David Shere
@davidshere.net
Berkeley Yimby Jew Dad
On the Housing Advisory Commission trying to make more and better affordable housing.
Berkeley Civic Library: https://www.civic-library.com
Blog: https://davidshere.github.io
On the Housing Advisory Commission trying to make more and better affordable housing.
Berkeley Civic Library: https://www.civic-library.com
Blog: https://davidshere.github.io
Reposted by David Shere
Got updates on Berkeley's Rental Housing Safety Program at Housing Advisory Commission tonight.
RHSP inspects buildings to make sure they're safe and up to code, both randomly & on request.
Staff reported that requests often come in waves, for example due to weather.
berkeleyca.gov/doing-busine...
RHSP inspects buildings to make sure they're safe and up to code, both randomly & on request.
Staff reported that requests often come in waves, for example due to weather.
berkeleyca.gov/doing-busine...
Rental Housing Safety Program (RHSP)
Owners of rental properties must perform a safety inspection each year and pay an annual fee. Rental properties may be randomly selected for a proactive inspection. If you own rental property in Berke...
berkeleyca.gov
February 6, 2026 at 7:12 AM
Got updates on Berkeley's Rental Housing Safety Program at Housing Advisory Commission tonight.
RHSP inspects buildings to make sure they're safe and up to code, both randomly & on request.
Staff reported that requests often come in waves, for example due to weather.
berkeleyca.gov/doing-busine...
RHSP inspects buildings to make sure they're safe and up to code, both randomly & on request.
Staff reported that requests often come in waves, for example due to weather.
berkeleyca.gov/doing-busine...
I love when staff tells their council “we think this extremely stupid and so are you for even suggesting it” in their special secret way
Because people have been apoplectic over loss of parking for the last couple years, city council directed staff to consider a series of alternatives to the bike lanes.
Removing the bike lanes and replacing the parking, which is what many are pushing for, would cost the city $3,000,000.
Removing the bike lanes and replacing the parking, which is what many are pushing for, would cost the city $3,000,000.
February 3, 2026 at 4:34 AM
I love when staff tells their council “we think this extremely stupid and so are you for even suggesting it” in their special secret way
Wait bow are you supposed to pronounce antifa
This new Republican tic where they purposely mispronounce/misstate the names of things they don’t like (KaMAla, anTIfa, Somalians, Democrat as an adjective) is so interesting. Does it have a name?
Jesus Christ you freak, they’re just my neighbors
January 29, 2026 at 3:09 AM
Wait bow are you supposed to pronounce antifa
I can’t wait until my kids are like 9 and I tell them what we used to call criss cross apple sauce and they look at me in disgust like wtf is wrong with you, and they will have a point because really wtf was that.
January 28, 2026 at 3:52 AM
I can’t wait until my kids are like 9 and I tell them what we used to call criss cross apple sauce and they look at me in disgust like wtf is wrong with you, and they will have a point because really wtf was that.
Status update - I convinced myself that I’m wrong l, now I’m trying to decide if taking the rest of the money was sketchy or not
Shouting this from the rooftops until someone tells me I’m wrong:
I really really really think there is still $4 million dollars allocated to the Hopkins street project from Measure T1.
I really really really think there is still $4 million dollars allocated to the Hopkins street project from Measure T1.
The proposed Hopkins paving project is 1.5 miles. The Measure FF prohibited McGee to Gilman section is 0.2 miles. Berkeley could look for additional funding (ATP, OBAG & SR2TBT are all coming up) & sit on Hopkins if they wanted, there are plenty of other streets to pave.
January 25, 2026 at 3:29 AM
Status update - I convinced myself that I’m wrong l, now I’m trying to decide if taking the rest of the money was sketchy or not
Shouting this from the rooftops until someone tells me I’m wrong:
I really really really think there is still $4 million dollars allocated to the Hopkins street project from Measure T1.
I really really really think there is still $4 million dollars allocated to the Hopkins street project from Measure T1.
The proposed Hopkins paving project is 1.5 miles. The Measure FF prohibited McGee to Gilman section is 0.2 miles. Berkeley could look for additional funding (ATP, OBAG & SR2TBT are all coming up) & sit on Hopkins if they wanted, there are plenty of other streets to pave.
January 24, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Shouting this from the rooftops until someone tells me I’m wrong:
I really really really think there is still $4 million dollars allocated to the Hopkins street project from Measure T1.
I really really really think there is still $4 million dollars allocated to the Hopkins street project from Measure T1.
I am basically 100% opposed to vision zero at this point. It is really damaging when cities make these promises that they genuinely have no intention to achieve.
Apropos of nothing in the city of Berkeley…
Apropos of nothing in the city of Berkeley…
Cities that float lofty Vision Zero goals without following up have just ZERO VISION and political courage. Los Angeles is a key example of those cities, as limited progress has been made since 2016.
Michael Manville Critiques L.A.’s Vision Zero: Progress ‘Incredibly Disappointing”
The Los Angeles Times article examines the harsh reality of implementation challenges for ambitious urban goals like phasing out gas-powered vehicles or becoming a fully interconnected Smart City.
luskin.ucla.edu
January 24, 2026 at 9:04 PM
I am basically 100% opposed to vision zero at this point. It is really damaging when cities make these promises that they genuinely have no intention to achieve.
Apropos of nothing in the city of Berkeley…
Apropos of nothing in the city of Berkeley…
There’s an episode of enterprise near the end with the mirror universe, they have a bolian locked up, and they make it really cold and he sort of crumbles and dies.
That would be me 20 degrees above this.
That would be me 20 degrees above this.
It’s -9 degrees. Downtown Minneapolis is packed for the anti-ICE rally and the crowd keeps growing
January 24, 2026 at 4:21 AM
There’s an episode of enterprise near the end with the mirror universe, they have a bolian locked up, and they make it really cold and he sort of crumbles and dies.
That would be me 20 degrees above this.
That would be me 20 degrees above this.
Besides being stupid and wrong, the Greenland thing is just so deeply pathetic.
January 19, 2026 at 4:34 AM
Besides being stupid and wrong, the Greenland thing is just so deeply pathetic.
Design guidelines are great but without the institutional structure and continuity needed to implement, they will all end up in the same place.
Here are the Subway/Metro Station design guidelines that were compiled by UMTA/USDOT in the 1970s in an attempt to prevent WMATA-style cost overruns again.
It got shelved when everyone at UMTA got laid off and we forgot it. But it's prescient about cost drivers -- rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/11352
It got shelved when everyone at UMTA got laid off and we forgot it. But it's prescient about cost drivers -- rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/11352
DOT ROSA P
ROSA P serves as an archival repository of USDOT-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other information authored or co-authored by USDOT ...
rosap.ntl.bts.gov
January 17, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Design guidelines are great but without the institutional structure and continuity needed to implement, they will all end up in the same place.
This is a pretty good use of a chatbot. “Help me choose something subject to these constraints” is something it’s good at.
“I have a bottle of cab and some boneless skinless chicken breasts. I can spend about an hour and half on prep. Lactose intolerant. Feeding 2. What should I make?
“I have a bottle of cab and some boneless skinless chicken breasts. I can spend about an hour and half on prep. Lactose intolerant. Feeding 2. What should I make?
at last we will be free from the backbreaking drudgery of ordering pizza from a menu and even counting how many people the pizza is for www.theverge.com/tech/863365/...
January 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM
This is a pretty good use of a chatbot. “Help me choose something subject to these constraints” is something it’s good at.
“I have a bottle of cab and some boneless skinless chicken breasts. I can spend about an hour and half on prep. Lactose intolerant. Feeding 2. What should I make?
“I have a bottle of cab and some boneless skinless chicken breasts. I can spend about an hour and half on prep. Lactose intolerant. Feeding 2. What should I make?
Apparently going to meetings and meeting and being annoying runs in the family
January 15, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Apparently going to meetings and meeting and being annoying runs in the family
And I though my strawberry/raspberry/blueberry budget was out of control…
January 15, 2026 at 12:51 AM
And I though my strawberry/raspberry/blueberry budget was out of control…
Reposted by David Shere
we are never going back
Things are grim right now but as a reminder of who we are and why we fight, this is the US Women’s figuring skating champion.
January 11, 2026 at 12:32 AM
we are never going back
Thank god there wasn’t a bike lane there, could have been much worse.
The FDNY's response to a five alarm fire in the Bronx was delayed by drivers who parked their cars in front of three fire hydrants closest to the blaze. Two firefighters and one civilian were injured.
Illegally Parked Cars Delayed FDNY Response to Five-Alarm Fire - Streetsblog New York City
First responders call out scofflaws blocking hydrants for delaying the response to a five alarm fire in the Bronx.
buff.ly
January 6, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Thank god there wasn’t a bike lane there, could have been much worse.
My wealth tax proposal is a billionaire minimum tax. If your wealth inside of some band - say 2-5 billion - you pay a minimum tax each year, say 50 million. Much easier to enforce. And each one has a team of dedicated auditors at IRS that whose salaries and expenses they pay for.
December 30, 2025 at 5:18 PM
My wealth tax proposal is a billionaire minimum tax. If your wealth inside of some band - say 2-5 billion - you pay a minimum tax each year, say 50 million. Much easier to enforce. And each one has a team of dedicated auditors at IRS that whose salaries and expenses they pay for.
Here's a project - no density bonus, no BMR units, $1.8 million in-lieu fee, and coming it at 49,90 square feet which, by pure happenstance I'm sure, is just 100 sq. feet shy of being subject to HARD HATS.
December 29, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Here's a project - no density bonus, no BMR units, $1.8 million in-lieu fee, and coming it at 49,90 square feet which, by pure happenstance I'm sure, is just 100 sq. feet shy of being subject to HARD HATS.
Fuck these guys, also this is a stupid gimmick and dumbass policy and I hope it doesn’t get off the ground.
“California is on a path to self-destruction,” wrote Bill Ackman, joining opposition to a tax proposal alongside Google’s cofounder and more.
Possible California Wealth Tax Causes Billionaire Freakout: Page, Thiel Threaten To Leave
“California is on a path to self-destruction,” wrote Bill Ackman, joining opposition to a tax proposal alongside Google’s cofounder and more.
www.forbes.com
December 28, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Fuck these guys, also this is a stupid gimmick and dumbass policy and I hope it doesn’t get off the ground.
1 pm, January 20, 2029, National Mall. Great national bonfire begins and all that gaudy shit goes right in.
Hideous is not a strong enough word to describe Trump's assault on the Oval Office. I served in multiple countries run by criminal dictators, but none of them had an office quite so distasteful.
December 28, 2025 at 5:26 PM
1 pm, January 20, 2029, National Mall. Great national bonfire begins and all that gaudy shit goes right in.
Affordable housing idea - deed restrict your ADU or volunteer it for rent stabilization in exchange for...what? Properly tax abatement?
December 27, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Affordable housing idea - deed restrict your ADU or volunteer it for rent stabilization in exchange for...what? Properly tax abatement?
Starting to get into ZAB, LPC, DRC, and all our amazing processes for getting stuff built.
TIL, if you want to build a new off-street parking space in panoramic hill - probably the highest fire risk in the city - you need an AUP and LPC review! For laying down concrete, which doesn't burn!
TIL, if you want to build a new off-street parking space in panoramic hill - probably the highest fire risk in the city - you need an AUP and LPC review! For laying down concrete, which doesn't burn!
December 26, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Starting to get into ZAB, LPC, DRC, and all our amazing processes for getting stuff built.
TIL, if you want to build a new off-street parking space in panoramic hill - probably the highest fire risk in the city - you need an AUP and LPC review! For laying down concrete, which doesn't burn!
TIL, if you want to build a new off-street parking space in panoramic hill - probably the highest fire risk in the city - you need an AUP and LPC review! For laying down concrete, which doesn't burn!
My worst bluesky habit is popping into hate threads on Mark Cuban’s posts and telling people why he’s right and they’re dumb
December 25, 2025 at 4:37 PM
My worst bluesky habit is popping into hate threads on Mark Cuban’s posts and telling people why he’s right and they’re dumb
This is fine and great but if the president and congressional majorities want to kill NCAR or any other program, they should be able to. Voters should be able to experience and understand what it is they're voting for.
NEW: Colorado Sens Hickenlooper and Bennet announce they're putting a hold on the Senate appropriations package to demand funding for NCAR.
Bennet said today that the Trump administration's move to dismantle the climate/weather lab is retaliation for Tina Peters' imprisonment.
Bennet said today that the Trump administration's move to dismantle the climate/weather lab is retaliation for Tina Peters' imprisonment.
December 19, 2025 at 12:59 AM
This is fine and great but if the president and congressional majorities want to kill NCAR or any other program, they should be able to. Voters should be able to experience and understand what it is they're voting for.
My first job in tech they said "well you don't have the experience but you seem like a self-starter so we'll give you a shot."
Darn it, there was a resonant post today or yesterday that I can't track down now.
Something like "As a white man, I've never had to advocate for myself that hard, people have tended to just recognize my talent & give me opportunities."
Definitely me
Something like "As a white man, I've never had to advocate for myself that hard, people have tended to just recognize my talent & give me opportunities."
Definitely me
December 17, 2025 at 11:38 PM
My first job in tech they said "well you don't have the experience but you seem like a self-starter so we'll give you a shot."
Why is reducing street parking good?
Just saw an driver turn right off WB Hopkins onto Peralta, nearly hit a guy on a bike in the crosswalk, and then go park her car twenty feet away in a spot that’s going to be a concrete protected bike lane in a year or so.
Just saw an driver turn right off WB Hopkins onto Peralta, nearly hit a guy on a bike in the crosswalk, and then go park her car twenty feet away in a spot that’s going to be a concrete protected bike lane in a year or so.
December 16, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Why is reducing street parking good?
Just saw an driver turn right off WB Hopkins onto Peralta, nearly hit a guy on a bike in the crosswalk, and then go park her car twenty feet away in a spot that’s going to be a concrete protected bike lane in a year or so.
Just saw an driver turn right off WB Hopkins onto Peralta, nearly hit a guy on a bike in the crosswalk, and then go park her car twenty feet away in a spot that’s going to be a concrete protected bike lane in a year or so.