M. Nolan Gray 🥑

Every Google product has been turned into complete junk by AI, and it's coming for every software you use.

You best start believing in agglomeration economies...you're (hopefully) in one.

A long-vacant lot turns into 68 homes over shops in Sacramento. (2015➡️2025)

Remember back in the day when you could just call a restaurant, place an order, and their guy would have it out within 30 minutes? We live in the ruins of a fallen civilization.

Literally every time I've ever ordered using Uber Eats, nearly always for work:

1. "Pay $4 extra for 11:30am arrival!"
2. *pay it*
3. "Your latest arrival time is 12:45pm. You can't change your order, by the way."

My read of the polling is that he remains far more likely to be able to beat Collins than Mills. I think Democrats should be optimizing around that.

Yet more SB 684-1123 projects starting entitlement in Sacramento. In this case, it's being uses to do the exact sort of thing intended by SB 9. Why did it work? Doesn't have the SB 9 owner-occupancy poison pill.

Yes, locals talk about "the grid," "living on the grid," "never leaving the grid," etc.

I do know this. It was all revealed to me in a dream

As with all ice-based sports, I gather that the main constraint on producing more great athletes is ice availability. This class went from 9:30pm to 11:15pm on Saturday. The curlers tell me they get six hours on the ice a week, and it's straight into competitive play. New players are mentored.

Took a curling class tonight. It's not easy! I like the team dynamic.

Secretly some of the best real, existing urbanism in the US. You can live in a nice apartment in a missing middle structure for rents that are less than a third of your income and walk or bicycle to all of your daily needs.

Their best case scenario is an Egypt-style tinpot, post-ideological authoritarian regime that's dependent on US backing.

I think it depends on Israel's assessment of whether Saudi Arabia and her Gulf client states will play ball. If yes, a liberal democratic Iran a nightmare, because it's a be an appealing and increasingly wealthy alternative that will undermine their rule. If no, it's unclear.

The thing that all decent people would like—a liberal Iran—is the worst case scenario for our "allies." Such a state still would hate Israel, though with more moral authority and a stronger economy, and would mature into a geopolital-religious competitor to Saudi Arabia and her Gulf client states.

Neither Israel and Saudi Arabia, in whose service today's strikes were conducted wants to see a liberal, prosperous Iran, for different reasons. They want an Iran that is a house-broken, post-ideological, poor authoritarian client states, though will also accept a descent into violent chaos.

I sympathize with Iranians in their struggle for freedom. But today's strikes did not help it. If anything, it will set it back: there will be a "rally around the flag" effect, and the existing regime will be able to negotiate for an easing of sanctions in exchange for minor concessions.

Regime change in Iran would be a headache, as there's no scenario where it isn't another Libya. To the extent anyone in Trump's orbit is thinking strategically, they want the current authoritarian regime, but more deference to Israel and Saudi Arabia, and token shipment of oil to claim a "win."

It's the Venezuela playbook: They don't actually want regime change. They just want a slightly more cooperative posture from the current regime.

The annexation history of Sacramento.

If I lived in Vancouver, I'd be knocking on doors for Peter!

It's a kitchen table issue

No need to guess, California has already done this: you jack up every other tax and fee.

Is the applicant actually funding these improvements, or is this hypothetical?

Brand new. Finished after the station. Nutty!

There's also a drive-thru focused Raising Cane's right next to Los Angeles' recently extended K Line. American land-use planning is a bit of a joke. We regulate all the wrong things.

Phasing out property taxes gets you rapid cuts to local services (schools) followed by a state income and capital gains taxes and impact fees. Texas GOP's pro-business, middle-class base will put up with a lot of weird nonsense about Sharia law, but they won't put up with that.

Texas GOP speedrunning all the same policies that made the California GOP into a non-factor: breaking local government, embracing fringe social issues, and beating up on immigrants. It's a bold strategy, Cotton.

There was a guy spinning yarn at my airport gate today. These tariffs are completely out of control!

The ADU Bill is Back, Baby!! Will this be the year the Florida Legislature legalizes ADUs statewide?

ADUs are back on the menu in Florida! The state very nearly legalized them last session. H/t @cityjane.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/flhousin...