Californians: the state's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) website is now available for filing requests for data brokers to delete their info on you. Takes just a few minutes! privacy.ca.gov/drop/

During Fiona Hill's testimony to Congress on Oct 14, 2019, she described how Trump and Putin discussed exchanging Ukraine for Venezuela. The quid pro quo was if Trump refuses to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion, Putin would not help Venezuela (a Russian ally) resist a US takeover.

That’s it, I’m moving to San Diego!

The Nor Cal Carpenters Union turned out in force for the entitlement hearing. And the partner GC that is building the project is one of the Bay Area's Top 25 GCs, according to the Biz Journal (all of the Bay Area Top 25 by 2024 revenue were Carpenters Union signatories, as a matter of fact)

USPS quietly changed its postmark rules — mail is no longer dated when you drop it off. The “official” date is when it hits automated sorting — sometimes days later Which could have major implications for mail in voting — it’s a clever way to disenfranchise voters that’s going largely overlooked

just as @muhammadspeaks.bsky.social is now being called "the condo guy," I aspire to one day be known as "the depreciation guy"

parking is a nuisance use because it inherently attracts car traffic, which everyone hates

here's plan of 3-bedroom unit daylight on 3 sides. 1,240 s.f. w/ 150 sf loggia (likely higher, these are normally counted at 50%) also note in a pinch, the living room (wohnen) could become a 4th bedroom by adding walls and door intersecting at floating column and that plumbing wall is 👀

California's construction defect liability system was supposed to protect consumers. But a new report suggests it has become a barrier, preventing middle-income families from buying condos and townhomes in California’s expensive cities:

This week UCLA Housing Voice is joined by @muhammadspeaks.bsky.social to talk about construction defect liability, a consumer protection law that can create big barriers to condo development, taking one of the most affordable ownership options off the market. www.lewis.ucla.edu/2025/12/17/1...

Another banger from this podcast series. Really cool that @muhammadspeaks.bsky.social is becoming The Condo Guy™️.

Social media isn’t treated like the public health crisis it is. 1 - 7 hours a day disappear for most people, even before accounting for the damage to attention, memory, and mental health. In the 90s, we panicked over a single cigarette costing two minutes of life. Social media is costing us years.

Condos are an affordable homeownership option, but they're rarely built in CA. A major reason is the construction defect liability, which creates excessive legal threats disincentivizing construction. @muhammadspeaks.bsky.social from @cayimby.bsky.social explains www.lewis.ucla.edu/2025/12/17/1...

Portland has kept homeownership attainable for middle-class families by broadly legalizing townhomes on single family lots. While California has made progress on this with SB 684 and 1123, more work remains to be done.

Consultants contracted by Minnesota found that an eight-story single-stair building with 6,000 sq. ft. per floor (building 4) has dramatically lower fire risk than a same-height code-compliant two-stair building with a larger floor plate (building 1) www.dli.mn.gov/sites/defaul...

East Bay for Everyone, as co-host with Livable Communities Initiative, is proud to announce the winners of the National Single Stair Design Competition: www.singlestair.com

I am so excited for these two papers to be published next year. Titles TBD. 1. How Home Deposit Reform Could Revive California’s Homeownership Market 2. Solving the Financing Failures Behind the Middle Housing Shortage

Jumped on KCRW (NPR-affiliate) with Frances Anderton to dig into the collapse of the American condominium market. It’s worth a listen. www.kcrw.com/shows/kcrw-r...

We could also just adopt European / actual global standards if the institutions refuse to reform for the greater good.

Something I really like about urbanist bluesky is that it feels like 2016 era housing twitter before it got blown up into a national issue and all the cranks and grifters followed. Probably not good for influence but much more informative discourse.

Accessory Commercial Units!

Finally!

SoCal: we are having a victory party THIS THURSDAY in Los Angeles. Come through! cayimby.org/2025-la-vict...

Happy Thanksgiving [the original abundance holiday]! This year, we are thankful for Los Angeles's original, full-fat version of ED1, which enabled the development of 11418 Missouri Ave, a 44-unit, 100% affordable project developed with zero public money - no LIHTC, no subsidy. 1/4

Good news: New data suggest that Portland's inclusionary zoning program is finally working as intended, after being fully funded in 2024 www.sightline.org/2025/11/25/p...

Berkeley's ordinance is up December 2nd!

Courtesy of the Casita Coalition: AB 1033 (ADUs for sale) implementation tracker! Implemented: San Jose, San Francisco, West Hollywood, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Stockton, and Martinez. In progress: Sebastopol, Berkeley, and Los Angeles. Interested: 3 cities (I won't disclose)

the two magic words to make any millennial's day:

New HCD update on SB 1123. In a letter addressed to LA, there has been clarifications on minimum densities, building in single family zones, if ADUs count for minimum density (no), and local flexibility for governments to allow SB 1123 on SB 9 lot splits. drive.google.com/file/d/1AUaM...

New home deposits could move the homeownership market in California more than construction defect reform. Learn more here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

guilty 😝 here's the zoom registration link: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Why am I waiting for a bus to go between terminals at LAX? Bus comes every 10 minutes too. Even Sacramento international got a train between terminals.

Learn about new home deposits (condo deposits) on Monday: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

“By cutting aid for permanent housing by 2/3 next year, the plan risks a sudden end of support… beginning as soon as January. All are disabled — a condition of the aid — and many are 50 or older. The document does not explain how they would find housing.”

We need to restructure conferences. We have many bright minds in a single place and information is shared in a non-optimal format. After-conference happy hours aren’t the best to network or close deals, so there is a ton of follow up emails/meetings. This is unsustainable and a solvable issue.

I wish I had the time to write up a post on real reforms to Construction Defect Liability. My old paper is outdated and the states that have adopted the changes don't really solve the core issues.

One way to reduce condo defect liability: stop forcing architects to design buildings that leak. HCD’s “objective design standards” guide *encourages* making building envelopes more complex, heightening leak and therefore defect lawsuit risk cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/Ap...

Every single corner and every place two different materials meet is another potential leak

Zohran Mamdani won the election and Dick Cheney died today. What an awesome day to be a Muslim

California’s Prop 13 was meant to help homeowners. It's the opposite. New research supported by the Progress & Poverty Institute’s Progress of Ideas grant program shows that Prop 13 has deepened inequality and made housing less affordable across Los Angeles County.

#Berkeley Middle Housing upzoning takes effect on Nov. 1, 2025, allowing 8 homes on a typical lot in most of the previously low-density zones in the city, and more if state Accessory Dwelling Unit and Affordable Housing Density Bonus laws are used. Here's a look at some possibilities! 1/

Great @cayimby.bsky.social panel on condo regulation reform and unlocking multifamily starter homes

I just got my hands on a memo I wrote in 2018 for my old boss, back before I found my way into housing policy. #2, #3, #6, and #7 have since been passed because of @cayimby.bsky.social's fantastic team! 😊 Some points didn’t age as gracefully. It was a different time, we were all still learning.

This bill I wrote is now law.

[VICTORY ALERT] Governor Newsom has signed SB 79, which will make it legal to build multi-family housing near high quality transit! Our statement: cayimby.org/news-events/...

SB79 (California) just signed into law

SB 79 and the rest of @cayimby.bsky.social’s bills have been signed by @governor.ca.gov today :)))

it's so crazy that the 1986 tax law that created the Low Income Housing Tax Credit also eliminated accelerated depreciation on rental housing and the results were predictably terrible taxfoundation.org/blog/1986-ta...

California’s registered car count, 36 million, outnumbers the population of every other state.