Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Carter Rubin @carterrubin.com · 16h

Thank you for your leadership, Senator!

Christopher Cabaldon @senatorcabaldon.bsky.social · 16h

Stoked that @cagovernornewsom.bsky.social signed SB79. It barely passed--not a single vote to spare in 3 committees or on Senate floor twice. I voted yes all 5 times, after working w/Sen. @scottwiener.bsky.social to focus it on urban places w/strong or emergent transit networks. Giant step forward.

4

Carter Rubin @carterrubin.com · 16h

Just got my $50 gift card in my inbox.

1 4

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Senator Scott Wiener @scottwiener.bsky.social · 18h

MAJOR NEWS: @GavinNewsom signed SB 79, my bill allowing more housing near public transit — rail, subway, rapid bus.

It’s a huge step for housing in California. It’ll create more homes, strengthen our transit systems & reduce traffic & carbon emissions.

Thank you, Governor!

82 590 3.5K

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Los Angeles Times @latimes.com · 17h

Newsom signs historic housing bill to bring density to transit hubs

Newsom signed Senate Bill 79 into law on Friday. The historic bill, which looks to add density to transit hubs across California, is one of the most ambitious state-imposed housing efforts in recent memory.

www.latimes.com

1 7 22

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Streets For All @streetsforall.org · 18h

BREAKING NEWS: SB 79 HAS BEEN SIGNED INTO LAW.

Thank you to @scottwiener.bsky.social @gavinnewsom.bsky.social and cosponsors CA Yimby, Greenbelt Alliance, Inner City Law Center, Bay Area Council, AHLA, and SPUR. for making this bill happen.

4 50 200

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 22h

Caltrain’s new electric trains are designed to recuperate energy when breaking. The agency made a deal to sell that energy back to the local power supplier, which will net the agency millions of dollars in annual revenues.

Caltrain electrified trains return power to grid, offsetting energy costs

For decades, Caltrain has been known for what it takes off the roads. Now, it's being rewarded for what it puts back into the power grid.

www.cbsnews.com

3 25 110

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 1d

Picture how big the Hoover Dam is. An absolute unit. The Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW).

The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 1d

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

heatmap.news

120 2.3K 4.5K

Carter Rubin @carterrubin.com · 1d

The trains go fast and the rails stand still. 🤔

1 2

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 1d

This is good, from Hakeem Jeffries. More of this please, in every conceivable forum:

"Sycophants who aid and abet the President’s vengeful schemes will not be able to hide from the serious legal consequences of their behavior. They will be held accountable."

400 3K 10K

Reposted by Carter Rubin

@LAhistory @lahistory.bsky.social · 1d

Oct 9, 1936: Hoover Dam began transmitting electricity to Los Angeles. To celebrate the arrival of hydroelectric power in Los Angeles, the city hosted the Boulder Dam Inaugural. #hydropower #infrastructure

Photos via @uclalibrary.bsky.social: digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog?utf8...

1 7 10

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Hunter Owens @hunterowens.net · 2d

man, the Expo TNP upzoning around Expo Bundy is really resulting in huge results - was at the station yesterday and saw 4 buildings under construction, and now this

la.urbanize.city/post/eight-s...

Eight-story, 42-unit development planned at 2219 S. Wellsely Avenue

In a familiar tale, single-family homes located just south of Metro's Expo/Bundy Station in Sawtelle are set to give way to apartments, according to a recent application to the Los Angeles Department ...

la.urbanize.city

1 5 41

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Hunter Owens @hunterowens.net · 2d

all these SFH homeowners cashed out for 4 million plus in 2022 on Zillow estimates of around 1.5M

2 22

Reposted by Carter Rubin

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 2d

Newsom just signed an excellent law that will help fund the widespread transition from natural gas boilers to industrial heat pumps.

Now sign SB79, Gavin.

California Passes Law To Help Modernize Manufacturing in a Win for Jobs and Clean Air

AB 1280 establishes funding mechanism for companies to replace dirty industrial equipment with zero-emissions technologies

earthjustice.org

1 49 270

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 2d

This might be the worst ICE video yet, because it’s literally random dudes hanging around, and then a bunch of heavily armed thugs running them down completely out of nowhere, because they’re brown. It’s a nightmare that would have seemed excessive in Jim Crow. Everyone in America should see this.

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 2d

ICE is not only chasing down every random brown person in Chicago, they have a cameraman following them to film this for social media. Cruelty and inhumanity as content.

31 570 1.4K

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Bryan Culbertson 🥄 @bryanculbertson.com · 3d

You could electrify 4.5 Caltrains for the cost of this $11B eight lane highway through the wetlands that is currently a two lane road

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 3d

Caltrans has released a cross section for the ultimate (raised viaduct) version of SR-37.

Now maybe I'm just being paranoid, but if you were building a road that you planned to keep at 4 lanes wide, I don't think it would look like this.

Cross section of 114' wide bridge structure with each direction having a 12' outside shoulder and a 10' inside shoulder.

4 14 44

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 3d

These people are evil. Never stop saying so. Don’t be intimidated into shutting up.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 3d

Here’s video of the incident

330 4.1K 12K

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Oren Ben-Joseph @orenbj.bsky.social · 3d

Finally got to go on the Metro HQ helipad!

1 11

Carter Rubin @carterrubin.com · 3d

Really nice and super clearly written argument for electric rail from @narayangopinathan.bsky.social

Californians for Electric Rail @calelectricrail.org · 3d

Hydrogen rail is not the answer for the Sprinter. With the need for equipment, the Sprinter should be modernized and electrified instead of rolling out unproven, polluting hydrogen trains. thecoastnews.com/hydrogen-rai...

Commentary: Hydrogen rail not the answer | The Coast News Group

The Coast News recently reported that NCTD plans to pilot hydrogen trains for the Sprinter. However, hydrogen is not as great as it seems.

thecoastnews.com

2 2 10

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 3d

Caltrans has released a cross section for the ultimate (raised viaduct) version of SR-37.

Now maybe I'm just being paranoid, but if you were building a road that you planned to keep at 4 lanes wide, I don't think it would look like this.

14 12 120

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Sergio Perez @sergioperez.bsky.social · 6d

Heaven is a long walk on a sunny 76 degree day in Los Angeles.

3 2 29

Reposted by Carter Rubin

Urban History Association (the official account) @urbanhistorya.bsky.social · 3d

The road has long been tumultuous for Latinos in places like California, as a site where the private space of the automobile and the public space of the street meet. @drgenacarpio.bsky.social on CA car insurance and the cultural history of race, redlining, and risk assessment.

California’s Invisible Infrastructure: What Auto Insurance Tells Us about Race, Risk, and Responsibility

By Genevieve Carpio Being a historian often means living with the contradictions of the present. As an Angeleno, I see my city in pain. There is resilience and courage too, but the suffering caused…

themetropole.blog

5 12

Carter Rubin @carterrubin.com · 3d

Bottom line: We need to improve working conditions in the construction industry while also solving our housing crises and investing in mobility.

3

Carter Rubin @carterrubin.com · 3d

Why? Transit systems and fix-it-first highway projects are more labor intensive than highway expansions, which spend a large share of budgets on buying land and materials. And "Denser housing types result in a greater proportion of work that is conducted by specific Building Trades members..."

1 2

Carter Rubin @carterrubin.com · 3d

Timely new study with SB 79 sitting on Gov Newsom's desk: investments in transit and dense infill create more union jobs at higher wages than highway expansion and sprawl. goodjobsfirst.org/smart-growth...

Smart Growth and Construction Jobs: How Urban Density Benefits Union Density - Good Jobs First

goodjobsfirst.org

2 14 28

Reposted by Carter Rubin

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 3d

i recently got a great deal on a barely used folding ebike and i have to say it has revolutionized my train travel. i can get from my front door to the amtrak station in a little less than 5 minutes!!!

110 210 5.9K