Saad Asad
@realsaadasad.bsky.social
850 followers 1.4K following 850 posts
Comms @cayimby.bsky.social. Advocacy at YIMBY Dems of SD. Previously Product Marketing @ U.S. Digital Response. Tweets on housing, climate change, and San Diego/California politics
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realsaadasad.bsky.social
Texas AG sues BlackRock and other investment giants for avoiding coal investments.

Two ex-GOP congressmen call it government bullying of private business. When politicians tell investors what stocks to buy, that's not free markets - that's state control.
Ken Paxton's attack on investors is climate change denial, not conservatism
Former Republican congressmen argue conservatives should lead climate policy through market-based solutions rather than government intervention or partisan extremes.
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realsaadasad.bsky.social
EPA proposes eliminating greenhouse gas reporting for all industries, suspending oil/gas reporting until 2034. Companies spent millions building monitoring systems, now face losing tax credits that require emissions data.

Seems counterproductive.
EPA proposal to repeal greenhouse gas reporting undermines transparency and accountability
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a proposed rule to suspend all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting for the oil and gas sector until 2034. The proposal would…
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realsaadasad.bsky.social
Congress stopped subsidizing profitable wind and solar companies to fund experimental energy projects instead.

This gamble could either accelerate clean energy breakthroughs or waste taxpayer money on unproven tech while slowing proven solutions.
Tax Policy | ClearPath
ClearPath's mission is to accelerate American innovation to reduce global energy emissions.
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realsaadasad.bsky.social
Trump cut $8B in energy grants to blue states while funding similar projects in red states—Minnesota transmission canceled, Montana's approved.

Using infrastructure as shutdown leverage undermines grid reliability nationwide, not just in Democratic areas.

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realsaadasad.bsky.social
Yea, I drive by there often. That sharrow is insane.
realsaadasad.bsky.social
America’s regional planning boards are stacked against transit riders.

New research from Urban Institute. And here is
@cayimby.bsky.social's summary:

cayimby.org/blog/how-ame...
realsaadasad.bsky.social
We need faster permits for clearing brush and planned burns before fire season. Decades of stopping all fires left forests packed with dry dead trees. Now controlled burning clears out the stuff that feeds big fires.

Better to burn small patches safely than wait for disasters.
COALITION LETTER: Fix Our Forests - ACC Action
Congress has the opportunity to take bipartisan action now, proactively.
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realsaadasad.bsky.social
OR SHOW UP THU OCT 9, 9AM: Edric Doringo Hearing Room, 7650 Mission Valley Rd

Let's legalize homes where transit runs. Housing belongs near the state's 5th largest public university. 9/9
realsaadasad.bsky.social
Without this plan:
-Family houses carved into 6-8 student units.
-Minimal new construction.
-Rents climb.
-Workers commute farther.
-Two trolley stations sit half-empty while we waste existing infrastructure. 7/9
realsaadasad.bsky.social
Regional transit plans rapid buses with dedicated lanes on these streets.

This means students can live without cars they can't afford. Will reduce traffic and pollution—but only if housing exists nearby. 6/9
realsaadasad.bsky.social
New buildings must include public spaces—courtyards, paths, parks (5% of property)—with benches, play equipment, fitness stations.

Montezuma Road gets 22 feet of sidewalk, trees, and seating as development happens. 5/9
realsaadasad.bsky.social
The new plan allows up to 34,150 homes total (currently 8,200).

Tallest buildings—up to 240 feet—next to SDSU trolley, apartments along streets with frequent buses.

Most single-family neighborhoods unchanged (unfortunately). 4/9
realsaadasad.bsky.social
Right now: SDSU students start searching for housing a year before school starts and pay $1,200/month for bedrooms in old houses.

Meanwhile, SDSU service workers can't afford living near where they work. 3/9
realsaadasad.bsky.social
College Area has two trolley stations, buses every 15 minutes, 35,500 students, and a hospital with 7,000 employees.

Exactly where apartments should be abundant. Instead, current zoning makes most of it impossible to build. 2/9
realsaadasad.bsky.social
Thursday, San Diego Planning Commission decides whether SDSU staff, UCSD Health nurses, and students can live near two trolley stations—or if we keep forcing them to drive from East County.

Let's dive into the College Area Plan! 1/9 🧵
realsaadasad.bsky.social
Farmers can earn $1,500+ per acre leasing land for solar—stable income when crops fail. But local bans are blocking these deals, stripping property rights from landowners who want them.

Clear state rules protect both rural economies and freedom.
Energy Siting Policies: Protecting Property Rights and Accelerating Economic Development
Landowner freedom is important to rural farmers. Locals want fair siting practices, better tools, and more transparency to lease clean energy on their land. These policy solutions and best practices…
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realsaadasad.bsky.social
CA locked in carbon pricing (companies pay for pollution) through 2045, generating $2B+ yearly for clean transit and air programs...trade-off: more oil drilling to ensure energy available during transition away from fossil fuels.
Newsom strikes climate deal extending California cap and trade, boosting oil production
California legislative leaders in the wee hours of Wednesday morning reached an agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction program, known as cap and…
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realsaadasad.bsky.social
SB 79 protects lower-income neighborhoods.

Cities can defer these areas until the next planning cycle and can reduce density there by half if needed.

The bill also bans demolishing rent-controlled units and requires renter relocation assistance.
realsaadasad.bsky.social
SB 79 preserves local control despite what NIMBYs claim

-Cities keep design standards and approval processes.
-Cities choose where density goes—they can reduce it 50% in any neighborhood and move it elsewhere.
-Cities can exempt fire zones, flood areas, and historic sites.
realsaadasad.bsky.social
US small nuclear reactors won't reach market until late 2020s while Russia and China already operate theirs.

World Bank lifted its nuclear ban, but emerging markets need grid upgrades and regulatory frameworks first—reactors won't solve energy poverty without infrastructure.
[Sept 2025 Update] Which advanced nuclear models are likely to hit emerging markets first? - Energy for Growth Hub
What we're watching
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realsaadasad.bsky.social
LA permitted 17,200 homes last year.

The city needs 57,000 annually through 2029—that's 456,000 total.

UCLA analyzed LA's current CHIP housing program and found it generates 47,000 homes maximum. The shortfall: over 400,000 homes.

SB 79 addresses this by allowing MORE apartments near rail.
realsaadasad.bsky.social
If just 10% of the allowed housing actually gets built, LA would eliminate two-thirds of its housing gap. More people near transit also means more fare revenue when transit agencies need money.

Governor decides soon. 3/3

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What Would SB 79 Mean for Los Angeles?
Los Angeles's housing costs are skyrocketing. SB 79 could unlock midrise, mixed-income apartments near transit and cut the city’s housing shortage.
cayimby.org