San Francisco is already one of the most urbanized, dense, and internationally recognized cities in the United States. You don't look for Hong Kong in San Francisco. That's disrespectful. The assumption that SF needs to "urbanize itself" shows you don't understand this beautiful city. San Francisco's character, neighborhoods, and quality of life were built over generations by the people who live here. SF was thriving before the pandemic and it will be back, better than ever. A city is more than a housing production target. It's more than just tech ppl here. It's also schools, parks, transit, culture, small businesses, historic neighborhoods, and communities that have invested decades into making the city desirable in the first place. History is an important part of San Francisco's economy. It's a world famous city that has thrived on tourism for generations. Acknowledge that, respect it, and don't dismiss or criticize it without first understanding what makes San Francisco special. Too often, the debate assumes there is only one correct model of urbanism. More density everywhere, more development everywhere, and fewer local considerations. That kind of ignorance will destroy San Francisco. Cities are not interchangeable products. The goal shouldn't be to turn every neighborhood into the same copy and paste version of urban living. If your preferred vision is a different type of city, there is plenty of land throughout California where new communities can be built around that vision. The question is why some people insist that existing cities and established neighborhoods must conform to a single model, regardless of what current residents want. Greed has a lot to do with the decisions. Before lamenting that San Francisco doesn't want to "urbanize itself" enough, ask a different question. Have you listened to the people who already live here? Have you considered why they value the city as it is? Do you respect the needs of existing residents, or are you simply frustrated that they don't share your preferences? Good urban planning starts with understanding communities, not dismissing them. Start by listening with respect.

If you ever wonder how the right wing in San Francisco passes it off as the "center" they've convinced themselves that centrist hegemony was actually "far left." Words have taken on different meanings in San Francisco to coddle the sensitivities of techbros.

You’re going to see a lot of “YIMBY vs NIMBY” framing in the coming months because of the SF house race. To clarify, it’s not people who support housing vs those who hate it. It’s deregulated capitalism vs tenants rights and price controls. Choose wisely.

Turns out winning over the influencer class means nothing if you've failed to earn the support and votes of your actual constituents. That's the real lesson here. Substance and record matter more than manufactured hype. Should've built a local coalition, not a Streamer one.

Self-described “American Patriot” @joshforprogress spreads lies and misinformation, joining a large media blitz attack against grassroots progressive candidate Connie Chan just 3 days before the CA-11 congressional election.

PSA: If you’re a leftist supporting a candidate in an election to represent a place you don’t live, and local progressives don’t like that candidate, you should ask why instead of trying to smear your fellow leftists. There’s probably a really good reason.

Depending on how the elections go, it’s conceivable that if you live in San Francisco, next year you could be represented by a mayor, a congressman and a governor who purchased their seat.

Gun owners watching Ríhanna Kelver’s case should look past her and at the reasoning being used to condemn her, because that reasoning travels. The facts are on video. A man shoved her to the ground. She drew her pistol, racked it so they would hear it, and pointed it at the man who had just attacked her. She never fired and kept the safety on. The man who shoved her first was never charged. She was, with two felonies and up to fifteen years. Kelver is not the careless stranger her critics imagine. She grew up around guns and took hunter and firearm safety courses. She was armed that night because of a stalking situation serious enough that the man had already been thrown out of her workplace. That is the responsible carrier the gun community claims to defend. Even the law she’s charged under protects her. Wyoming only makes drawing a weapon a crime when it is not “reasonably necessary in defense of his person.” Yet many of the people demanding her conviction are not arguing the facts. They are arguing that someone like her had no business being armed at all. The transphobia is doing the work the evidence can’t. That is what gun owners should sit with. Once a community accepts that a self-defense right can be revoked because the defender is the wrong kind of person, the standard stops being what you did when attacked. It becomes whether the people judging you approve of you. That logic will not stay aimed at trans women in Wyoming. Gun owners are a despised minority in plenty of places, and the same reasoning can be turned on a rancher or a concealed carrier just as easily. Transphobes need to get a grip and see this for the trap that it is. A right that only protects who you like is not a right. It is a permission slip, and permission slips can be revoked.

Sharing this again: armthedolls.com/so-you-want-…

I prefer street vendors and the random crazy person to this performative techbro hustle culture nonsense.

A big thank you to Arm the Dolls for having me write guide on everything you need to know about buying your first firearm. This one is timely, especially in light of the proposed ATF rules and how they may particularly affect trans folks. Read it here: armthedolls.com/so-you-want-…

Once again begging techbros to consider that if something hasn't been done yet it's probably because of reasons that aren't "I'm the first person to think about it." In this case, it's a superfund site that led to cancer clusters in nearby housing.

convinced my coworker to tip our trans waitress 30% on the company card

Fun fact: There are trees in this area which don't grow anywhere else in the world. Once again I'm forced to point out, techbro culture has become intensely imperialist and sees around it only what can be extracted for profit. Consequences be damned. It's a sickness.

This is historically illiterate to the point of being embarrassing. I get that Jenna is motivated by fear but that doesn't justify arguments completely divorced from historical reality.

I'm starting to think there's something in the water. Also as others have pointed out, missing the important topography overlay which answers the questions.

Every time I find myself in Vegas I'm astounded by the percentage of cis women who have spent way, way more money on gender affirming care than I ever could. The drinks are great though.

Tech Bro culture is inherently colonialist and I will die on that hill. See also my other most recent post. This entire community has an unchecked mental illness.