Patrick Band
@pband.bsky.social
Transportation planner, trail runner, climber of mountains, urban gardener, CA history nerd, & lover of maps.
Reposted by Patrick Band
Happy 72nd Birthday to Ruby Bridges, who at the age of 6 desegregated the New Orleans public schools.
She’s younger than 30 senators and our last two presidents—and only 7 years older than Barack Obama.
The past isn’t past.
She’s younger than 30 senators and our last two presidents—and only 7 years older than Barack Obama.
The past isn’t past.
September 8, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Happy 72nd Birthday to Ruby Bridges, who at the age of 6 desegregated the New Orleans public schools.
She’s younger than 30 senators and our last two presidents—and only 7 years older than Barack Obama.
The past isn’t past.
She’s younger than 30 senators and our last two presidents—and only 7 years older than Barack Obama.
The past isn’t past.
Reposted by Patrick Band
Happy Transit Month to all who celebrate! Lots of events, as well as a contest to see who rides transit the most this month! 🚌🚃🚈🚎🛳️🚆🚋
It's almost September, which means Transit Month is about to start in California! Lots of events coming up to learn about transit, organize to make it better, and have fun! www.ca.transitmonth.org/bay-area
Bay Area — California Transit Month
www.ca.transitmonth.org
September 1, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Happy Transit Month to all who celebrate! Lots of events, as well as a contest to see who rides transit the most this month! 🚌🚃🚈🚎🛳️🚆🚋
Reposted by Patrick Band
I've been talking a lot about the disastrous recent loss of American institutional capacity regarding climate science. But today, I'd like to announce something we've been working on, quietly, in the meantime to offer a lifeline to some of those affected. [Thread]
August 13, 2026 at 11:01 PM
I've been talking a lot about the disastrous recent loss of American institutional capacity regarding climate science. But today, I'd like to announce something we've been working on, quietly, in the meantime to offer a lifeline to some of those affected. [Thread]
Reposted by Patrick Band
Bordeaux, France, has now recorded more days above 40°C in 2026 alone than during the entire 105-year period from 1920 (when observations began) to 2025.
This is deeply shocking.
This is deeply shocking.
July 31, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Bordeaux, France, has now recorded more days above 40°C in 2026 alone than during the entire 105-year period from 1920 (when observations began) to 2025.
This is deeply shocking.
This is deeply shocking.
Reposted by Patrick Band
Supporting a nuclear strike on DC home rule … to battle a 20 cent fee that will raise money to help feed poor families in low-income communities. Please. Just do it. Cancel your DoorDash.
July 26, 2026 at 2:01 AM
Supporting a nuclear strike on DC home rule … to battle a 20 cent fee that will raise money to help feed poor families in low-income communities. Please. Just do it. Cancel your DoorDash.
Reposted by Patrick Band
Growing signs of prolonged & potentially intense heatwave across SW by early Aug. A broad Four Corners ridge will strengthen far beyond usual levels on its western flank, possibly due in part to indirect effects from a yet-to-develop East Pacific hurricane. Details TBD. #CAwx
July 25, 2026 at 12:34 AM
Growing signs of prolonged & potentially intense heatwave across SW by early Aug. A broad Four Corners ridge will strengthen far beyond usual levels on its western flank, possibly due in part to indirect effects from a yet-to-develop East Pacific hurricane. Details TBD. #CAwx
Reposted by Patrick Band
This piece presumes that the only transfer taxes that exist in California are in SF, LA and Santa Monica.
Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Culver City and other places have well-designed transfer taxes that don't inhibit transactions or punish MF housing.
inpractice.yimbyaction.org/p/the-transf...
Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Culver City and other places have well-designed transfer taxes that don't inhibit transactions or punish MF housing.
inpractice.yimbyaction.org/p/the-transf...
The Transferred Problems With Transfer Taxes
Can people stop copying the worst ideas from California?
inpractice.yimbyaction.org
July 13, 2026 at 3:50 PM
This piece presumes that the only transfer taxes that exist in California are in SF, LA and Santa Monica.
Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Culver City and other places have well-designed transfer taxes that don't inhibit transactions or punish MF housing.
inpractice.yimbyaction.org/p/the-transf...
Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Culver City and other places have well-designed transfer taxes that don't inhibit transactions or punish MF housing.
inpractice.yimbyaction.org/p/the-transf...
This is the way to respond the passing of a political foe.
No glee, no disparagement, just a succinct and heartfelt acknowledgement.
No glee, no disparagement, just a succinct and heartfelt acknowledgement.
Shocked and saddened by the news that Senator Lindsey Graham has passed. We didn’t agree on everything, but I never doubted he loved our country as much as I do.
July 13, 2026 at 1:45 PM
This is the way to respond the passing of a political foe.
No glee, no disparagement, just a succinct and heartfelt acknowledgement.
No glee, no disparagement, just a succinct and heartfelt acknowledgement.
Reposted by Patrick Band
Elon Musk’s cuts to U.S.A.I.D. led to some 700,000 deaths, Atul Gawande says. www.newyorker.com/news/the-new...
The Human Cost of DOGE’s War on U.S.A.I.D.
Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and the “public man-made death” that they’ve caused.
www.newyorker.com
July 12, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Elon Musk’s cuts to U.S.A.I.D. led to some 700,000 deaths, Atul Gawande says. www.newyorker.com/news/the-new...
Reposted by Patrick Band
A new proposed rule would give White House political appointees more power over hundreds of billions of dollars in discretionary grant funding, diminishing the traditional role of scientific peer reviewers.
Researchers worry a Trump rule could end U.S. scientific dominance
Research organizations warn a proposed rule for federal grants would upend the medical and technological advances that set U.S. science apart.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 13, 2026 at 1:00 AM
A new proposed rule would give White House political appointees more power over hundreds of billions of dollars in discretionary grant funding, diminishing the traditional role of scientific peer reviewers.
Reposted by Patrick Band
Reposted by Patrick Band
📢News: BART’s schedule will change on August 10, 2026, with longer trains and big improvements and efficiencies that will reduce delays and crowding!
Longer trains will actually come to the Red, Yellow, Blue and Green lines during peak commute hours starting July 20!
Thread 👇
Longer trains will actually come to the Red, Yellow, Blue and Green lines during peak commute hours starting July 20!
Thread 👇
July 9, 2026 at 5:45 PM
📢News: BART’s schedule will change on August 10, 2026, with longer trains and big improvements and efficiencies that will reduce delays and crowding!
Longer trains will actually come to the Red, Yellow, Blue and Green lines during peak commute hours starting July 20!
Thread 👇
Longer trains will actually come to the Red, Yellow, Blue and Green lines during peak commute hours starting July 20!
Thread 👇
Reposted by Patrick Band
One year after President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill tightened eligibility for food aid, the number of Arizonans on food stamps has plummeted by half — a loss of nearly 500,000 people, including about 200,000 children, according to state data.
Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill has cut food assistance for millions of Americans
SNAP benefits have plummeted by half in Arizona a year after President Donald Trump’s signature legislation.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 7, 2026 at 11:30 PM
One year after President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill tightened eligibility for food aid, the number of Arizonans on food stamps has plummeted by half — a loss of nearly 500,000 people, including about 200,000 children, according to state data.
Reposted by Patrick Band
NEW: Regulators have linked Mark McAfee’s raw dairy farm to more than a dozen recalls and outbreaks that left hundreds of people ill.
“I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital,” McAfee said. “But here’s the thing: I’m a pioneer.”
“I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital,” McAfee said. “But here’s the thing: I’m a pioneer.”
He Profits Off Raw Milk That's Making People Sick. The Government Isn't Stopping Him.
With Raw Farm, the largest raw-milk dairy in the country, Mark McAfee has capitalized on a once-fringe product that's been thrust into the mainstream in recent years and backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
www.propublica.org
June 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM
NEW: Regulators have linked Mark McAfee’s raw dairy farm to more than a dozen recalls and outbreaks that left hundreds of people ill.
“I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital,” McAfee said. “But here’s the thing: I’m a pioneer.”
“I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital,” McAfee said. “But here’s the thing: I’m a pioneer.”
Reposted by Patrick Band
Striking graphic in this latest Reuters piece, which finds that while President Trump and his family have profited by at least $2.3 billion since he retook the presidency, their more than a million investors have suffered $2.3 billion in net losses.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
June 9, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Striking graphic in this latest Reuters piece, which finds that while President Trump and his family have profited by at least $2.3 billion since he retook the presidency, their more than a million investors have suffered $2.3 billion in net losses.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Patrick Band
“These men came here…to storm these beaches…not to gain anything for ourselves, not to fulfill any ambitions that America had for conquest, but just to preserve freedom, systems of self-government in the world.”
~Eisenhower to Walter Cronkite, “D-Day + Twenty Years,” 1964.
Image: Eisenhower NHS.
~Eisenhower to Walter Cronkite, “D-Day + Twenty Years,” 1964.
Image: Eisenhower NHS.
June 6, 2026 at 11:49 PM
“These men came here…to storm these beaches…not to gain anything for ourselves, not to fulfill any ambitions that America had for conquest, but just to preserve freedom, systems of self-government in the world.”
~Eisenhower to Walter Cronkite, “D-Day + Twenty Years,” 1964.
Image: Eisenhower NHS.
~Eisenhower to Walter Cronkite, “D-Day + Twenty Years,” 1964.
Image: Eisenhower NHS.
Reposted by Patrick Band
On D-Day, 82 years ago, thousands of brave servicemembers stormed Normandy's beaches with one shared goal: defeat fascism, uphold democracy.
Today, we honor those who fought for freedom.
Today, we honor those who fought for freedom.
June 6, 2026 at 1:23 PM
On D-Day, 82 years ago, thousands of brave servicemembers stormed Normandy's beaches with one shared goal: defeat fascism, uphold democracy.
Today, we honor those who fought for freedom.
Today, we honor those who fought for freedom.
Reposted by Patrick Band
It is your right as a voter to cast a provisional ballot regardless of any issues you might face at the polling place. In California, you can register to vote and cast your ballot on the same day.
Don’t miss your chance to vote in the primary!
Don’t miss your chance to vote in the primary!
June 1, 2026 at 12:54 AM
It is your right as a voter to cast a provisional ballot regardless of any issues you might face at the polling place. In California, you can register to vote and cast your ballot on the same day.
Don’t miss your chance to vote in the primary!
Don’t miss your chance to vote in the primary!
Reposted by Patrick Band
There are no immigrants waiting for rulings anymore at San Francisco’s main immigration court, no lawyers making arguments.
San Francisco immigration court shuts down after purge of judges, leaving asylum cases in chaos
www.pressdemocrat.com
May 23, 2026 at 5:42 AM
There are no immigrants waiting for rulings anymore at San Francisco’s main immigration court, no lawyers making arguments.
Reposted by Patrick Band
This column, about how the bulge that was the baby boom is now distorting retirement, is basically a distillation of the first chapter of my book. Get up to speed on a massive demographic disruption, for free!
Gift link:
www.ctinsider.com/columnist/ar...
Gift link:
www.ctinsider.com/columnist/ar...
The baby boom reshaped America. Now it’s reshaping aging
Baby boomers transformed schools, housing and work. Now Connecticut and the U.S. are confronting a new challenge: a surge in older Americans.
www.ctinsider.com
May 21, 2026 at 7:11 PM
This column, about how the bulge that was the baby boom is now distorting retirement, is basically a distillation of the first chapter of my book. Get up to speed on a massive demographic disruption, for free!
Gift link:
www.ctinsider.com/columnist/ar...
Gift link:
www.ctinsider.com/columnist/ar...
Reposted by Patrick Band
I’m proud to have opened today’s California Gubernatorial Candidate Housing Forum, hosted by @ezraklein.bsky.social and the @nytimes.com
One of these participants will likely be our next governor – so tune in to learn where they stand on California’s most important issue.
One of these participants will likely be our next governor – so tune in to learn where they stand on California’s most important issue.
May 9, 2026 at 12:12 AM
I’m proud to have opened today’s California Gubernatorial Candidate Housing Forum, hosted by @ezraklein.bsky.social and the @nytimes.com
One of these participants will likely be our next governor – so tune in to learn where they stand on California’s most important issue.
One of these participants will likely be our next governor – so tune in to learn where they stand on California’s most important issue.
Gubernatorial Forum on Housing in California.
Early observations: Porter knows her shit, Villaraigosa is bumbling. Mahan calls nexus studies bogus, and Steyer seems to want to underwrite prefab housing startups. Becerra seems like the awkward moderate in the room.
Early observations: Porter knows her shit, Villaraigosa is bumbling. Mahan calls nexus studies bogus, and Steyer seems to want to underwrite prefab housing startups. Becerra seems like the awkward moderate in the room.
May 9, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Gubernatorial Forum on Housing in California.
Early observations: Porter knows her shit, Villaraigosa is bumbling. Mahan calls nexus studies bogus, and Steyer seems to want to underwrite prefab housing startups. Becerra seems like the awkward moderate in the room.
Early observations: Porter knows her shit, Villaraigosa is bumbling. Mahan calls nexus studies bogus, and Steyer seems to want to underwrite prefab housing startups. Becerra seems like the awkward moderate in the room.
Reposted by Patrick Band
Help stop the misguided attempt to license bikes in CA, it will only lead to making it more difficult for people to adopt bikes. We don’t need new laws, we need the existing classifications of e-bikes to be properly enforced.
bikeeastbay.org/say-no-to-ma...!
bikeeastbay.org/say-no-to-ma...!
Say NO to Mandatory E-Bike License Plates and Registrations - Bike East Bay
Tell the state legislature that increased regulation on legal e-bikes is counter-productive to traffic safety, sustainability, and equity goals.
bikeeastbay.org
February 14, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Help stop the misguided attempt to license bikes in CA, it will only lead to making it more difficult for people to adopt bikes. We don’t need new laws, we need the existing classifications of e-bikes to be properly enforced.
bikeeastbay.org/say-no-to-ma...!
bikeeastbay.org/say-no-to-ma...!