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Andrew Bowen (he/him)

@acbowen.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1K following 327 posts

KPBS reporter covering housing, transit and local politics in San Diego. Union shop steward. Creator and host of Freeway Exit, a podcast about freeways. Gaily homosexual. I run @sdtrafficdeaths.bsky.social. www.kpbs.org/podcasts/freeway-exit

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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It’s true, returning the funding is better than keeping it and missing the grant deadline. It’s also true SANDAG could have avoided this situation. Staff could asked the board for more local funding to complete the projects. They also could have applied for new grants this year. They did neither!
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Reskeet if you remember #NorthParking
A tan chihuahua walks around gray car that’s parked blocking the sidewalk
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
SANDAG recently forfeited $17.6 million in competitive state grant funding for 4 bike and pedestrian projects across San Diego County. It says the projects are still a priority. Buuuut it also didn’t apply for any active transportation grants this year, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ www.kpbs.org/news/environ...
kpbs.org
SANDAG returns $17.6 million in state funding for bike, pedestrian infrastructure
The transportation agency said the projects' costs had risen, and that it was unable to meet the grant deadlines. Bike advocates are frustrated.
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LAist @laist.com · 02/09/2026
A bill that threatens a long-planned project to slow cars on Forest Lawn Drive near Griffith Park in Los Angeles passed both chambers of the California legislature, now heads to Gov. Newsom’s desk . 🔗 Full story: vist.ly/5gxjg ✍️ Kavish Harjai 📸 Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
Road with church, hillside, and traffic, text overlay about LA road bill.Text about Senate Bill 194 and transportation provisions for Los Angeles.Text about LA road project delay citing community opposition.Text about L.A. city safety measures progress on dark red background.
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Matt Pearce @mattdpearce.com · 02/09/2026
California is about to do something really cool for local journalism: mattdpearce.substack.com/p/california...
mattdpearce.substack.com
California is about to do something really cool for local journalism
AB 2222, the Community NEWS Act, is going to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The San Diego City Council today repealed the city's bathhouse ordinance, which was passed during the HIV/AIDS panic. Public health experts told me the law was probably not helpful in the fight against the virus. www.kpbs.org/news/health/...
kpbs.org
San Diego repeals bathhouse regulations passed amid HIV/AIDS panic
The city adopted strict regulations on bathhouses in 1988 in an effort to combat HIV. Public health officials say the ordinance is outdated, and that medications are far more effective at stopping the...
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Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Wearing @postguild.bsky.social red today. I was able to challenge my @washingtonpost.com firing — and win reinstatement plus back pay — all thanks to being a part of the @wbng.org Guild. Binding Arbitration is a part of our contract. This is why unions matter!!!
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Interestingly enough, the post office in Hillcrest has purchased a new property nearby, right on one of the county's biggest public investments in walkable/bikeable infrastructure. timesofsandiego.com/housing/2026...
timesofsandiego.com
'Eyesore' Hillcrest post office to move to Normal Street
The post office in Hillcrest will move from Cleveland Avenue to a smaller site on Normal Street amid residential redevelopment plans.
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Dike @dikeanyiwo.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
This is a really cool effort that I've been following for some time now. I'm excited to see how the project develops in the coming months/years. Nice write up @acbowen.bsky.social
kpbs.org
National City workshop invites residents to reimagine 57 acres of abandoned freeway
San Diego was one of three cities in California chosen to receive funding through the state's "Reconnecting Communities" program. But funding for the program still hasn't been allocated in the state b...
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laura olin @lauraolin.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
But they will be
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Meatwad Ron: Summer of Ron @wrenispinkle.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
San Diego is building the *gayest* public space in history and I can’t wait for it to open The lithomosaic came out beautiful. We will have the only rainbow bike lane in all of North America!
timesofsandiego.com
Lights, shade and an avocado green trolley car: A peek at the design of Hillcrest’s Normal Street Promenade
Officials provided a tour of the worksite to preview the final design of the much-anticipated promenade off University Avenue.
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Ethan Elkind @ethanelkind.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Another good example here of how 1960s state planning laws in California spurred massive local downzoning, the effects of which were dealing with today in the form of brutal housing scarcity in coastal cities.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I wrote about the history of downzoning in San Diego and how it shaped the city’s growth and development. www.kpbs.org/news/local/2...
kpbs.org
How 'downzoning' shaped San Diego — and pushed growth into the suburbs
Throughout the 1960s, '70s and '80s, San Diego adopted stricter zoning laws that effectively banned apartments in many of the city's most walkable neighborhoods.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Really wish I could make it to the Bicycle Film Festival tomorrow. If you’re in San Diego, check it out! www.kpbs.org/news/arts-cu...
kpbs.org
Bicycle Film Festival returns to San Diego after 11 years
The festival at the Museum of Photographic Arts on July 25 will showcase 13 films from around the world about the joy of biking.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Support public media (with your dollars and your attention).
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Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 16/07/2026
A lot of people are doing testosterone explainers, but you should read the one written by a trans man.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
San Diego is confronting an ever-widening gap between its promises on climate change and the actual results. Emissions should be 6% lower if the city were on track to reach net zero by 2035. The reason: cars.
kpbs.org
Even as emissions fall, San Diego drifts further from path to carbon neutrality
San Diego's electricity is getting cleaner and natural gas usage is down. But emissions from cars and trucks remain stubbornly high.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Kelly Davis was truly the best of the best. Her reporting was fearless, and always grounded in compassion and humanity. She did so much to foster community among San Diego journalists. Thank you, @byjeffmcdonald.bsky.social, for honoring her memory. www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/07/01/k...
sandiegouniontribune.com
Kelly Davis, intrepid reporter who exposed death and despair in San Diego County jails and gave voice to the downtrodden, dies at 53
The 2023 San Diego journalist of the year beat cancer for more than a decade before being diagnosed with a new tumor earlier this year; she leaves a lasting legacy in her adopted hometown.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Mission Hills NIMBYs: Apartments must be large or (preferably) nonexistent.
Graffiti on fence surrounding vacant lot reads “stop the eye 👁️ sore stop”Graffiti on fence reads “No microunits”
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Steve B. @estevebolita.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
A great listen for anyone who’s seen the San Diego streetcar photos and wished we still had them.
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Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 19/06/2026
Assigned Media is excited to announce our Founding Editor Evan Urquhart has been awarded the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for the LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year by the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists @nlgjaofficial.bsky.social Our little newsroom is making waves, baby!
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
The San Diego Velodrome Association is no longer hosting bike races sanctioned by USA Cycling. After months of protest from members over USAC’s trans-exclusionary gender policy (and other things), SDVA’s board deadlocked on a path forward. www.kpbs.org/news/quality...
kpbs.org
San Diego Velodrome drops plans for USA Cycling races after membership outcry
The velodrome, a bike racing track in Balboa Park, became embroiled in controversy over USA Cycling's policy excluding trans women from women's races.
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sdtrafficdeaths.bsky.social @sdtrafficdeaths.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Around 1:30 a.m. today, a San Diego police officer struck and killed a pedestrian, white male in his early 20s, on Linda Vista Road near USD. Make/model of patrol vehicle unclear. Officer "felt an impact on his vehicle," turned around and rendered aid, but the man died of his injuries. #VisionZero
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 17, 2026

CONTACT: Lieutenant Cesar Jimenez at cjjimenez@pd.sandiego.gov

 

SDPD Vehicle Involved in Fatal Collision with Pedestrian

 

SAN DIEGO – This morning, at approximately 1:30 a.m., a San Diego Police Officer was driving a marked department patrol vehicle westbound on the 5800 block of Linda Vista Road near Goshen Street. The officer felt an impact on his vehicle. The officer turned their vehicle around and discovered a man lying in the roadway.

 

The officer and their arriving partners immediately rendered first aid. San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel transported the man to a local hospital where he died of his injuries.

 

The San Diego Police Department Traffic Unit and Collision Investigations Bureau responded to the scene and is investigating.

 

It is unclear, at this time, why the person entered the roadway. The officer was not injured during the collision.

 

The decedent is described as a white male in his early 20’s. His identification will be withheld, pending family notifications.

 

Anybody with information on the case is encouraged to contact the SDPD Traffic Division at (858) 495-7800 or SDPD Non-Emergency dispatch at (619) 531-2000.
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
If you credulously do a segment about the vote in California in which you don’t say the president is lying, you’re spreading disinformation to your listeners.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
New episode of Freeway Exit just dropped! It’s a crossover with The Finest, another amazing KPBS podcast. Hear me talk about San Diego’s bygone streetcar era, and how some are fighting to bring the streetcar back. www.kpbs.org/podcasts/fre...
kpbs.org
The Finest: The legacy of San Diego's streetcars
Long before San Diego became defined by freeways, parking shortages and long commutes, electric streetcars connected the region's urban core to beaches, business districts and growing neighborhoods mo...
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Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
NPR is shrinking its newsroom through layoffs and buyouts and is reducing staff dedicated to covering both climate and science. "The climate desk no longer exists separately but has been folded into the National Desk," writes Neela Banerjee, who headed the climate desk but was just laid off.
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Rebuild Local News @rebuildlocalnews.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Good news in CA: @asmchrisward.bsky.social's AB 2222, a bill to help newsrooms retain and hire local journalists, passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a bipartisan 14–2 vote and added @buffywicks.bsky.social as a joint author. The bill heads to an Assembly floor vote next week.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Update: USA Cycling races are continuing in San Diego. The San Diego Velodrome Association says it will run all USAC races as gender neutral, but still advertise some as women's races. Trans racers/allies say they value inclusivity over competition and want USAC out. www.kpbs.org/news/racial-...
kpbs.org
San Diego Velodrome plans workaround to avoid claims of anti-trans discrimination
Controversy over USA Cycling's policy on transgender athletes has caused a rift in San Diego's bike racing community.
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Evan Urquhart @evanurquhart.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Huh. You'd think a comprehensive 6 episode audio investigation of youth gender medicine by a major US newspaper would include at least one interview with a trans young person or their parent.
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Zero. Sympathy. They did this to themselves. Oh, and also? There definitely is an easy answer.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Four days after my story came out, the San Diego Velodrome has announced its race on 4/21 will *not* be sanctioned by USA Cycling (which bans trans women from women's races). They're promising "further communication and opportunities for direct feedback." My story: www.kpbs.org/news/racial-...
kpbs.org
San Diego Velodrome begins hosting bike races that exclude trans women
The racetrack in Balboa Park recently began hosting events sanctioned by USA Cycling, which bans trans women from participating in women's races. More such races are planned, despite a city policy pro...
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Tim Jackson @bikewriter.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
This is an excellent story by @acbowen.bsky.social about my beloved home velodrome. I've ridden and raced on the track here since around '92. It's my second home, my happy place. We have built an amazing community, and it is in the news for the wrong reasons. www.kpbs.org/news/racial-...
kpbs.org
San Diego Velodrome begins hosting bike races that exclude trans women
The racetrack in Balboa Park recently began hosting events sanctioned by USA Cycling, which bans trans women from participating in women's races. More such races are planned, despite a city policy prohibiting anti-trans discrimination at the velodrome.
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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Very sad story about trans bike racers in San Diego.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
The San Diego Velodrome has begun hosting bike races that exclude transgender women. This is despite a city policy prohibiting anti-trans discrimination at the racetrack. One trans racer told me the change made her feel “disposable.” Been working on this for a while, give it a read and share!
kpbs.org
San Diego Velodrome begins hosting bike races that exclude trans women
The racetrack in Balboa Park recently began hosting events sanctioned by USA Cycling, which bans trans women from participating in women's races. More such races are planned, despite a city policy prohibiting anti-trans discrimination at the velodrome.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Today saw quite the bounty of bike lane obstructions. Submitted all via @bikelaneuprising.bsky.social 🫠
Garbage truck parked in bike laneTwo cars parked in bike lane Pickup truck parked in bike lane
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward." -Matthew 6:5
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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
The NYT is being disingenuous here. The AMA has *always* said that gender-affirming surgeries should generally be reserved for adults. That's part of why so few kids get them! The AMA reiterated this position and the NYT is characterizing it as a policy change. It's not.
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Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 26/03/2026
The American Medical Association directly responds to New York Times coverage mischaracterizing their posiiton on gender affirming care for trans young people. cloud.e.ama-assn.org/newsletter?u...
In recent days, AMA communications to the New York Times have requested a correction on their part to reflect the actual language the AMA used in response to their inquiry. Additionally, a letter to the editor has been submitted requesting a public correction—this was neither a policy change nor was it an endorsement of a position taken by another medical society. In addition, during Congressional testimony in mid-March, I had the opportunity to set the record straight stating to the Subcommittee on Health of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that there has been no change in AMA policy with respect to access to and provision of gender-affirming care. This will appear in the Congressional Record.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
My reporting on the Coastal Commission's blockage of bike lanes in San Diego was cited in the passage of SB 689 (Blakespear), which allows a lower level of review of bike/transit/ped improvements in the coastal zone. The law came too late to save this man's life.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
San Diego has the third highest transportation cost burden in the country. The reason? Cars, of course! www.kpbs.org/news/economy...
kpbs.org
Amid San Diego's high transportation costs, some manage to find relief
San Diego households spend more on transportation than almost every other metro area in the country. The culprit, experts say, is the automobile.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Ben did some really good and honest coverage of the MPOX outbreak in the early days, when few other journalists were paying attention. Seeing him devolve into a tool of the anti-trans movement is sad and disappointing.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Just got a text message opinion poll on a ballot initiative to establish voter ID requirements in California.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Pacific Beach has seen two hit-and-run traffic deaths in the span of three weeks.
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Jared @jaredjct.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
CHAD MICHAELS !!!!!!!!!!
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
The bike counters on 30th Street logged maybe 1% of the San Diego cyclists who rode in memory of Alex Pretti today. www.kpbs.org/news/quality...
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Pete Casellini @petecasellini.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Cannot emphasize enough how these humble little lanes have transformed my relationship to the neighborhood for the better. I explore the neighborhood so much more, I visit businesses more often because it’s that much easier to get there quickly, I commute by bike more often because it feels safer.
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
San Diego installed bike lanes on a busy commercial street in North Park in 2021. Ridership jumped 67% the next year. Now, 4 years later, bike and scooter trips on 30th Street have hit another record high. Foot traffic and business activity is also booming. www.kpbs.org/news/quality...
kpbs.org
30th Street bike lanes in North Park saw record ridership in 2025
Bike and scooter trips on 30th Street have jumped 15% since the installation of protected bike lanes in 2021. Foot traffic and business activity also appear to be thriving.
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 30/01/2026
❤️
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Andrew Bowen (he/him) @acbowen.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Protest planned in San Diego on Saturday against Rady Children’s Hospital halting gender-affirming care for minors www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/01/20/r...
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