Kevin Burke
@burke.bsky.social
Ask me about the Contra Costa County Housing Element
Pinned
Kevin Burke
@burke.bsky.social
· Feb 7
Cities Can Cost Effectively Start Their Own Utilities Now | Kevin Burke
kevin.burke.dev
Northern California cities can, and should, save households ~$800 a year by forming their own utility companies and breaking off from PG&E. New analysis kevin.burke.dev/kevin/norcal...
Gemini Dream is the best Moody Blues song
June 19, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Gemini Dream is the best Moody Blues song
Reposted by Kevin Burke
HAA letter to Walnut Creek, CA for tonight's Design Review Commission meeting re proposed 422-unit builder's remedy project at 2775–2855 Mitchell Drive, which includes 55 low-income units.
@agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov @california-hcd.bsky.social
drive.google.com/file/d/1JnUm...
@agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov @california-hcd.bsky.social
drive.google.com/file/d/1JnUm...
Walnut Creek - 2775–2855 Mitchell Drive - HAA Letter.pdf
drive.google.com
June 18, 2025 at 11:51 PM
HAA letter to Walnut Creek, CA for tonight's Design Review Commission meeting re proposed 422-unit builder's remedy project at 2775–2855 Mitchell Drive, which includes 55 low-income units.
@agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov @california-hcd.bsky.social
drive.google.com/file/d/1JnUm...
@agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov @california-hcd.bsky.social
drive.google.com/file/d/1JnUm...
Not sure what case exists for banning transgender surgery for minors that doesn’t also exist for banning plastic surgery for minors, maybe you could argue it’s less reversible? More cosmetic?
June 18, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Not sure what case exists for banning transgender surgery for minors that doesn’t also exist for banning plastic surgery for minors, maybe you could argue it’s less reversible? More cosmetic?
Good morning, a good day to read about the history of the multifamily building code in the US and how little of it related to safety www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
The National Movement to Halt the Spread of Multifamily Housing, 1890-1926
Efforts to prohibit apartments, rather than merely regulate their construction and condition, began in the 1890s. Through the early 1920s, major cities used stringent building codes to achieve this...
www.tandfonline.com
June 18, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Good morning, a good day to read about the history of the multifamily building code in the US and how little of it related to safety www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Larkspur, Warm Springs and Sac Valley transportation planners
June 18, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Larkspur, Warm Springs and Sac Valley transportation planners
Reposted by Kevin Burke
Not an original point but worth saying again - there is not a single element in this picture that identifies any of these folks as law enforcement agents. No badges, no uniforms, no vests. Out of context it just looks like a bunch of random guys are kidnapping a mayoral candidate.
Breaking News: Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller who is running for mayor, was detained by ICE agents at an immigration court as he tried to escort a migrant out of the courthouse to prevent his arrest. nyti.ms/4jWkANE
June 17, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Not an original point but worth saying again - there is not a single element in this picture that identifies any of these folks as law enforcement agents. No badges, no uniforms, no vests. Out of context it just looks like a bunch of random guys are kidnapping a mayoral candidate.
Many home insurers are using the same valuation tool to price California insurance.
We should increase competition so more competitors enter who might try different software or different valuation models.
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...
We should increase competition so more competitors enter who might try different software or different valuation models.
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...
State Farm accused of ‘illegal scheme’ that left California wildfire survivors underinsured
Attorneys for Los Angeles wildfire survivors allege that the insurance company misused reconstruction cost estimation programs to lowball home rebuild costs.
www.sfchronicle.com
June 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Many home insurers are using the same valuation tool to price California insurance.
We should increase competition so more competitors enter who might try different software or different valuation models.
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...
We should increase competition so more competitors enter who might try different software or different valuation models.
www.sfchronicle.com/california-w...
It’s 1.3 acres of park space Michael, how much could it cost to renovate it?
June 17, 2025 at 2:05 PM
It’s 1.3 acres of park space Michael, how much could it cost to renovate it?
Counterpoint to recent @annielowrey.bsky.social piece is mini-Cuomo Sophie Hahn gets elected Berkeley mayor without RCV
June 17, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Counterpoint to recent @annielowrey.bsky.social piece is mini-Cuomo Sophie Hahn gets elected Berkeley mayor without RCV
Which member of @cacommonground.bsky.social is depicted in this episode?
June 17, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Which member of @cacommonground.bsky.social is depicted in this episode?
@eean.dev silence on this issue is deafening www.danvillesanramon.com/pleasanton/2...
County supes to review objections for proposed Castlewood assessment
Leaders of the Castlewood Property Owners Association submitted 189 written objections to the county public works department’s proposed supplemental water service charge of $6,829.27 per household Thu...
www.danvillesanramon.com
June 17, 2025 at 2:08 AM
@eean.dev silence on this issue is deafening www.danvillesanramon.com/pleasanton/2...
Reposted by Kevin Burke
this is a fantastic ruling but it's deeply depressing that the clearest-eyed condemnation of this administration's actions has come from the judges tasked with ruling on their legality and not the press ostensibly tasked with speaking truth to power
MORE YOUNG: "It is palpably clear that these directives and the set of terminated grants here also are designed to frustrate, to stop, research that may bear on the health – we’re talking about health here, the health of Americans, of our LGBTQ community. That’s appalling."
June 16, 2025 at 6:49 PM
this is a fantastic ruling but it's deeply depressing that the clearest-eyed condemnation of this administration's actions has come from the judges tasked with ruling on their legality and not the press ostensibly tasked with speaking truth to power
The status quo exists in California because elected officials think it's good localnewsmatters.org/2025/06/15/s...
San Jose City Council blocks West San Jose housing project after homeowner outcry - Local News Matters
CITY OFFICIALS HAVE SIDED with homeowners opposed to a proposed 17-story apartment complex that would have added hundreds of homes in West San Jose. The
localnewsmatters.org
June 16, 2025 at 2:25 PM
The status quo exists in California because elected officials think it's good localnewsmatters.org/2025/06/15/s...
Finally the perfect podcast for my daily commute from Reno to the SF Peninsula.
LAUNCH DAY 🚀
Today I’m launching a new podcast, Hard Drugs, with Jacob Trefethen (@jacobtref.bsky.social)
Our first episode is about lenacapavir — a new HIV drug that blocks infections with an efficacy rate of nearly 100%, and which could completely change the fight against HIV worldwide.
Today I’m launching a new podcast, Hard Drugs, with Jacob Trefethen (@jacobtref.bsky.social)
Our first episode is about lenacapavir — a new HIV drug that blocks infections with an efficacy rate of nearly 100%, and which could completely change the fight against HIV worldwide.
Lenacapavir: The miracle drug that could end AIDS
Hard Drugs · Episode
open.spotify.com
June 16, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Finally the perfect podcast for my daily commute from Reno to the SF Peninsula.
If only - Dean Preston’s staff replied to this data by saying that a plurality of public comments on the MTA budget were asking for lower fares (after Preston had posted on Twitter that people should write in and ask for lower fares.)
June 13, 2025 at 7:58 PM
If only - Dean Preston’s staff replied to this data by saying that a plurality of public comments on the MTA budget were asking for lower fares (after Preston had posted on Twitter that people should write in and ask for lower fares.)
Argument in this paper is that 2/3 of the gap between men's and women's wages can be explained by preference for non-salary "amenities" - things like a regular schedule or a safer job papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
June 13, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Argument in this paper is that 2/3 of the gap between men's and women's wages can be explained by preference for non-salary "amenities" - things like a regular schedule or a safer job papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Filling out my beach boys brian Wilson apology form
June 13, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Filling out my beach boys brian Wilson apology form
Reposted by Kevin Burke
The president of the United States in our time is not supposed to wield armed troops and even station marines on American soil because of political speech and assembly he doesn’t like, that is typically not allowed and no I don’t care if any of it is technically “legal”
June 12, 2025 at 12:41 PM
The president of the United States in our time is not supposed to wield armed troops and even station marines on American soil because of political speech and assembly he doesn’t like, that is typically not allowed and no I don’t care if any of it is technically “legal”
Walnut Creek is spending $690k next year to add sidewalks on one of these four sections of San Miguel Drive. Guess which one.
June 13, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Walnut Creek is spending $690k next year to add sidewalks on one of these four sections of San Miguel Drive. Guess which one.
Reposted by Kevin Burke
Every school district in my area is cold-calling parents in other cities to get them to switch districts. It is a demographic certainty that without massive housing construction these districts are all shrinking.
You hear this argument in California all the time despite the fact that school districts are funded by the state on the basis of average daily attendance. Many districts are facing budget crises in part because they don't have enough students!
Among the anti-housing arguments I've seen recently aired, one of the ones I find the most morally repugnant is the idea that new housing should not be approved when it will attract families with school-age kids, thus increasing school system costs
June 12, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Every school district in my area is cold-calling parents in other cities to get them to switch districts. It is a demographic certainty that without massive housing construction these districts are all shrinking.
Reposted by Kevin Burke
if youre attacked by a roving gang of 40 year old men show them this poster as a distraction... will buy you at least an hour to escape
June 12, 2025 at 1:14 PM
if youre attacked by a roving gang of 40 year old men show them this poster as a distraction... will buy you at least an hour to escape
Hardly the main point but most shocking thing to me was the airbag failing to deploy, that’s not new technology that’s just the car failing a basic decades old safety test www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
A Fatal Tesla Crash Shows the Limits of Full Self-Driving
As Elon Musk touts robotaxis in Austin, federal regulators are investigating whether Tesla’s system is dangerous even with a human behind the wheel.
www.bloomberg.com
June 12, 2025 at 5:41 AM
Hardly the main point but most shocking thing to me was the airbag failing to deploy, that’s not new technology that’s just the car failing a basic decades old safety test www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
One very counterintuitive thing is that suicide is a very impulsive act, you can actually reduce the number of suicides by making it harder to commit suicide. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/h...
A Killer Within Easy Reach
Pesticides are a leading means of suicide. The tiny nation of Suriname is working to restrict access to one of the most common and dangerous ones.
www.nytimes.com
June 10, 2025 at 9:49 PM
One very counterintuitive thing is that suicide is a very impulsive act, you can actually reduce the number of suicides by making it harder to commit suicide. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/h...
As someone who has been trying to expand housing supply in the suburbs for some time now I am available for comment on the Glaeser and Gyourko paper x.com/TahraHoops/s...
Tahra Hoops on X: "There is a great new paper out by Ed Glaeser & Joseph Gyourko: The housing supply problem isn't just expensive coastal cities anymore, the "suburban frontier" is also closing. Tl;dr "Insiders increasingly use regulations to protect their own rents and keep outsiders out."🧵 https://t.co/j2ZhfbEl91" / X
There is a great new paper out by Ed Glaeser & Joseph Gyourko: The housing supply problem isn't just expensive coastal cities anymore, the "suburban frontier" is also closing. Tl;dr "Insiders increasingly use regulations to protect their own rents and keep outsiders out."🧵 https://t.co/j2ZhfbEl91
x.com
June 10, 2025 at 3:45 AM
As someone who has been trying to expand housing supply in the suburbs for some time now I am available for comment on the Glaeser and Gyourko paper x.com/TahraHoops/s...