Matthew B

This isn’t just about bad information. It’s about the disappearance of epistemic structure, the structures we used to build our understanding of the world. When verification and deliberation both become flattened, frictionless, and identity-driven, accountability has nowhere to land.

This is what happens when you confuse the product of the system as the system itself.

Jared Polis will withhold state grants to Colorado cities, counties that don’t comply with new housing laws The governor issued an executive order Friday requiring local governments to show they’re enacting policies to encourage more housing in order to qualify for transportation and energy funds.

Jared Polis will withhold state grants to Colorado cities, counties that don’t comply with new housing laws

BREAKING: U.S. Justice Department sues the State of Colorado and the City of Denver over immigration laws.

Gov. Jared Polis, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, and Colorado AG Phil Weiser are among those named as defendants in the suit.

A bill to require Colorado municipal building codes to allow single stair apartments (up to 5 stories) has passed both chambers and is headed to Polis' desk.

#coleg #copol #yimby

If you study dictatorships’ economies, you’ll see that selective enforcement of the tax code (to enrich friends, incentivise donors & punish critics) is a key tool. It’s foundational to the political economy of authoritarianism.

Trump wants this. If he gets it, US democracy dies.

🧵⬇️

The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.

In 25 years of covering national security, I’ve never seen a story like this: Senior Trump officials discussed planning for the U.S. attack on Yemen in a Signal group--and inadvertently added the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

A #SingleStair bill for Colorado was introduced yesterday. leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1... Requires cities w/pop. over 100,000 to allow single-stair multifamily residential buildings up to 5 stories high. Includes fire safety requirements. Effective 12/1/2027. #coleg #copol #yimby

A chart showing Colorado General Fund obligations would exhaust reserves even without a recession.

Colorado State Budget forecast shows a devastatingly bleak picture for the next five years. Reserves are completely exhausted under the status quo structural deficit "even without a recession." leg.colorado.gov/sites/defaul... #coleg #copol

Props to @senadorajulie.bsky.social, Senator Exum, Rep. Andy Boesenecker, and @javiermabrey.bsky.social for sponsoring this one. Excited to see it make its way through the Colorado Assembly.

What I love most is YIGBY's potential to combine with eliminating parking minimums, single-stair reform, and new transit-oriented density laws. There are some really big empty church parking lots near bus stops, jobs, and schools. This has potential to be a solution to the housing shortage.

a map of Fort Collins highlighting university-owned and church-owned parcels.

Fort Collins has over 2,000 acres of underdeveloped land that could qualify. (Green is owned by CSU on this map. Purple is church-owned.)

Also, randomly, CHILDCARE FACILITIES would also be allowed on these properties in certain situations. Love it.

NO POISON PILLS ALLOWED (kinda): This is huge. Cities can only impose setbacks, lot coverage, parking, inclusionary zoning, and affordability requirements if they are already required for similar housing within the jurisdiction.

ADMIN APPROVAL ONLY: No public hearings. No arbitrary requirements. No P&Z. NIMBY neighbors can't do a thing to block these projects!

THE ONLY LIMIT ON DENSITY IS HEIGHT: churches can build as much housing as they would like if they stay under 3 stories OR 45 feet. If the underlying zoning has a higher limit then go ahead and build more.

QUALIFYING PROPERTIES must have been owned by a faith-based institution or a public school (including universities) for at least 5 years. Over 5,000 acres of undeveloped land would qualify in the Denver metro area.

Colorado's YIGBY bill has been introduced! leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1...

Some highlights:

#coleg #copol #YIMBY #housing #YIGBY

It's crazy that a blue place like Denver would be so willing to subsidize the fossil fuel industry to such an extent.

What makes you think they'll vote to keep them?

I'm super impressed by Fort Collins' Representative Andy Boesenecker. He is the prime sponsor or cosponsoring YIGBY, Single Stair, and a good manufactured housing bill. #coleg #YIMBY

YIGBY is coming to Co! Rep. Boesenecker says his bill will allow public schools and religious organizations to build housing through a streamlined approval process. Applicable statewide "at present". Affordability requirements and density are still being negotiated. #coleg #YIMBY Bill draft by 1/24.

Governor Polis referred to it in his state of the state speech as "smart stair" and his legislative director mentioned they have a ton more fire safety data to bring to the conversation this time around. (The fire chiefs association killed the bill last year.)

Single Stair is coming to Colorado. Haven't seen the bill text yet but Rep. Woodrow and Rep. Boesenecker put out a fact sheet. Implementation by 2027, limited to 5 stories, unit door must be within 20 ft of exit, sprinklers would be required.

Best pro-housing anti-NIMBY messaging I've seen in a while.

Here's the modular housing bill sponsored by @jeffbridges.bsky.social, Sen. Tony Exum, and Rep. Boesenecker. I am not familiar with "factory built" housing solutions to the housing crisis so someone smart please enlighten me. #coleg

leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb25-002

Gov. Polis calling it "smart stair reform" is a bit weird but I guess it works. What even is an "egress" anyway?

The fire chiefs association will probably oppose it again. But sprawling into fire prone wildland areas with wood frame single-family homes isn't exactly the best way to design resilient cities.

The Single Stair bill is all about better design on smaller lots for smaller developers. Haven't seen a bill draft yet but excited to see this one come back.

YIGBY will hopefully allow more affordable housing like the project at Heart of the Rockies Christian Church land in Fort Collins. The church partnered with Habitat for Humanity and CARE Housing to build 82 affordable units.