In NYC for the first time in three years, and honestly I forgot how much the subway mogs LA Metro (no offense to LA Metro, MTA did have like a 90(?) year head start)

Did you know: the proposed Dodger’s Stadium Gondola has a capacity that is larger than the Metro E Line standard capacity? I had assumed light rail would have a much higher capacity, but you would actually need either heavy rail or an automated system

At the same time, this vibe is totally true

Most people assume California is more regulated than Texas, but that’s not always the case. For example, Texas has far stricter SWPPP rules, and cities will shut down your construction site if they find an ounce of runoff during a random inspection

It also robs us of cool multifam architecture. This is in the rare corner of Midwood with multifam zoning, by the same architect (Teo Cambeiro) as the mansions. There should be room for Iraqi mere millionaires alongside Syrian centimillionares – Sephardim can still thrive without exclusionary zoning

I know this is an April Fools joke, but I’ve been thinking a lot recently about using roller coaster technology (and gravity) for transit

Why doesn’t anybody do brickwork like this any longer? It’s super cute, and I feel like it’d be fairly cheap to do with thin bricks

This project is a headscratcher because they designed it to the specs of the (never before used) Corridor Transition program but then applied under the TOIA program, which has stricter affordability requirements. 🤷

I’ve noticed a bunch of sidewalk repair and curb ramp work being done in LA really quickly this week… It turns out it’s all being built by the state, not the city 💀

A two year guarantee of housing for UC Berkeley students is HUGE. 25 years ago it was nearly impossible for my roommate and I as sophomores to find an apartment we could afford. My roommate had to finally beg a manager to get us an apartment. Secure housing will reduce homelessness and stress.

They say zig when others zag... Trammell Crow appears to be doubling down on development in Los Angeles, having broken ground on 631 units in the city so far this year

I know Twitter is evil and all that, but... They recently changed the algorithm so that Americans now see a bunch of auto-translated tweets from Japan, and it's created an incredibly fun cross-cultural moment

Remember this crazy project proposed in South LA that has a rooftop restaurant and is built like a high-rise despite being six stories? 2.5 years later, it got approved today. I still doubt it'll get built, though.

So the first five-over-one actually used Type III, not Type V... which means that five-over-one IS probably actually referring to the number of floors rather than the construction type. Turns out I've been incorrectly correcting people for years!

🚨OUR CAMPAIGN IS SURGING🚨 We are leading the Mayor's race at 32.5%, nearly double the incumbent, per LMU’s latest poll. Angelenos are ready for a city that actually works.

No one ever told me how cool the Pacific Design Center is

I’m an immigrant. This country and this city gave my family a future. It should do the same for everyone. We need City Hall to use all its powers to protect its citizens. We need to abolish ICE. No fear. No kings. Thank you @eastvalleyindivisibles.com!

Got the chance to stop by two early modernist apartment buildings: Neutra’s Jardinette Apartments from 1928 (almost done with a full renovation), and Schindler’s 1925 Breacher Apartments (previously thought to be demolished).

Something I've been thinking about

This pre-approved sixplex (fourplex + duplex) design for Kelowna, BC in Canada from SNDBOX architects would work great in LA. (except that we'd need to move fourplexes to residential inspections)

This project has finally pulled its building permit! It's been sitting as a hole in the ground since 2023

Do you think Newsom is actually going to put any teeth behind this, or is he just pandering to YIMBYs online?

American firefighters will go to the mat to oppose a four-story, eight-unit apartment building with one stair because the sprinklers could fail, and then tell you with a straight face that this is safer if that happens

The Costco apartment project in South LA pulled its building permit in February and has begun construction

Nithya's campaign has less than 1,000 followers on here. If you're not already, go follow @nithyaforthecity.bsky.social!

🚨🚨🚨Gov. Newsom threatens to withhold homeless funding from LA over SB 79 implementation: "I cannot in good conscience provide any additional resources…if you have cities like LA who are violating state law - SB 79. I mean, you don’t build, we’re not going to fund. Period."

I am very pleased to see CM Raman step up with a bold, substantive vision of how to end Los Angeles' housing crisis.

We’ll fix permitting, inspections, & DWP approvals:  - Up-front interdepartmental coordination - Single-inspector model to avoid conflicts - Citywide self-certification - Dedicated housing strikeforce in DWP

The LA region has the fewest homes per adult of anywhere in America.  When homes are scarce, rents rise. The result: LA is the most rent burdened big city in America.

Los Angeles’ housing crisis is self-inflicted.  For decades, city leaders have taken deliberate actions to limit new housing. Today, we announced our plan to fix this and triple housing production.

Woah, Newsom is threatening to withhold homelessness funding because of LA's SB 79 implementation x.com/EytanWallace...

What's nice about working for Nithya is that she's as big of a housing nerd as I am

Here’s what happened today with SB79 at LA City Council TLDR: The result was pretty bad, but it might be possible to make lemonade out of this.

The abstract idea of a bench?

While this (horrifying) example will probably be used as an argument against condo defect reform, it is notable that the current condo defect system didn’t adequately prevent the shoddy construction from happening

50 times as many NIMBYs have written letters to urge the council to adopt the worst SB 79 option than YIMBYs have written to support the good options. IF YOU LIVE IN LA... SPEND 2 MINUTES AND DO THIS RIGHT NOW

In reality, NV Energy has been planning to stop serving Lake Tahoe since 2009, and the increase in demand from data centers has nothing to do with it. But that wouldn't feed into AI hysteria, so it's conveniently being left out.

the top 3 polling candidates for LA mayor are: -Karen Bass: incompetent, deeply unpopular NIMBY -Spencer Pratt: washed up reality star reactionary NIMBY -Nithya Raman: progressive YIMBY who actually cares about making LA better it’s a no brainer. vote for Nithya

Quick notes: - Berkeley IGS is one of the best pollsters in California so when they speak I would listen - Bass, as an incumbent mayor, only at 25% is absolutely awful for her - Nithya, being top two already despite not having that much of a campaign yet, is good for her

In the discussion about LA’s SB 79 implementation, a major point is being overlooked: Choosing “Option 1” could mean a massive future upzoning of Low Resource areas

Thats my main messaging! Fix the problem, get the lawyers out of it. If your windows are leaking and litigation takes 3 years, you get enough to repair the windows but not enough for the mold that would definitely bake in over the years.

This is a INCREDIBLY pro-housing bill. Passing this would completely unlock the condo market, making homeownership affordable for hundreds of thousands - maybe millions - of California families who can’t afford to buy today. Best bill of the year by a mile.

I keep on thinking about this article and getting enraged. If a cop breaks the law, they should be fired. Point blank. This cop was awarded $5.7 million for “wrongful termination”/gender discrimination after drunk driving a cop car and having a relationship with a subordinate.

A great step! Condos are a tiny fraction of new developments in California, despite being very desirable, at least in part because we’ve passed laws that makes condos very legally risky for builders. This sort of reform would reduce the risk and hopefully stimulate more build-to-own development!

Metro sent me a statement after I published my story. I find it wild that we aren't hearing more board members talking about the outage and how it's impacting their constituents. THAT'S BECAUSE METRO'S BOARD MEMBERS DON'T RIDE TRANSIT SO THIS DOESN'T AFFECT THEM AT ALL

Defect Liability reform language: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTe...

I wonder if this is the tallest (post-WWII) building West of the Mississippi without parking?

Can someone quickly link me to the single-stair vs maximum 2 stair size comparison diagram?

Can we take a moment to recognize that just a few years ago there was a protracted legal battle over a *three-story* Target in Hollywood Now a 35-story tower has broken ground one block away and nobody even knew about it

WTF. The random 35-story ED-1 project in Hollywood, which at 1,441 du/acre and 31 FAR is going to be the densest building in LA history, apparently broke ground this morning??