Kirsten Bladh
@kerstanley.bsky.social
Policy @ Open New York. She/her. Cargo bike mom. Bassist for Leggy in my former life. NYC via LA via Cincinnati. Left urbanist 🏙️🚆🌹 Lamentably, a Bengals fan 🐅
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
If everyone reacting to this incredulously/asking why we can’t have nice things could take a few mins to email Manhattan CB 2 about how the proposed project’s design and aesthetics are appropriate for the historic district that would be great. 🫶🏻
📧 cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us/cb2/contact/
📧 cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us/cb2/contact/
Currently dialed into a community board meeting where a bunch of boomer NIMBYs are trying to argue this NoHo parking lot needs to be preserved and not turned into affordable housing.
god, NIMBYs are beyond parody. they must be politically crushed
god, NIMBYs are beyond parody. they must be politically crushed
February 10, 2026 at 3:30 AM
If everyone reacting to this incredulously/asking why we can’t have nice things could take a few mins to email Manhattan CB 2 about how the proposed project’s design and aesthetics are appropriate for the historic district that would be great. 🫶🏻
📧 cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us/cb2/contact/
📧 cbmanhattan.cityofnewyork.us/cb2/contact/
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
The current NIMBY speaking literally just said “I live right next to this parking lot and it gives the area a real neighborhood feeling”
February 10, 2026 at 12:04 AM
The current NIMBY speaking literally just said “I live right next to this parking lot and it gives the area a real neighborhood feeling”
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
Personally I don't think CA should give Tesla or any other Musk company a single penny of public subsidy after Elon's war on democracy and the state budget. Basic exercise in fighting back!
CA's climate+air regulators present their support of Tesla as the only way to decarbonize freight - but they're ignoring the state's freight rail system, which could take a huge bite out of the problem at a fraction the cost, while supporting passenger rail infrastructure!
h/t @niedermeyer.online
h/t @niedermeyer.online
"Nevertheless, the reservation of vouchers effectively limited access to funding for other manufacturers with production-ready electric trucks, as HVIP operates on a first-come, first-served basis and funding rounds are typically oversubscribed within days."
Always frustrating.
Always frustrating.
February 9, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Personally I don't think CA should give Tesla or any other Musk company a single penny of public subsidy after Elon's war on democracy and the state budget. Basic exercise in fighting back!
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
It really annoys me that the moral panic over e-bikes obscures the incredible impact they have had for disabled people.
This. For the disabled they are a vital tool, and without mine, I am housebound. The inherent ableism infuriates me, especially since I am a careful rider. In every incident I have been in, and there are very few, I was the victim not the cause. Every time.
February 9, 2026 at 7:16 PM
It really annoys me that the moral panic over e-bikes obscures the incredible impact they have had for disabled people.
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
They should start showing cut scenes of Santa Clara. Give us a dilapidated 1970s strip mall and an 8 lane arterial road. Show us how many restaurants are already closed even though it's only 5:30.
February 9, 2026 at 1:44 AM
They should start showing cut scenes of Santa Clara. Give us a dilapidated 1970s strip mall and an 8 lane arterial road. Show us how many restaurants are already closed even though it's only 5:30.
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
this interaction (about me!) says everything you need to know about the Bay Area neolibs
February 8, 2026 at 1:38 PM
this interaction (about me!) says everything you need to know about the Bay Area neolibs
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
Very telling that the initiative exempts all home value for CA seniors. Could have easily capped the exemption to the first $1M in value, but the motivation isn't about low-income seniors in modest homes, it's about the rich wanting an exemption.
February 8, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Very telling that the initiative exempts all home value for CA seniors. Could have easily capped the exemption to the first $1M in value, but the motivation isn't about low-income seniors in modest homes, it's about the rich wanting an exemption.
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
Because they're fucking idiots that's why
Why another US state is preparing a 10 mph e-bike speed limit
Why another US state is preparing a 10 mph e-bike speed limit
Florida is the latest US state to wade into the increasingly crowded waters of e-bike regulation, with lawmakers advancing a bill that would impose a situational 10 mph (16 km/h) speed limit for e-bikes on shared-use paths. It’s a move that fits squarely into a broader national trend, as states and cities across the country reconsider how electric bikes fit into public spaces that were never designed with fast, motor-assisted travel in mind.
more…
electrek.co
February 8, 2026 at 3:53 AM
Because they're fucking idiots that's why
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
Wow. While neighbors marched for safety, CM Joann Ariola chose to drive on Freedom Dr through the rally. Her message to families in the area and kids who attend school 2 blocks away? Their safety matters less than a 0.3 mile shortcut for a few. 🎥: Safer Streets Richmond Hilll
February 6, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Wow. While neighbors marched for safety, CM Joann Ariola chose to drive on Freedom Dr through the rally. Her message to families in the area and kids who attend school 2 blocks away? Their safety matters less than a 0.3 mile shortcut for a few. 🎥: Safer Streets Richmond Hilll
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
The bad news: our amazing Chief of Staff and Policy Director @andrewdfine.bsky.social is leaving.
The good news: He’s joining the Mamdani administration as Senior Advisor for Policy & Regulatory Reform to Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg! 🥳
Exciting news: We’re hiring a new policy director ⬇️
The good news: He’s joining the Mamdani administration as Senior Advisor for Policy & Regulatory Reform to Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg! 🥳
Exciting news: We’re hiring a new policy director ⬇️
Importantly, it also means we are hiring for a new Policy Director - job posting is here, please share far and wide!
open-new-york.breezy.hr/p/851ac1ee79...
open-new-york.breezy.hr/p/851ac1ee79...
Policy Director at Open New York
About Open New York
Open New York (ONY) is a grassroots, non-profit organization advocating for abundant homes and lower rent. With a rapidly growing staff and hundreds of active volunteer members acr...
open-new-york.breezy.hr
February 6, 2026 at 8:06 PM
The bad news: our amazing Chief of Staff and Policy Director @andrewdfine.bsky.social is leaving.
The good news: He’s joining the Mamdani administration as Senior Advisor for Policy & Regulatory Reform to Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg! 🥳
Exciting news: We’re hiring a new policy director ⬇️
The good news: He’s joining the Mamdani administration as Senior Advisor for Policy & Regulatory Reform to Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg! 🥳
Exciting news: We’re hiring a new policy director ⬇️
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
This is Maria, a 6-year-old detained by ICE last year.
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
February 6, 2026 at 6:25 PM
This is Maria, a 6-year-old detained by ICE last year.
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
Importantly, it also means we are hiring for a new Policy Director - job posting is here, please share far and wide!
open-new-york.breezy.hr/p/851ac1ee79...
open-new-york.breezy.hr/p/851ac1ee79...
Policy Director at Open New York
About Open New York
Open New York (ONY) is a grassroots, non-profit organization advocating for abundant homes and lower rent. With a rapidly growing staff and hundreds of active volunteer members acr...
open-new-york.breezy.hr
February 6, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Importantly, it also means we are hiring for a new Policy Director - job posting is here, please share far and wide!
open-new-york.breezy.hr/p/851ac1ee79...
open-new-york.breezy.hr/p/851ac1ee79...
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
Some exciting (& bittersweet) news: our Chief of Staff & Policy Director @andrewdfine.bsky.social will be leaving Open New York to join the Mamdani admin, where he will be a senior advisor to DM Bozorg overseeing housing policy 🧵
February 6, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Some exciting (& bittersweet) news: our Chief of Staff & Policy Director @andrewdfine.bsky.social will be leaving Open New York to join the Mamdani admin, where he will be a senior advisor to DM Bozorg overseeing housing policy 🧵
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
America: where the alignments of $100B transportation projects are chosen based on whether a chain store would have to be relocated.
February 5, 2026 at 6:37 PM
America: where the alignments of $100B transportation projects are chosen based on whether a chain store would have to be relocated.
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
dawg the pedophiles are unionizing
very weird “I am Spartacus” thing happening right now with the worst people on earth
February 5, 2026 at 2:25 PM
dawg the pedophiles are unionizing
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
This I think is a big part of the appeal of AI to the oligarchs. Not that it will replace labor or raise profits in general, but that it will specifically replace the labor whose autonomy impinges on them personally.
February 5, 2026 at 2:35 PM
This I think is a big part of the appeal of AI to the oligarchs. Not that it will replace labor or raise profits in general, but that it will specifically replace the labor whose autonomy impinges on them personally.
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
There's a weird amount of Newsom glazing that comes from people who are unfamiliar with California politics and I can assure you that a hypothetical President Newsom would be the American Keir Starmer
Gavin Newsom is enough of a charmless dolt without the righteous hatred in his heart that he doesn't have much hope of surviving a primary. He'll eat shit in a debate with some mealy-mouthed bullshit that misreads the public hatred of the right and that's how we get someone better.
February 4, 2026 at 3:56 PM
There's a weird amount of Newsom glazing that comes from people who are unfamiliar with California politics and I can assure you that a hypothetical President Newsom would be the American Keir Starmer
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
It's pretty simple, you can care about preserving free curbside parking or you can care about housing costs, homelessness and climate change.
"Local officials worry that building more apartments around transit centers could change the character of their communities with the potential for more traffic and less parking." 🙃 calmatters.org/politics/202...
A loophole in last year’s major housing law splits Democrats on local zoning
California Democrats are still divided over a controversial law the governor signed last year to build more housing near major transportation hubs.
calmatters.org
February 4, 2026 at 3:45 PM
It's pretty simple, you can care about preserving free curbside parking or you can care about housing costs, homelessness and climate change.
One day NYC will catch up to the urbanism of Missoula, MT
Last night, Missoula, Montana notched a HUGE zoning reform win. They achieved:
1️⃣ Shifted single-family only zones to 4 to 12 homes per lot (depending on zone)
2️⃣ Reduced minimum lot sizes
3️⃣Eliminated (❗) parking mandates citywide (‼️)
...And more!
1️⃣ Shifted single-family only zones to 4 to 12 homes per lot (depending on zone)
2️⃣ Reduced minimum lot sizes
3️⃣Eliminated (❗) parking mandates citywide (‼️)
...And more!
February 4, 2026 at 4:37 AM
One day NYC will catch up to the urbanism of Missoula, MT
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
"I know Kid Rock's real name" is an amazing negative flex, good job JD
February 3, 2026 at 6:18 PM
"I know Kid Rock's real name" is an amazing negative flex, good job JD
Every person running for local office should be asked, “Are you brave enough to undermine the sanctity of a parking space?”
Encourage folks to read the Jordan’s full thread for context.
Bike backlash is happening in cities throughout the country so a similar meeting could have happened nearly anywhere.
We need to elect more folks ready to lead on addressing climate and health, including when that impacts parking.
Bike backlash is happening in cities throughout the country so a similar meeting could have happened nearly anywhere.
We need to elect more folks ready to lead on addressing climate and health, including when that impacts parking.
February 3, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Every person running for local office should be asked, “Are you brave enough to undermine the sanctity of a parking space?”
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
That money could buy 200,000 e bikes
California has decided that if the U.S. government is going to slash electric-vehicle incentives, it will keep the momentum going with $200 million to promote cleaner cars.
insideevs.com/news/786197/...
insideevs.com/news/786197/...
California's New EV Rebate Is Only For First-Time Electric Car Buyers
California's $200 million EV incentive program will help fill the gap left by the federal EV tax credit's early expiration.
insideevs.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:41 PM
That money could buy 200,000 e bikes
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
Tragedy in Playa Del Rey, as a 7-months-pregnant mother was killed by a driver while biking with her family. The baby was delivered by C-section but died in the NICU. The crash took place on Pershing Ave., where safety measures were removed in 2017 after NIMBY backlash. Donate here:
Donate to Support for Matt and the Kids After Regan's Tragic Loss, organized by Carter Fondon
Regan Cole-Graham was tragically killed on January 31, 2026 whil… Carter Fondon needs your support for Support for Matt and the Kids After Regan's Tragic Loss
www.gofundme.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Tragedy in Playa Del Rey, as a 7-months-pregnant mother was killed by a driver while biking with her family. The baby was delivered by C-section but died in the NICU. The crash took place on Pershing Ave., where safety measures were removed in 2017 after NIMBY backlash. Donate here:
Reposted by Kirsten Bladh
The problem with Prop 13 vis-a-vis the state budget isn't just that it cratered property tax revenue, either. It's that a budget so heavily dependent on taxing income and financial asset wealth is inherently volatile. We have a system designed to make long term fiscal planning extremely difficult.
February 2, 2026 at 5:48 PM
The problem with Prop 13 vis-a-vis the state budget isn't just that it cratered property tax revenue, either. It's that a budget so heavily dependent on taxing income and financial asset wealth is inherently volatile. We have a system designed to make long term fiscal planning extremely difficult.