Oct 27, 2017The Case against R-1AWest Berkeley is trying to outlaw duplexes so we can have more McMansions. This is an unacceptable transgression, tantamount to direct class war. What? Aren’t there already duplexes and apartment buildings in West Berkeley? Yes. There are. Many of them are already illegal according to the city’s laws on housing…Housing3 min readHousing3 min read
Aug 30, 2017Smoke in HereCoughing. I cough a lot, lately. Something’s in the air and it fills my throat. August is part of wildfire season in California. They’re in the news a bunch and sometimes the bay fills with a sickly smog. …Berkeley2 min readBerkeley2 min read
Jul 29, 2017This week in housing affordabilityEast Bay Forward organized for three actions this week: Expedited approval of housing projects with at least 80% subsidized housing. 1433 Webster, a modular tower with 8 homes available to those making 0% to 30% of AMI A project to raise a fourplex by 5 feet to add four bedrooms…Housing3 min readHousing3 min read
May 22, 2017The Progressive Disinformation MachineBoy oh boy do I hate the word “progressive”. Self-labeled Progressives are considering imposing a $450 per year fee on affordable housing units in Berkeley, plus an initial $10,000 fee. When you move in to a below market rate unit, you’re subject to annual income verification to make sure you’re…Housing6 min readHousing6 min read
Apr 24, 2017The Inconsistency of Private Housing DevelopmentHow could a person such as myself organize in support of privately owned, built, and operated housing while still identifying as a Socialist? This question was asked of me at a recent meeting of the East Bay DSA; here I expand on my answer and repeat it for others to…Housing4 min readHousing4 min read
Apr 22, 2017YIMBY SocialismI intend to argue that YIMBYs need to move left, not just talk to the left, if we are to remain a viable alternative to the status quo. The YIMBY platform was written just over a year ago, in the movement’s nascence. It was left vague enough to be interpreted…Housing2 min readHousing2 min read
Nov 15, 2016Oakland is a Sanctuary City and we need to show it. Here’s how.I don’t need to remind people about the horror unfolding across national politics in our country. Millions of immigrants, undocumented americans, people outside the confines of the “cis straight white dude” descriptor are under direct threat of a fascist government. These people need somewhere safe to go, which is the…Housing4 min readHousing4 min read
Oct 24, 20162016 SlateThe 2016 election has given me a fuckton of questions to answer. Enough such that I had to fit an entire two evenings of study into my calendar to answer them all. California, this is stupid. But anyways, here’s my slate for the 2016 ballot in Oakland, CA. Federal President and…Politics1 min readPolitics1 min read
Jul 13, 2016Pokemon WoahThe inevitable #thoughtpiece about the latest craze that has millennials glued to their phones. No, that other one. I had a chance to play Pokemon Go over the weekend, and I failed to understand the craze behind it during my one hour of wandering downtown Oakland. That isn’t to say…Pokemon2 min readPokemon2 min read
Jun 24, 2016Requiem for a Capitalist SocietyThe UK’s recent #Brexit vote serves to further illustrate a divide in global politics that is widening into a vast chasm. The old political framework of neoliberalism has lost its grasp on reality and is in the process of being replaced with something new. Capitalism is best explained as a…Economics3 min readEconomics3 min read
