Bicyclist, unicyclist, mobility justice advocate. Unpopular opinions about urbanism, often with data. Skepticism is my beat. @bike-lab.org: only snark here

Joined June 2010
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I've been thinking about writing on this topic for some time; @kenyaw's experience at a luxury building in downtown Oakland led me to actually do it. The Douchebag Problem (with apologies to Booker T. Washington) bike-lab.org/2019/12/18/the-… 1/
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The rebuttal is that YIMBYism has no interest in creating anything that looks like the image on the right.
This image is honestly one of the most powerful YIMBY propaganda pieces ever Extremely simple and has very few good rebuttals to it
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Yeah, I hate Williams Sonoma, too.
I’ve tried to remain positive over the last 6 months. But when this is directly on your walking path to the gym. It’s not ignorable. On the heels of Databricks AI Summit. Union Square this morning. @DanielLurie San Francisco.
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All kinds of problems with this take, but the biggest one is that San Francisco has never been "under progressive rule." Seriously, Willie Brown, Gavin Newsom, Ed Lee, London Breed? One machine politician after another.
In San Francisco, it's far too obvious that crime has worsened under progressive rule. In the '90s, convenience stores didn't lock shelves, and chains didn't flee. So did crime actually go down? Did people stop reporting it? Or is the government cooking the data?
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"...objectively..."
"Urbanists are just childless twentysomethings" is a funny complaint because winding suburbs like this objectively suck for children. There is essentially nowhere you can go without your parents driving you somewhere
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If this is account is an actual human, it's someone who has never spoken to another actual human in Lateefah Simon's district. She won her seat by 29 points and it's hers as long as she wants it.
25 Apr 2025
East Bay do not allow Lateefah Simon a second term in 2026. Vote ANYONE but Simon.
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If "tax the rich" is not your primary answer, then you're not serious about addressing the effects of inequality, including the so-called housing crisis.
Replying to @chrisdferreira
If "tax the rich" is your primary answer, then you're not serious about solving the housing crisis.
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In case you were wondering: Real median rents rose 30% in Austin over this time frame.
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Just a reminder that the YIMBY position is that we should build in low fire risk areas, unless there's a proposed project in a high fire risk area.
My latest column: Sausalito may deserve the trophy for CA’s Biggest Housing Troll. In 2023, it proposed homes on underwater eelgrass. Now, it’s taking extreme measures to block a project & proposed an Orwellian algorithm to gauge how much views are blocked.sfchronicle.com/opinion/emil…
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The guy who in 2022 was endorsed by the Mayor of Oakland, who was fined for illegal campaign contributions she made in support of his candidacy, was apparently "up against the establishment machine."
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"As a 'centrist', it's kinda fun to see leaders performing Nazi salutes!"
We're a month into the Trump administration, and everyone on the hard left is losing their damn minds. As a centrist, it's kinda fun to watch the shoe on the other foot!
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"What we're working on is the same old yimbro bullshit we've been working on since before we got elected."
While DC descends into chaos, we’re staying focused on what matters: making CA more affordable. We’re taking on big challenges, rejecting the status quo, & fighting Trump’s agenda every step of the way. With some bill deadlines coming up, here's *some* of what we’re working on:
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Showing just how out of touch Taylor is, he's describing a restaurant that opened in 2022 as "a staple of West Oakland's food scene."
Another beloved Oakland business is closing its doors. Kowbird, a staple of West Oakland’s food scene, is shutting down—not because of a lack of community support, but due to the increasing challenges small businesses face in our city. From crime and bureaucratic roadblocks to a lack of meaningful city support, the environment for entrepreneurs is becoming unsustainable. We can’t afford to keep losing businesses that make Oakland special. I have firsthand experience supporting small businesses as a City Councilmember, and my Small Business and Revitalization plan aims to build on that work through actions such as a dedicated OPD Retail & Property Crime Unit and cutting bureaucratic delays so businesses can feel supported and operate efficiently. Oakland deserves leadership that will fight for local businesses. Learn more about my plan here: 🔗 lorenforoakland.com/policy_p…
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Just to be clear here: The dude who was actually part of Oakland's City Council, just two years ago, is implying that Barbara Lee, who has never been part of Oaklands' governance, is "the people who got us into this mess," and he's not.
Oakland’s best days are ahead of us.  We need fresh energy and new leadership to get there and I am running for mayor because the people who got us into this mess are ill equipped to get us out of it. We've just published my priorities and our website has a new look and feel. This is just the beginning—there’s much more in store. I’ll be rolling out additional plans and updates in the coming weeks.
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Tom Holub retweeted
It's that time again!!! We are actively seeking new Scraper Bike Members between the ages of 10-17 to join the new and revamped The Original Scraper Bike Team!!! Please complete the application if you are interested!! forms.gle/X7ACeAUimwvGe1sY6
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What did this dude do to change the business-as-usual politics when he was, you know, part of the city council, way back 2 years ago? Exactly as much part of “the establishment” as Sheng Thao.
Oakland is closing fire stations just a week after devastating fires in Los Angeles destroyed entire neighborhoods, and our city is teetering at the edge of bankruptcy. I am outraged. The state of our city and political corruption aren’t two separate issues. They are symptoms of the same cancer in Oakland. We must reject the business-as-usual politics that brought us here. I will make hard choices and do what the establishment is unwilling to do.
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Great, all we need to do is bomb 80% of the buildings in Atlanta to the ground, and then reconstruct them under an authoritarian regime. Do these dipshits even listen to themselves?
17 Jan 2025
"Our cities are full!" Population with a 10km circle around downtown: Atlanta: 519,000 people Berlin: 2,165,000 people
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Hmm, let me check who was D6's council person when OPD defunded the Ceasefire program in 2021.
SIX HOMICIDES AND ITS ONLY JANUARY 15TH!?! We must do better Oakland. We must do more than pay lip service to public safety to save lives and improve quality of life. - Invest in proven violence prevention strategies (e.g., Ceasefire) while divesting from those that aren't working - Increase number of officers to adequate levels by bringing back police academies - Review departmental policies (e.g., OPD's pursuit policy) and eliminate obstacles to increased community safety Join me in advocating for a less restrictive OPD Pursuit Policy. Make your voice heard at this evening's town hall at the Church of Religious Science - 6:30pm
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The SimCity player who spends all his time bitching about the game engine.
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Shockingly, this decade of being showered with fabulous amounts of wealth and having surprisingly little to show for it exactly coincides with the prominence of SF YIMBY.
I think things in San Francisco are finally turning around, but has anyone written the definitive account of how 2014-2024 was basically a lost decade for the city? It was showered with fabulous amounts of wealth, and has surprisingly little to show for it.
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Tom Holub retweeted
New post: The 2024 international day of persons with disabilitys accessaces.com/the-2024-inte…

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