@dereksagehorn.bsky.social
Interested in figuring out how to build better housing, transit and cities. Construction lawyer for CAHSR; advocate for East Bay for Everyone. Oakland.
Reposted
The infrastructure funding webinar is back! Mark your calendars for January 6th (no, not that one).
Investments in public transit have failed to provide the right incentives for infrastructure projects to get completed in an affordable and timely manner.
Join this webinar to learn how reforms to the shape, type, and speed of investment can transform project delivery and service outcomes.
Join this webinar to learn how reforms to the shape, type, and speed of investment can transform project delivery and service outcomes.
Full Steam Ahead: Funding Transformational Transit
Transit and passenger rail investment in the United States struggles for adequate investment. Despite some improvements in top line figures for transit and passenger rail, federal and state transporta...
actionnetwork.org
November 26, 2025 at 7:42 PM
The infrastructure funding webinar is back! Mark your calendars for January 6th (no, not that one).
Reposted
Reminder: CBIA isnt just uninterested, it is active enemy to infill housing construction
I can only surmise that CBIA prefers the status quo where only 3% of for-sale housing in California is designed as multi-family, which is more likely to be in urban or 1/2nd ring suburban locations, and 90% is detached homes on the metropolitan periphery or new exurbs.
November 26, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Reminder: CBIA isnt just uninterested, it is active enemy to infill housing construction
Untrue statements from the CBIA president regarding the 2024 failed effort to reform condo defect law in California.
www.sacbee.com/opinion/arti...
www.sacbee.com/opinion/arti...
November 26, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Untrue statements from the CBIA president regarding the 2024 failed effort to reform condo defect law in California.
www.sacbee.com/opinion/arti...
www.sacbee.com/opinion/arti...
Reposted
Investments in public transit have failed to provide the right incentives for infrastructure projects to get completed in an affordable and timely manner.
Join this webinar to learn how reforms to the shape, type, and speed of investment can transform project delivery and service outcomes.
Join this webinar to learn how reforms to the shape, type, and speed of investment can transform project delivery and service outcomes.
Full Steam Ahead: Funding Transformational Transit
Transit and passenger rail investment in the United States struggles for adequate investment. Despite some improvements in top line figures for transit and passenger rail, federal and state transporta...
actionnetwork.org
November 25, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Investments in public transit have failed to provide the right incentives for infrastructure projects to get completed in an affordable and timely manner.
Join this webinar to learn how reforms to the shape, type, and speed of investment can transform project delivery and service outcomes.
Join this webinar to learn how reforms to the shape, type, and speed of investment can transform project delivery and service outcomes.
Reposted
During the 27th St project development period Steve Bloom was killed by a driver, while biking at Broadway & 27th St. More recently this month, a senior cyclist biking with their groceries was also hit and injured by a driver at the same location. Delays = more risk.
oaklandside.org/2024/08/01/o...
oaklandside.org/2024/08/01/o...
November 25, 2025 at 6:41 PM
During the 27th St project development period Steve Bloom was killed by a driver, while biking at Broadway & 27th St. More recently this month, a senior cyclist biking with their groceries was also hit and injured by a driver at the same location. Delays = more risk.
oaklandside.org/2024/08/01/o...
oaklandside.org/2024/08/01/o...
Oakland, unlike peer cities in the region, does not appear to have a written procurement conflict of interest policy. That makes it much harder for the City Admin and City Attorney to police influence peddling and corruption for public works when firms inappropriately lobby staff and Councilmembers.
November 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Oakland, unlike peer cities in the region, does not appear to have a written procurement conflict of interest policy. That makes it much harder for the City Admin and City Attorney to police influence peddling and corruption for public works when firms inappropriately lobby staff and Councilmembers.
Emerging trend on Oakland NextDoor of drivers posting handheld video filmed while driving past the upgraded, delineated bike lane on 55th Avenue next to Mills Northeastern, complaining that they can’t use the bike lane to overtake congestion any longer and then getting flamed in the comments.
November 25, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Emerging trend on Oakland NextDoor of drivers posting handheld video filmed while driving past the upgraded, delineated bike lane on 55th Avenue next to Mills Northeastern, complaining that they can’t use the bike lane to overtake congestion any longer and then getting flamed in the comments.
December 10 at 6pm @eastbayforeveryone.bsky.social will be showing off single stair design competition entrants from the Bay Area along with HAC in Downtown Oakland.
actionnetwork.org/events/12102...
actionnetwork.org/events/12102...
HAC in the Town – Join Us for a HAC Happy Hour in Oakland!
The Housing Action Coalition is heading to the East Bay, and we’re bringing the celebration with us.
Come hang out with the HAC team and other housing friends on Tuesday, December 10 at the iconic D...
actionnetwork.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:35 AM
December 10 at 6pm @eastbayforeveryone.bsky.social will be showing off single stair design competition entrants from the Bay Area along with HAC in Downtown Oakland.
actionnetwork.org/events/12102...
actionnetwork.org/events/12102...
Reposted
That spur has stored maintenance of way vehicles since the 90's. It could also be used to turn back trains at MacArthur. I always imagined it was the missing 4th track into the Broadway tunnel, but recently found out that the third track is not original and added in the 80's.
November 25, 2025 at 1:00 AM
That spur has stored maintenance of way vehicles since the 90's. It could also be used to turn back trains at MacArthur. I always imagined it was the missing 4th track into the Broadway tunnel, but recently found out that the third track is not original and added in the 80's.
November 25, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Reposted
another evergreen
November 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
another evergreen
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What organization will make this road map for Capitol Corridor, ACE, Gold Runner (formerly San Joaquins), and Caltrain?
Metrolinx publishing a meaningfully specific set of goals and the infrastructure work required to achieve it for GO Expansion? Am I dreaming?
November 23, 2025 at 11:28 PM
What organization will make this road map for Capitol Corridor, ACE, Gold Runner (formerly San Joaquins), and Caltrain?
@mayorofoakland.bsky.social my son would like to interview you for his class
November 22, 2025 at 11:28 PM
@mayorofoakland.bsky.social my son would like to interview you for his class
Reposted
There's a broadly assumed trope that large projects make trade offs between being fast, cheap or high quality.
But I increasingly think that it's the opposite. Agencies that do things faster, also tend to get cheaper projects that are even better quality!
But I increasingly think that it's the opposite. Agencies that do things faster, also tend to get cheaper projects that are even better quality!
On the flip side, you can save significant money by reducing durations through shortening construction phasing.
November 22, 2025 at 4:21 PM
There's a broadly assumed trope that large projects make trade offs between being fast, cheap or high quality.
But I increasingly think that it's the opposite. Agencies that do things faster, also tend to get cheaper projects that are even better quality!
But I increasingly think that it's the opposite. Agencies that do things faster, also tend to get cheaper projects that are even better quality!
Reading California’s Urban Strategy for California from Spring 1978 (Jerry Brown 1.0 administration).
Struck by this section on transportation funding:
h/t @cafedujord.bsky.social
Struck by this section on transportation funding:
h/t @cafedujord.bsky.social
November 22, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reading California’s Urban Strategy for California from Spring 1978 (Jerry Brown 1.0 administration).
Struck by this section on transportation funding:
h/t @cafedujord.bsky.social
Struck by this section on transportation funding:
h/t @cafedujord.bsky.social
November 22, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I really enjoyed this conversation especially on the work of Edith Elmer Woods.
Woods is an under-indexed, bridge figure in early 20th C housing reform from minimums work of Veiller to public housing work of Bauer Wurster.
Woods is an under-indexed, bridge figure in early 20th C housing reform from minimums work of Veiller to public housing work of Bauer Wurster.
Really enjoyed this conversation. We trace how 19th century tenement laws laid the groundwork for today's housing crisis.
Hopefully it offers some historical perspective on the work of building code reformers like @stephenjacobsmith.com + @holz-bau.bsky.social.
www.lewis.ucla.edu/2025/11/19/1...
Hopefully it offers some historical perspective on the work of building code reformers like @stephenjacobsmith.com + @holz-bau.bsky.social.
www.lewis.ucla.edu/2025/11/19/1...
Episode 102: Minimum Standards vs. Affordability with Benjamin Schneider (Incentives Series pt. 5)
We’ve been grappling with trade-offs between stricter building codes and declining affordability for over 100 years. Benjamin Schneider helps us trace the history.
www.lewis.ucla.edu
November 21, 2025 at 8:41 PM
I really enjoyed this conversation especially on the work of Edith Elmer Woods.
Woods is an under-indexed, bridge figure in early 20th C housing reform from minimums work of Veiller to public housing work of Bauer Wurster.
Woods is an under-indexed, bridge figure in early 20th C housing reform from minimums work of Veiller to public housing work of Bauer Wurster.
Reposted
It's interesting to dig around the organization of the Central Marin Fire Department (serving Larkspur and Corte Madera). They've got four fire stations serving a population of just 13,000 over around 6 sq. mi. www.centralmarinfire.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:50 PM
It's interesting to dig around the organization of the Central Marin Fire Department (serving Larkspur and Corte Madera). They've got four fire stations serving a population of just 13,000 over around 6 sq. mi. www.centralmarinfire.org
Corte Madera, Marin adopted fire protection impact fees via urgency ordinance ahead of new housing applications. Ordinance includes fee reductions for affordable homes.
The mayor expressed concerns re waiving impact fees for 100% affordable homes “housing we don’t necessarily want to encourage.”
The mayor expressed concerns re waiving impact fees for 100% affordable homes “housing we don’t necessarily want to encourage.”
November 21, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Corte Madera, Marin adopted fire protection impact fees via urgency ordinance ahead of new housing applications. Ordinance includes fee reductions for affordable homes.
The mayor expressed concerns re waiving impact fees for 100% affordable homes “housing we don’t necessarily want to encourage.”
The mayor expressed concerns re waiving impact fees for 100% affordable homes “housing we don’t necessarily want to encourage.”
Reposted
Transit Signal Priority is an umbrella term for multiple strategies that reduce delays for transit vehicles at signalized intersections, potentially down to zero.
Here, I'm comparing the trade-offs between a "French-style" and an "in-phase" TSP strategy, more common in North America.
Here, I'm comparing the trade-offs between a "French-style" and an "in-phase" TSP strategy, more common in North America.
November 20, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Transit Signal Priority is an umbrella term for multiple strategies that reduce delays for transit vehicles at signalized intersections, potentially down to zero.
Here, I'm comparing the trade-offs between a "French-style" and an "in-phase" TSP strategy, more common in North America.
Here, I'm comparing the trade-offs between a "French-style" and an "in-phase" TSP strategy, more common in North America.
“The new timetable assumes each bus will spend nearly 45% of its runtime idling at BART (or about 6.2 hours of a 14 hour shift).
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the timetable is being designed around the limitations of the aging [BEB] capacity.”
www.seamlessbayarea.org/blog/2025/11...
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the timetable is being designed around the limitations of the aging [BEB] capacity.”
www.seamlessbayarea.org/blog/2025/11...
November 20, 2025 at 4:44 AM
“The new timetable assumes each bus will spend nearly 45% of its runtime idling at BART (or about 6.2 hours of a 14 hour shift).
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the timetable is being designed around the limitations of the aging [BEB] capacity.”
www.seamlessbayarea.org/blog/2025/11...
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the timetable is being designed around the limitations of the aging [BEB] capacity.”
www.seamlessbayarea.org/blog/2025/11...
Reposted
"over the past century most of the vacant property in the city has been developed, the budget says"
November 20, 2025 at 4:33 AM
"over the past century most of the vacant property in the city has been developed, the budget says"
SPUR's 2021 paper "More for Less" on transit cost reform is really good.
It's too bad there hasn't been much movement to institutionalize business cases (aka cost/benefit analyses) through the project development phase and with late funding commitment since then.
www.spur.org/sites/defaul...
It's too bad there hasn't been much movement to institutionalize business cases (aka cost/benefit analyses) through the project development phase and with late funding commitment since then.
www.spur.org/sites/defaul...
November 20, 2025 at 1:04 AM
SPUR's 2021 paper "More for Less" on transit cost reform is really good.
It's too bad there hasn't been much movement to institutionalize business cases (aka cost/benefit analyses) through the project development phase and with late funding commitment since then.
www.spur.org/sites/defaul...
It's too bad there hasn't been much movement to institutionalize business cases (aka cost/benefit analyses) through the project development phase and with late funding commitment since then.
www.spur.org/sites/defaul...
Reposted
PUCs can and should take action on this.
"The speed of utility relocation is entirely subject to the utility owner's control."
cdn.sjjpa.com/wp-content/u...
cdn.sjjpa.com/wp-content/u...
November 19, 2025 at 2:51 AM
PUCs can and should take action on this.