David Shere
@davidshere.net
Berkeley Yimby Jew Dad
Natural born hype man
On the Housing Advisory Commission trying to make more and better affordable housing.
Berkeley Civic Library: https://www.civic-library.com
Blog: https://davidshere.github.io
Natural born hype man
On the Housing Advisory Commission trying to make more and better affordable housing.
Berkeley Civic Library: https://www.civic-library.com
Blog: https://davidshere.github.io
Been in San Diego for a good few days now and if my Evelyn NormieDem-ass family is any indication the prospects for the e-bike revolution to wash over this town are depressingly slim.
September 19, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Been in San Diego for a good few days now and if my Evelyn NormieDem-ass family is any indication the prospects for the e-bike revolution to wash over this town are depressingly slim.
Amazing how much things have changed in just 10 years. Still a very long way to go...
www.berkeleyside.org/2016/04/06/b...
www.berkeleyside.org/2016/04/06/b...
Berkeley council votes to increase inclusionary housing
Despite an ambitious agenda, the Berkeley City Council managed Tuesday night to vote on just one policy shift related to affordable housing after attendees became outraged at proposed agenda changes p...
www.berkeleyside.org
September 19, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Amazing how much things have changed in just 10 years. Still a very long way to go...
www.berkeleyside.org/2016/04/06/b...
www.berkeleyside.org/2016/04/06/b...
I'm at this hospital in San Diego (everything is mostly fine) and every time a baby is born in the hospital they play a little nursery song over all the loudspeakers and every time I'm just 😍😍😍
September 18, 2026 at 10:38 PM
I'm at this hospital in San Diego (everything is mostly fine) and every time a baby is born in the hospital they play a little nursery song over all the loudspeakers and every time I'm just 😍😍😍
So if AC Transit had to get rid of at large seats to go fully district based because of California civil rights law, would that also apply to the Rent Stabilization Board?
Because if the Board moved from all at-large to all district based, that could have a big impact on how that agency operates.
Because if the Board moved from all at-large to all district based, that could have a big impact on how that agency operates.
September 18, 2026 at 1:19 AM
So if AC Transit had to get rid of at large seats to go fully district based because of California civil rights law, would that also apply to the Rent Stabilization Board?
Because if the Board moved from all at-large to all district based, that could have a big impact on how that agency operates.
Because if the Board moved from all at-large to all district based, that could have a big impact on how that agency operates.
Wha…what? What?
This is the second time in just a few months that something has come out of the AC Transit board that makes clear they *really* do not give a shit about the Brown Act, and my thing is, does it actually have teeth? Because most ppl who are subject to it bend over backwards to comply.
This is the second time in just a few months that something has come out of the AC Transit board that makes clear they *really* do not give a shit about the Brown Act, and my thing is, does it actually have teeth? Because most ppl who are subject to it bend over backwards to comply.
Here's the insane letter signed by a majority of the Board, in a clear contravention of the Brown Act, in an attempt to defend a serial assaulter and overall negative influence on the Board. Again, as to why, see the above thread...
bsky.app/profile/urbf...
bsky.app/profile/urbf...
The day after the below, some smaller but telling points about the official reaction to the coverup of this scandal finally collapsing.
Primarily: what the hell is the below letter?
www.actransit.org/press-releas...
Primarily: what the hell is the below letter?
www.actransit.org/press-releas...
September 17, 2026 at 11:43 PM
Wha…what? What?
This is the second time in just a few months that something has come out of the AC Transit board that makes clear they *really* do not give a shit about the Brown Act, and my thing is, does it actually have teeth? Because most ppl who are subject to it bend over backwards to comply.
This is the second time in just a few months that something has come out of the AC Transit board that makes clear they *really* do not give a shit about the Brown Act, and my thing is, does it actually have teeth? Because most ppl who are subject to it bend over backwards to comply.
Stares hungrily over at Imperial Beach, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Coronado and Lemon Grove
A minimum population size for local government in general would solve literally hundreds of problems. Lots of cities should be annexed or disincorporated.
the degree of both autonomy and corruption inside tiny police departments in the U.S. is ridiculous.
September 16, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Stares hungrily over at Imperial Beach, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Coronado and Lemon Grove
It’s like touching an evil orb together in a weird ceremony doesn’t even mean anything anymore.
Saudi Arabia Faces ‘Worst-Case Scenario’ After Being Rebuffed by Trump
The kingdom is in a state of strategic shock after coming under attack from an emboldened Iran and failing to win more U.S. military support, analysts say.
The kingdom is in a state of strategic shock after coming under attack from an emboldened Iran and failing to win more U.S. military support, analysts say.
Saudi Arabia Faces ‘Worst-Case Scenario’ After Iran’s Attacks and Trump’s Rebuffs
The kingdom is in a state of strategic shock after coming under attack from an emboldened Iran and failing to win more U.S. military support, analysts say.
www.nytimes.com
September 14, 2026 at 9:58 PM
It’s like touching an evil orb together in a weird ceremony doesn’t even mean anything anymore.
The right model here is a bring your own cloud thing where the vendor (forgive the jargon) owns the control plane and you own the data plane, so you don’t have to take anything on faith, you literally control and can accept or reject every request, because the data lives in your servers not theirs.
September 14, 2026 at 2:58 PM
The right model here is a bring your own cloud thing where the vendor (forgive the jargon) owns the control plane and you own the data plane, so you don’t have to take anything on faith, you literally control and can accept or reject every request, because the data lives in your servers not theirs.
Not sure if this directly impacts Berkeley - SF's tax was a bit more intense/insane than ours, but I suppose we'll see www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
S.F. landlords win battle over tax on empty apartments in wake of court ruling
A voter-approved ballot measure intended to tax owners of San Francisco apartments that have been vacant for six months violates property owners’ rights under California law, a state court ruled.
www.sfchronicle.com
September 13, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Not sure if this directly impacts Berkeley - SF's tax was a bit more intense/insane than ours, but I suppose we'll see www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
This is true, but we need to be really careful about how we talk about it.
What they hear is "these old ppl are just taking up space, they need to leave their houses so we can take them for ourselves."
But there are real reasons why seniors don't move, and unless we address them this won't change.
What they hear is "these old ppl are just taking up space, they need to leave their houses so we can take them for ourselves."
But there are real reasons why seniors don't move, and unless we address them this won't change.
California added 650,000 homes from 2019 to 2024, but average household size still shrank as seniors stayed in family-sized homes after their kids moved out.
More homes are now needed just to house the same number of people.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
More homes are now needed just to house the same number of people.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
September 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
This is true, but we need to be really careful about how we talk about it.
What they hear is "these old ppl are just taking up space, they need to leave their houses so we can take them for ourselves."
But there are real reasons why seniors don't move, and unless we address them this won't change.
What they hear is "these old ppl are just taking up space, they need to leave their houses so we can take them for ourselves."
But there are real reasons why seniors don't move, and unless we address them this won't change.
What's so galling is the hypocrisy. You're going to spend your career telling the world about the impacts of climate change and then when the next generation who heard you and believed you is out here trying to put it all into action you're kvetching about about parking and height limits? Come on...
September 7, 2026 at 4:35 PM
What's so galling is the hypocrisy. You're going to spend your career telling the world about the impacts of climate change and then when the next generation who heard you and believed you is out here trying to put it all into action you're kvetching about about parking and height limits? Come on...
i hate that this is true, but public agencies need to figure out how to integrate with and inform these tools, rather than just telling people naaot to use them.
www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/art...
www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/art...
Climbers rescued from Mount Shasta after relying on AI chatbot to plan trip
Hikers using AI chatbots to navigate Mount Shasta have gotten lost and confused. In one instance this week, a group of climbers relying on them to plan their trip had to be rescued.
www.sfchronicle.com
September 3, 2026 at 3:33 PM
i hate that this is true, but public agencies need to figure out how to integrate with and inform these tools, rather than just telling people naaot to use them.
www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/art...
www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/art...
“Flood gates” is very interesting language to describe a police which is necessary in the fight against climate change, which is already killing people and wrecking communities
WRT “flood gates” here’s one more reminder that personal car trips are the number one category of climate change-inducing GHG emissions in the Bay Area, by a significant margin.
bsky.app/profile/prin...
bsky.app/profile/prin...
I get that rebalancing street design away from car dominance is inconvenient to those whose lifestyle is fully oriented around driving. But personal passenger vehicles are the No 1 source of GHG emissions in CA. Taking action to address this isn't "environmentalism gone awry", it's a core component.
September 3, 2026 at 3:25 PM
“Flood gates” is very interesting language to describe a police which is necessary in the fight against climate change, which is already killing people and wrecking communities
Fuuuuuuck CVS pharmacy that does not let you call and talk to a human, only a completely worthless robot.
August 30, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Fuuuuuuck CVS pharmacy that does not let you call and talk to a human, only a completely worthless robot.
I feel like there’s a Purim joke in here somewhere not I can’t find it
The agentic vizier software I bought to automate my whispers to the sultan has developed its own agenda and long story short I'm getting beheaded at dawn
August 20, 2026 at 2:21 PM
I feel like there’s a Purim joke in here somewhere not I can’t find it
Traffic violence is common enough that it shows up in major public health indicators as a leading cause of death, but not so common that anyone thinks it will happen to them or their loved ones personally. Which is a really shitty place to be from an advocacy standpoint!
Two more kids killed by reckless driving and street racing in SoCal. The technology to stop street racing and excessive speeding exists but people’s lives aren’t important enough to our leadership to use it. www.latimes.com/california/s...
Family outraged after two speeding muscle cars kill teen girls on SoCal street
Two teenagers were killed when a pair of speeding vehicles cleaved their car in half at a Victorville intersection, authorities said. The California Highway Patrol is investigating whether the drivers...
www.latimes.com
August 20, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Traffic violence is common enough that it shows up in major public health indicators as a leading cause of death, but not so common that anyone thinks it will happen to them or their loved ones personally. Which is a really shitty place to be from an advocacy standpoint!
Ok I think the only thing with nickelback was the lead singers hair and facial hair, like if he was just a cueball I feel like it wouldn’t have been the way it was
"for handing you a heart worth breakin'" by nickelback (2001)
August 17, 2026 at 4:16 AM
Ok I think the only thing with nickelback was the lead singers hair and facial hair, like if he was just a cueball I feel like it wouldn’t have been the way it was
This can’t work in Berkeley because San Francisco is notoriously flat with no hills at all, and also we are very special and have nothing to learn from our less special neighbors.
The e-bike is quietly reshaping life in San Francisco www.sfgate.com/local/articl...
The e-bike is quietly reshaping life in SF
On an e-bike, almost every destination in SF is less than 20 minutes away.
www.sfgate.com
August 11, 2026 at 2:53 PM
This can’t work in Berkeley because San Francisco is notoriously flat with no hills at all, and also we are very special and have nothing to learn from our less special neighbors.
It’s actually not hard to do this at all as a matter of “what to do and how to do it.”
The future is there for the taking if the past would kindly remove its boot from our necks.
The future is there for the taking if the past would kindly remove its boot from our necks.
The data show that Somerville and Cambridge increased bike ridership while reducing crashes involving bikes. Boston reversed it's progress on this front in 2025.
Safer Streets Now: How Brookline Can Learn from its Neighbors to Achieve Vision Zero — Brookline Insights
Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston offer insights as Brookline strives to eliminate crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries.
www.brooklineinsights.com
August 11, 2026 at 1:52 PM
It’s actually not hard to do this at all as a matter of “what to do and how to do it.”
The future is there for the taking if the past would kindly remove its boot from our necks.
The future is there for the taking if the past would kindly remove its boot from our necks.
I haven’t paid any attention to this specifically but it is true that arguments over the DNC are almost always over how the money is distributed - which factional consultants get paired and laid and which do not - and absolutely never about policy or even really electoral politics.
BECAUSE THIS MUST BE SAID
The Democratic Party is not broke. Ken Martin has been a gangbusters fundraiser. The money has been invested in state parties to allow them to build permanent infrastructure. You've been told lies by DC consultants who wish they were getting that money instead.
The Democratic Party is not broke. Ken Martin has been a gangbusters fundraiser. The money has been invested in state parties to allow them to build permanent infrastructure. You've been told lies by DC consultants who wish they were getting that money instead.
August 7, 2026 at 1:52 PM
I haven’t paid any attention to this specifically but it is true that arguments over the DNC are almost always over how the money is distributed - which factional consultants get paired and laid and which do not - and absolutely never about policy or even really electoral politics.
Reposted by David Shere
CA YIMBY's Eduardo Mendoza argues ugly buildings turn housing-neutral voters into opponents, and the fix isn't more design review.
Objective standards targeting coherent style, real materials, and street trees can make beautiful housing the by-right default.
cayimby.org/blog/buildin...
Objective standards targeting coherent style, real materials, and street trees can make beautiful housing the by-right default.
cayimby.org/blog/buildin...
Building Beautiful Homes - California YIMBY
The Next Phase of California’s Pro-Housing Reforms By Eduardo Mendoza California is finally making it easier to build more housing – but the next fight is whether people like what gets built. Ugly…
cayimby.org
June 25, 2026 at 2:20 PM
CA YIMBY's Eduardo Mendoza argues ugly buildings turn housing-neutral voters into opponents, and the fix isn't more design review.
Objective standards targeting coherent style, real materials, and street trees can make beautiful housing the by-right default.
cayimby.org/blog/buildin...
Objective standards targeting coherent style, real materials, and street trees can make beautiful housing the by-right default.
cayimby.org/blog/buildin...
Got a project in here that comes in at 49,970 square feet.
Need to read closer but it sounds very specifically designed to avoid HARD HATS.
Need to read closer but it sounds very specifically designed to avoid HARD HATS.
New meeting document available:
Body: Zoning Adjustments Board
Date: Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Document: Agenda
Body: Zoning Adjustments Board
Date: Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Document: Agenda
August 7, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Got a project in here that comes in at 49,970 square feet.
Need to read closer but it sounds very specifically designed to avoid HARD HATS.
Need to read closer but it sounds very specifically designed to avoid HARD HATS.
A decent middle ground I think - not that cop watch folks would object any less - is ALPRs without the x-jurisdiction lookups.
BPD’s data can’t query or get queried but everyone can still pick up the phone.
Q is if we’re going to make BPD’s jobs harder, what else will we do to make it easier?
BPD’s data can’t query or get queried but everyone can still pick up the phone.
Q is if we’re going to make BPD’s jobs harder, what else will we do to make it easier?
Yeah there's two types of failures here, one is "our police department cooperated with ICE, running queries for them" which is a failure mode not unique to Flock. And then "we set Flock to 'local police only' and then Flock changed it unilaterally and ICE used it" which is a Flock specific problem.
August 6, 2026 at 2:25 PM
A decent middle ground I think - not that cop watch folks would object any less - is ALPRs without the x-jurisdiction lookups.
BPD’s data can’t query or get queried but everyone can still pick up the phone.
Q is if we’re going to make BPD’s jobs harder, what else will we do to make it easier?
BPD’s data can’t query or get queried but everyone can still pick up the phone.
Q is if we’re going to make BPD’s jobs harder, what else will we do to make it easier?
Have you ever considered that climate change will force massive disruption in our lifestyles but I don’t expect that to impact me and so asking me to change anything in any way to prevent that it is basically what Stalin did?
A reminder:
🚗: I hope I find parking.
🚴🏽♂️: I hope I don’t die.
Our priorities are not the same.
🚗: I hope I find parking.
🚴🏽♂️: I hope I don’t die.
Our priorities are not the same.
August 6, 2026 at 1:38 AM
Have you ever considered that climate change will force massive disruption in our lifestyles but I don’t expect that to impact me and so asking me to change anything in any way to prevent that it is basically what Stalin did?