M. Nolan Gray 🥑

The less intellectually satisfying and bleaker reality is that all of this is basically happening for no reason.

In general, reaching out to your representatives is usually the play. Share your frustration with the study and desire for reform. Ask if the legislature will direct BSC to make the change.

What's going on? Best case: They're all impulsive idiots. Worst case: They're trying to break as much as possible knowing they're going to jail in three years under normal conditions. Terrifying either way. They must lose Congress in November.

A few months ago, acquiring Greenland was an existential priority. (We didn't acquire it.) A few weeks ago, regime change in Venezuela was an existential priority. (There has been no regime change.) Now what?

A lesson learned for advocates:
1. Sometimes studies clear the runway. But sometimes they just waste time and resources.
2. If you're going to pass a study bill, have it be done by an agency with (a) research capacity and (b) an ability to make objective assessments.

California’s fire safety regulators are finally out with a 'single stair' report. They don’t love the idea California’s fire safety regulators were asked to study whether mid-rise apartments can go with a single staircase like other countries.

The legislatively-authorized CalFire report on single-stair reform came out two months late, lacks any actual research, and seems to be brushing off the clear intent of the legislature by blithely calling for a one story increase.
calmatters.org/housing/2026...

As Arlington booms, traffic drops Traffic on several Arlington roads is lower today than decades ago, despite huge increases in density and activity.

An oldie, but an important lesson: Arlington added 50,000 residents. Traffic fell.

Wilson Blvd (its main street): –23%.
Transit ridership: +34%.

When you build housing around transit, people drive less. @ggwash.org

ggwash.org/view/35122/a...

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.