Nick Sementelli
@nsementelli.bsky.social
National progressive political strategist by day, local safe streets and housing advocate by night. @ggwash board member.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
“A year after the $1.1 billion overhaul,” which added a new lane each direction, “the 405’s rush hour drive times were a minute slower than they were before the workers broke ground. Five years later, traffic was worse at all times of day.”
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
A Tunnel to Transform Los Angeles
The ambitious Sepulveda Transit Corridor project — an automated subway line underneath Bel Air — aims to do something rare in LA: Get people out of their cars.
www.bloomberg.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:07 PM
“A year after the $1.1 billion overhaul,” which added a new lane each direction, “the 405’s rush hour drive times were a minute slower than they were before the workers broke ground. Five years later, traffic was worse at all times of day.”
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
It's not a new observation at this point but that wild Noem/Lewandowski story in WSJ really brings home the extent to which all the Trump 2 cabinet-level goblins see their jobs as flying private, doing short-form video, and screaming at underlings. They all hate each other and none of them can read.
February 13, 2026 at 4:48 AM
It's not a new observation at this point but that wild Noem/Lewandowski story in WSJ really brings home the extent to which all the Trump 2 cabinet-level goblins see their jobs as flying private, doing short-form video, and screaming at underlings. They all hate each other and none of them can read.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
Anyone who had genuine concerns about youth gender medicine would staunchly and wholeheartedly support social transition. Let kids explore their identities to see what works for them!
The fact that this movement opposes even pronouns and haircuts shows that it's just bigotry all the way down.
The fact that this movement opposes even pronouns and haircuts shows that it's just bigotry all the way down.
This draft guidance reproduces Cass insisting that clinicians must be involved in decisions about *social transition* which actually should be none of their damn business
They take the line that this "non-directive" intervention should force things to be "keeping options open and flexible"...
They take the line that this "non-directive" intervention should force things to be "keeping options open and flexible"...
February 12, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Anyone who had genuine concerns about youth gender medicine would staunchly and wholeheartedly support social transition. Let kids explore their identities to see what works for them!
The fact that this movement opposes even pronouns and haircuts shows that it's just bigotry all the way down.
The fact that this movement opposes even pronouns and haircuts shows that it's just bigotry all the way down.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
“my ‘we’re not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil rights or due process’ shirt is raising a lot of questions that are answered by the shirt”
Homan: "ICE is a legitimate federal law enforcement agency. We're not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil rights or due process."
February 12, 2026 at 2:44 PM
“my ‘we’re not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil rights or due process’ shirt is raising a lot of questions that are answered by the shirt”
Gonna e-file my DC taxes in the Capital Rotunda for maximum effect.
NEWS: the DC Council has proclaimed that the “D.C. Income and Franchise Tax Conformity and Revision Temporary Amendment Act of 2025” is now officially law (L26-89), effective through Sept. 25, 2026! Regardless of how the Senate votes today, the 30-day review period ended Feb. 11!
February 12, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Gonna e-file my DC taxes in the Capital Rotunda for maximum effect.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
The number of people and organizations who read a 1.5% popular vote margin as a permanent realignment and acted on it as though it was permanent will never stop stunning me.
The political dynamics of 2025 were shaped by Democrats and Republicans over-reading Trump's victory in the same way. That turns out to be a problem for a LOT of rich and powerful people who made a very large bet on the theory that MAGA had won the culture war. www.offmessage.net/p/trump-has-...
Trump Has Lost The Culture
And his greediest collaborators are awakening to the fact that they made a terrible bet.
www.offmessage.net
February 10, 2026 at 8:33 PM
The number of people and organizations who read a 1.5% popular vote margin as a permanent realignment and acted on it as though it was permanent will never stop stunning me.
What he's really saying is it's a shame Scalia had to live the lie of judicial restraint because coming out as a main character in the fascist project is so much more enjoyable.
“He started so much, and it would have been good to have him around to see it to completion.”
Alito misses Scalia and wishes he were around so he could also enjoy the former Republican operatives in judicial robes methodically shredding our fundamental rights - and degrading our democracy.
Alito misses Scalia and wishes he were around so he could also enjoy the former Republican operatives in judicial robes methodically shredding our fundamental rights - and degrading our democracy.
Samuel Alito Opens Up About Antonin Scalia and the Path from Roe to Dobbs
In an exclusive interview, the Supreme Court justice remembers a friend and conservative icon’s legacy.
www.politico.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:46 PM
What he's really saying is it's a shame Scalia had to live the lie of judicial restraint because coming out as a main character in the fascist project is so much more enjoyable.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
the thing about traffic congestion is that it doesn’t cost money to solve it, but rather the opposite: solving it with congestion pricing *raises* money
that’s because a critical mass of car trips are very low value and it’s essentially a coordination problem to get them off the road at scale
that’s because a critical mass of car trips are very low value and it’s essentially a coordination problem to get them off the road at scale
This is still one of my favourite videos ever, perfectly explaining the staggering amount of public money that’s going into NOT solving traffic congestion.
“It means you spend a lot of money now for a very short-term benefit."
Jevon’s Paradox via Australia’s great show “Utopia.” Please share!
“It means you spend a lot of money now for a very short-term benefit."
Jevon’s Paradox via Australia’s great show “Utopia.” Please share!
How to Fix Traffic Congestion In Australia | Utopia
YouTube video by Working Dog Productions
youtube.com
February 10, 2026 at 3:55 AM
the thing about traffic congestion is that it doesn’t cost money to solve it, but rather the opposite: solving it with congestion pricing *raises* money
that’s because a critical mass of car trips are very low value and it’s essentially a coordination problem to get them off the road at scale
that’s because a critical mass of car trips are very low value and it’s essentially a coordination problem to get them off the road at scale
Truly a generational talent that Trump is able to simultaneously be a blank canvas for every voter to project their own flavor of idiosyncratic policy preferences on while not being dinged as a conviction-less empty suit.
"Trump voters urge him to tone down the rhetoric and focus more on domestic issues, especially clearer pathways to legal status for law-abiding immigrants", proving they unaccountably had no clue who they were voting for.
As Trump presidency enters second year, his voters share hopes – and concerns reut.rs/3Mc4h4H
February 9, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Truly a generational talent that Trump is able to simultaneously be a blank canvas for every voter to project their own flavor of idiosyncratic policy preferences on while not being dinged as a conviction-less empty suit.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
Active #TranspoBINGO memory match: the abandoned rail tunnel under NY Ave NE to Union Market. Imagine it as a gateway to a new New York Ave trail.
#bikedc @transpobingo.bsky.social
#bikedc @transpobingo.bsky.social
February 8, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Active #TranspoBINGO memory match: the abandoned rail tunnel under NY Ave NE to Union Market. Imagine it as a gateway to a new New York Ave trail.
#bikedc @transpobingo.bsky.social
#bikedc @transpobingo.bsky.social
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
The dull-minded fucks who are running things these days are not normal. They're not a majority. They're fucking weirdos & freaks, scared of their own shadows. Humans are creative, cooperative, & curious, they like novelty & diversity, they like movement & evolution & *life*. Fuck this death cult.
February 9, 2026 at 7:08 AM
The dull-minded fucks who are running things these days are not normal. They're not a majority. They're fucking weirdos & freaks, scared of their own shadows. Humans are creative, cooperative, & curious, they like novelty & diversity, they like movement & evolution & *life*. Fuck this death cult.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
person who is surprised to learn that place with very high housing prices has good qualities
February 7, 2026 at 7:10 PM
person who is surprised to learn that place with very high housing prices has good qualities
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
Enhanced Metro funding when
February 7, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Enhanced Metro funding when
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
Again, from HousingLink's monthly rent reports:
The median Minneapolis renter is saving $3,513.6 annually from what they would've paid if 2018 rents (the first year they published data I can find) had increased along with inflation. The median St. Paul renter is saving $1,520.04 annually.
The median Minneapolis renter is saving $3,513.6 annually from what they would've paid if 2018 rents (the first year they published data I can find) had increased along with inflation. The median St. Paul renter is saving $1,520.04 annually.
February 6, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Again, from HousingLink's monthly rent reports:
The median Minneapolis renter is saving $3,513.6 annually from what they would've paid if 2018 rents (the first year they published data I can find) had increased along with inflation. The median St. Paul renter is saving $1,520.04 annually.
The median Minneapolis renter is saving $3,513.6 annually from what they would've paid if 2018 rents (the first year they published data I can find) had increased along with inflation. The median St. Paul renter is saving $1,520.04 annually.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
the fact that early-stage automated vehicles that still occasionally require remote operation assistance are like several orders of magnitude safer than the average American driver should be the real wakeup call here, not the idea that these vehicles still sometimes need remote operation assistance
February 6, 2026 at 5:34 PM
the fact that early-stage automated vehicles that still occasionally require remote operation assistance are like several orders of magnitude safer than the average American driver should be the real wakeup call here, not the idea that these vehicles still sometimes need remote operation assistance
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
in the elite circles of the US, racism is treated less as a matter of social stratification with direct implications for political stakes and more as a matter of moral etiquette. it is even more notable, then, that this administration can't constrain themselves to the meager associated standards
POLITICO reporting that the White House has now claimed the ape video was an accident and removed it.
February 6, 2026 at 5:18 PM
in the elite circles of the US, racism is treated less as a matter of social stratification with direct implications for political stakes and more as a matter of moral etiquette. it is even more notable, then, that this administration can't constrain themselves to the meager associated standards
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
Every city that I know of that’s established an in-house team to deliver ‘missing middle’ small-capital projects has had huge success.
Our crew-built work is one big way that we’re delivering the Seattle Transportation Levy.
By using in-house construction crews, we complete improvements that you’ve requested with lower costs and faster timelines.
Here are 9 recently completed projects from our inspector’s camera roll:
By using in-house construction crews, we complete improvements that you’ve requested with lower costs and faster timelines.
Here are 9 recently completed projects from our inspector’s camera roll:
February 5, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Every city that I know of that’s established an in-house team to deliver ‘missing middle’ small-capital projects has had huge success.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
Here is a fun fact:
The development potential of the land occupied by the inner highway loop is worth nearly as much as all of downtown Dallas.
The development potential of the land occupied by the inner highway loop is worth nearly as much as all of downtown Dallas.
February 5, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Here is a fun fact:
The development potential of the land occupied by the inner highway loop is worth nearly as much as all of downtown Dallas.
The development potential of the land occupied by the inner highway loop is worth nearly as much as all of downtown Dallas.
👋
36% of DC households don't have a car—the highest rate of any major county outside NYC
Those car-free households are concentrated near metro stops, especially between Dupont, Foggy Bottom, & McPherson. Green line stops like Columbia Heights, Navy Yard, & Anacostia also stand out
Those car-free households are concentrated near metro stops, especially between Dupont, Foggy Bottom, & McPherson. Green line stops like Columbia Heights, Navy Yard, & Anacostia also stand out
February 5, 2026 at 3:05 AM
👋
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
I'm going to rip my hair out. For the millionth time: It doesn't matter where the taxes are collected, but where they come from, which is reallocated from existing local tax collections. Folks, we have to elect better people. This is either negligence or incompetence.
February 4, 2026 at 1:37 PM
I'm going to rip my hair out. For the millionth time: It doesn't matter where the taxes are collected, but where they come from, which is reallocated from existing local tax collections. Folks, we have to elect better people. This is either negligence or incompetence.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
Pretty wild to suggest we need visitor parking minimums to force developers to build those spots, at great expense, whatever the market says, to protect people who can’t be bothered to ask about it when buying an apartment
"I just can't imagine current requirements being adequate," says Cheng of visitor parking. She rejects the idea that the "market" should decide the amount of visitor parking in a new building, because people buying units just assume parking will be available and don't think about it before they buy.
February 4, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Pretty wild to suggest we need visitor parking minimums to force developers to build those spots, at great expense, whatever the market says, to protect people who can’t be bothered to ask about it when buying an apartment
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
"If study after study shows what actually ends homelessness, it's worth asking: whose interests are served by keeping that truth obscured?"
"By the end of the two-year period, 94% of participants reported they were housed."
A million pilot programs show the same thing: when people are given enough money to afford housing, homelessness ends.
Other supports matter, but housing comes first. Not policing. Not moralizing. Homes.
A million pilot programs show the same thing: when people are given enough money to afford housing, homelessness ends.
Other supports matter, but housing comes first. Not policing. Not moralizing. Homes.
Homeless Oregon youth got $1,000 a month for two years. Most found housing after • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon is the second of its kind in the nation to implement the direct cash transfer program after New York City.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:24 PM
"If study after study shows what actually ends homelessness, it's worth asking: whose interests are served by keeping that truth obscured?"
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
When we look back at this era, one of its defining characteristics will be the deliberate sabotage and destruction of once-valued institutions simply to satisfy the whims of a small group of self-absorbed, broken-brained billionaires.
February 4, 2026 at 2:16 PM
When we look back at this era, one of its defining characteristics will be the deliberate sabotage and destruction of once-valued institutions simply to satisfy the whims of a small group of self-absorbed, broken-brained billionaires.
Reposted by Nick Sementelli
1. Build huge subscriber base by telling them their $ supports democracy.
2. Don’t establish other revenue sources.
3. Rug-pull subscribers by pushing opinion side to the right.
4. Subscribers leave, revenue falls.
5. Enact crippling newsroom cuts.
2. Don’t establish other revenue sources.
3. Rug-pull subscribers by pushing opinion side to the right.
4. Subscribers leave, revenue falls.
5. Enact crippling newsroom cuts.
February 4, 2026 at 11:52 AM
1. Build huge subscriber base by telling them their $ supports democracy.
2. Don’t establish other revenue sources.
3. Rug-pull subscribers by pushing opinion side to the right.
4. Subscribers leave, revenue falls.
5. Enact crippling newsroom cuts.
2. Don’t establish other revenue sources.
3. Rug-pull subscribers by pushing opinion side to the right.
4. Subscribers leave, revenue falls.
5. Enact crippling newsroom cuts.