San Francisco sunsets look best from a BART car

Newest Substack covers what it took to pass SB 79, a bill to allow 5-7 story buildings within a half mile of major transit stations, out of California’s legislature Now just needs the Governor’s signature to become law! jeremyl.substack.com/p/the-ecstas...

Buildings a broad pro-housing movement requires finding supporters from all kinds of backgrounds So I wrote an article about unusual reasons to support urbanism: pro-natalism, feminism, anti-imperialism jeremyl.substack.com/p/finding-ur...

Last Monday, Governor Newsom made history with common sense reforms to CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act jeremyl.substack.com/p/the-future...

I never thought I’d hear people complain about “the sound of children playing,” but alas such comments are common in the Bay Area’s absurd permitting process for childcare jeremyl.substack.com/p/how-i-beca...

If you’re a Democrat who believes America should support immigrants and stop ICE raids, consider also believing Democratic cities and states should make housing easier to build so new residents can afford living there jeremyl.substack.com/p/do-democra...

The Democratic Party needs to realize that our values on LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access, refugees & most recently, support of undocumented communities, need to take into account accessibility to those rights, via affordability to protective communities. #YIMBY jeremyl.substack.com/p/do-democra...

Step away from the abstractions of The Discourse online and learn how abundance politics is actually remaking coalitions in the Democratic Party jeremyl.substack.com/p/the-democr...

I love Nextdoor! Only place I’ve ever been called a Nazi and a Communist in the same interaction open.substack.com/pub/jeremyl/...

California’s housing movement is at war with itself. I did a medium dive into why jeremyl.substack.com/p/the-bill-b...

@nimbypatrol.bsky.social @bestofnextdoor.bsky.social this one’s for you jeremyl.substack.com/p/nimbytales...

Did you know Prop 13 took multiple decades and more than a dozen failed attempts to pass? CA’s broken voter initiative process means special interest groups only need to succeed once to create near-immutable constitutional changes jeremyl.substack.com/p/direct-dem...

Sharing some of the hate mail I’ve received for supporting housing 😇 jeremyl.substack.com/p/nimbytales...

Amidst everything going on in the world, it’s still crazy to me how little we talk about how wrong Euclid v. Ambler. America might be a much more free, affordable place if it were decided differently jeremyl.substack.com/p/zoning-con...

Check out my favorite urbanist content from the last month, smuttier than ever open.substack.com/pub/jeremyl/...

In the Bay Area, ABAG hired a firm called Opticos Design to create a 181-page handbook that has become the baseline model everyone else iterates off of abag.ca.gov/sites/defaul...

San Mateo’s multi-family Objective Design Standards are 85 pages! Planning taken to a counterproductive extreme www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCent...

Really a terrible indictment of Karen Bass as a progressive that she saw Livable California’s single-family-only fundamentalists as a respected coalition

Menlo Park NIMBYs fighting housing in downtown parking lots quote Joni Mitchell to argue the city should keep paradise paved!

If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between YIMBY Action, YIMBY Law, California YIMBY, California Housing Defense Fund, or any of the other dozens of YIMBY orgs in CA, I’ve made a guide for you jeremyl.substack.com/p/guide-to-c...

HAA letter to Moraga, CA for tonight's Planning Commission meeting re proposed 49-unit, 100% affordable, housing development project for seniors on Park Street. @agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov @california-hcd.bsky.social drive.google.com/file/d/1OotP...

I have received some amazing hate mail jeremyl.substack.com/p/nimbytales...

YIMBYs have a lot less influence than we’d like based on how CA leaders responded to the LA fires. But we also have huge opportunities for the future! Read more at jeremyl.substack.com/p/what-las-f...

Proud to announce my Substack, Jeremy’s Quarterly, will be a family business! My brother Benji will be the editor. First post about Bay Area YIMBYism comes out tomorrow—subscribe now to support a new dynasty jeremyl.substack.com/p/introducin...

The start of a new media empire

Fruits of the California rain

Have we tried stopping Trump with endless public meetings where crotchety old people can give public comment about how they weren’t consulted and don’t approve ad nauseam? It works pretty well to prevent any change in blue cities

LA leaders doing everything in their power to embody the meme

This Tuesday, LA County Commission will vote on a clusterf*ck resolution to speed the rebuilding of firetraps -- while exempting "fire impacted communities" from virtually all state housing laws for the next 5 years. 1/5

Great event in Lafayette CA, with 23 people coming out on a Tuesday night to learn about the basics of housing policy! The housing movement growing in the suburbs 💪🏻

Pro-housing movement stronger than ever: Of 103 public comments about affordable homes on city-owned parking lots in downtown Menlo Park last night - 47 supportive - 5 neutral - 51 opposed Oppo spent $10k+, still barely outnumbered volunteer supporters 🌇 this is what power looks like

Proud to receive my first hate mail from a former California state senator, starting with the legendary line “Dear Schmucks”

The California housing element process led to more upzoning than cities have done in the last 50 years—but it’s almost exclusively along major corridors and stroads 😔

Mushroom madness from the last week! Seven different kinds of edibles + a nice haul of chanterelles

Amazing mushroom hunt today! AMA

Has anyone ever studied the relationship between public sector union employment share or compensation rates or job security (all interesting variables) and the use of consultants in local governments? Great thesis idea for some MA or PhD student if not!

CA Democrats on track to lose 4 house seats and electoral votes by 2030, and the only way out is by unleashing a massive boom of new housing in our cities Read on at www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...

Facing longterm electoral disaster, @GavinNewsom is preparing to sue the Trump administration. He can be the hero CA needs if he focuses just as much on major wholesale housing reform Ready my latest in the Chronicle: www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...

Ad by Menlo Park small business owners: “We Support Affordable Housing in Menlo Park,” just not anywhere nice especially if it’s near us or would help our own employees live here Tell your Menlo Park friends to sign this petition in support of the affordable homes actionnetwork.org/petitions/ye...

Menlo Park small businesses are organizing to kill affordable housing on city-owned parking lots downtown, a commitment in the city’s housing element Making very gross claims that housing will “sacrifice” the downtown and “destroy the village charm” (Menlo Park is the VC capital of the world)

Just imagine if local governments did things like this!

We have been working on a website for the guerilla bench project which is now presentable enough to share: bench.builders See where benches are, report problems, and suggest spots that could use a bench.

I feel a little burst of optimism about American democracy when new council members take their seat. I was proud to watch Nicole Fernandez and Danielle Cwirko-Godycki seated in San Mateo tonight, Jim Cervantes in Lafayette Any new local electeds the Bluesky people are excited for??

Interesting North-South Alameda County divide on Prop 5 (easier affordable housing bonds), which did well everywhere in Berkeley and Oakland—even the wealthy hill neighborhoods Whereas Prop 33 (no limits on local rent control) was narrowly supported in the flatlands

California has budgeted three million dollars for ebike subsidies after spending one billion, six hundred ninety million, one hundred fifty seven thousand, eight hundred and eighty four dollars on electric car subsidies.

The New York Times is giving a murder their “both-sides” treatment. What the hell is the matter with you?!? Someone kills a person with their car, and your reaction is to be like, “Some people think murder is bad, but others don’t like bike lanes, so 🤷‍♂️.”

Oyster mushroom jerky! California rain making great things possinle

Amazing city council minutes transcript: One of Lafayette’s biggest NIMBYs requests that the city declare itself a sanctuary city to protect illegal immigrants (good!), then in the next breath asks the council to investigate a “smear campaign” of a MAGA candidate for city council who lost (bad!)

When it rains it spores Found many oysters with my brother yesterday!