Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 16h

They do this because it's a good investment, because they're betting the jurisdiction won't keep building housing. They way to defeat this is to do the thing they're betting you won't do.

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 23h

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

How Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren agreed on a sweeping housing package

The Senate Banking Committee has unanimously passed a sweeping housing package, marking a rare bipartisan effort to address the nation’s housing crisis.

www.washingtonpost.com

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 1d

Hard to imagine a story more custom-designed to undermine one of the core arguments for his candidacy, and one that on paper really should be a core strength.

And of course this story isn't exactly a great advertisement for his stellar leadership skills, either.

Reversing Decision, SPD Removes Controversial Captain Tietjen from East Precinct - PubliCola

By Erica C. Barnett Two days after PubliCola exclusively reported that Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes had promoted controversial police…

publicola.com

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 1d

Harrell's campaign is leaning hard on the "experience managing large, complex organizations" argument. And yet here's a story where SDOT ultimately follows its own policies and does the right thing, but *in spite of* Harrell's leadership, thanks to pressure from his opponent's activist organization.

Rian Watt @rianwatt.bsky.social · 1d

First, it was eliminating a bus lane advocates fought for for years after developers wanted space for their right turns from the East side. Advocates fought back and the city immediately reversed.

www.theurbanist.org/2025/10/02/s...

SDOT Backpedals on Plans for Capitol Hill Bus Lane Removal » The Urbanist

# Work will continue on upgrades to E Union Street that will allow Route 2 buses to return to the corridor, but the idea of reopening the street to all westbound traffic has been taken off the table -...

www.theurbanist.org

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 1d

Quite the impressive leader Harrell picked for SPD. If your internal promotions cannot hope to withstand an article in local indie media factually recounting the incidents in the promoted individual's disciplinary file, maybe that promotion isn't the right call?

publicola.com/2025/10/09/r...

Reversing Decision, SPD Removes Controversial Captain Tietjen from East Precinct - PubliCola

By Erica C. Barnett Two days after PubliCola exclusively reported that Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes had promoted controversial police…

publicola.com

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 2d

Rough baseball day for us upper left corner folk, but a nice silver lining.

Happy "Yankees Elimination Day" to all who celebrate.

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Reposted by David Watkins

Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 7d

Rumor is that Gavin Newsom is wavering on housing and might veto SB 79. If you live in California, please reach out to the governor’s office today: cayimby.org/call-sb-79/

Call the Governor to sign SB 79!

Please call the Governor and urge him to sign SB 79!

cayimby.org

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 7d

All locations where one might possibly build anything on Bainbridge Island is subject to zoning regulations, and have been for many decades. If they really don't want zoning, they could have repealed those laws at any point.

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 9d

One difference: I don't think there's a century-long multi-front effort to cynically disincentivize the construction of commercial buses and trains relative to cars

bsky.app/profile/sama...

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 9d

A lot of that is very intentional, from the mind of Lawrence Veiller.

archive.strongtowns.org/journal/2023...

[D]o everything possible in our laws to encourage the construction of private dwellings and even two-family dwellings, because the two-family house is the next least objectionable type, and penalize so far as we can in our statute, the multiple dwelling of any kind... If we require multiple dwellings to be fireproof, and thus increase the cost of construction; if we require stairs to be fireproofed, even where there are only three families; if we require fire escapes and a host of other things, all dealing with fire protection, we are on safe grounds, because that can be justified as a legitimate exercise of the police power... In our laws let most of the fire provisions relate solely to multiple dwellings, and allow our private houses and two-family houses to be built with no fire protection whatever (NHA Proceedings 1913, 212).

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 9d

Yes, because 1/2 mile is a good proxy for what constitutes a useable walkshed for most people. If public transit is to live up to the "public" part, it's important to make sure it's accessible to as many people as possible, not just those who can afford a large chunk of land to go with their home.

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 10d

Tip for others returning to blue books: The key to grading a big pile of hand-written exams w/o losing your mind is to identify the ones with the worst handwriting and grade them first. Then you're "grading downhill." I am amazed at how effective this simple bit of psychological self-manipulation is

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 11d

4) But I also worry/wonder (3) reflects a lack of imagination on my part
5) If it has any chance of working we'd need to demonstrate contempt and a willingness to attack/punish corruption on our own side, or in other words the opposite of whatever Jeffries is doing here.

Jeffries effusively praising Eric Adams with no mention of his corruption scandal while continuing to be a tease about endorsing in the mayoral race.

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 11d

1) I am a strong data of using a comparative lens to better understand US political trends and dynamics
2) He's absolutely right that that lens points toward anti-corruption
3) I'm deeply pessimistic such a message would be a particularly strong or effective one

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 11d

Adam Bonica leans into comparative trends to argue that anti-corruption is a strong campaign strategy for Democrats. This leaves me conflicted.

data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-democr...

The Democrats' Path Forward: Become the Anti-Corruption Party

But to reform the system they first need to reform the Democratic Party.

data4democracy.substack.com

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 12d

This is right, I think, and part of the challenge is going to be that many of the popular arguments against them (especially with respect to water) amount to some classic ill-informed specious NIMBYism.

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 12d

If Manfred and MLB had taken the cheating scandal more seriously and imposed appropriate consequences, the period of universal hatred might have been shorter, but they didn't, and here we are.

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 12d

I'm not frustrated at all! My team destroyed the Astros and won the division. But even when the game is irrelevant to the Mariners, after 2017 the Astros easily bumped the Yankees from 30th on the list of teams I'd like to see win. Maybe in another decade or so NYY can reclaim that spot.

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 12d

Are you suggesting that the Yankees would be notably less likely to reach the WS if they potentially had to play this injury-decimated version of the Astros? That doesn't seem terribly likely.

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 13d

Happy Astros elimination day to all who celebrate.

Aaron Gleeman @aarongleeman.bsky.social · 13d

In maybe the most Guardians thing ever, they just made the playoffs on a bases-loaded hit by pitch.

That also means the Astros missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They had 92% playoff odds when they reacquired Carlos Correa from the Twins at the trade deadline.

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David Watkins @djw172.bsky.social · 13d

I don't think we should think about what they're doing as anything like "strategic logic"; shitting on Democrats is just an identity thing for them. Closer to a hobby than to doing anything that resembles politics.

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