda. I know this will make many of you frustrated. I am extremely frustrated as well. The original moratorium was amended today and is set for a vote on June 22nd. Everyone who is signed up to testify is still welcomed to show up and speak at open forum. This issue matters. Please make your voice heard. The sooner we take action, the sooner we can get much needed answers and regulations and prevent lasting damage to our environment and our community.

Avista pauses data center developer's service request SPOKANE, Wash. – Avista announced a pause on the energy service request from the 500 MegaWatt data center developer while the company “considers additional stakeholder feedback.”

Happy to be one of the sponsors but ideally this is addressed at the state level. Make your voices heard to all those who represent you at every level of government!

Council Members Introduce An Ordinance Imposing Data Center Moratorium Spokane City Council Members Paul Dillon, Sarah Dixit, and Kate Telis introduced an ordinance imposing a moratorium on data centers.

Same.

I’ve received calls and emails with concerns about the transparency of this proposal and if I would support a moratorium on data centers in the City of Spokane. The answer is yes. I do support a moratorium on data centers in the City of Spokane.

My statement on the Spokane 3:

I remain shocked and deeply saddened. I believe justice and the rule of law failed us today.

As a lawyer, I am struggling to make sense of this. Our legal system is supposed to serve as a check on authoritarianism and unconstitutional government action. That is one of its most fundamental purposes. Today, it failed to do so.

I am also keenly aware that these defendants were targeted. They were targeted because they belong to vulnerable communities—because of the color of their skin, their identity, or both.

The only conclusion I can draw from this unjust and frightening verdict is that those of us with privilege have an even greater responsibility to speak out. We must continue to protest when we see constitutional rights violated. We must continue to show up when others are being targeted. We must refuse to look away.

If you have the privilege and ability to do so, please keep showing up.

Fascism wins when people are silent. It loses when people stand together.