iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I was just on the A Line at 7th/Metro yesterday.

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

What I meant was taxing the assets of pensions, not income from them. The idea that average workers would be subject to a wealth tax under Prop 40 is just absurd. Now, the one-time structure of it to cover an ongoing cost is a different matter.

010

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Like, with Props 40, 41, and 42, the billionaires are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to tell us that teachers’ and firefighters’ pensions could be taxed. Nobody has ever proposed that. Just straight-up propaganda.

110

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

At least legislators have the weighing of such things as one of their primary jobs, and (hopefully) hire expert staff to advise them. I guess certain organizations can do that for voters too. But it takes seeking that out. Meanwhile, we’re bombarded with misleading messages about it.

110

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Asking each voter, with very little time to spend on it, to carefully weigh the pros and cons of dozens of wonky proposals is beyond absurd. The current process is SO ripe for regulatory capture and deceit of the public.

130

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Ballot propositions are out of control. I get the idea that file some things you can’t trust the legislature to fairly vote on them: how else are we going to achieve multi-member districts with proportional representation? But relying on ballot props to legislate is dangerous.

110

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

LA does too, even though they were successfully sued about the state of the sidewalks some years ago. (the Willets case)

010

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

voiceofdissentwear.etsy.com/listing/4439...

A t-shirt with text reading “Show me your nexus study”

090

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I wonder also if there’s a difference in NY vs MA law w/r/t accessibility lawsuits. I know that here in CA, part of why you see so many more ADA lawsuits than in other states is state law (the Unruh Act).

110

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Part of the problem is the lack of proactive enforcement. Since the ADA relies on litigation for enforcement, it naturally leads to disparate conditions in our built environment in different places, depending on whether they’ve been sued or not.

171

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Prop 40 would hit roughly 200 California billionaires. Props 41 and 42 are billionaire-funded measures designed to nullify it. Prop 43 is sponsored by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and funded mostly by the Business Roundtable (Peter Thiel is a top donor). Yes on 40, No on 41-43.

010

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Seeing ads against Prop 40 and for 41 and 42? The PAC behind them, Building a Better California, has raised $229M, largely from billionaires. Sergey Brin alone has put in over $100M. The billionaire tax is being fought with billionaire money.

122

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

As I’m fond of repeating, the ghost of Howard Jarvis laughs heartily at all of us from its place in the depths of hell.

000

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

So the end result is that my rent only stays super-high, as opposed to becoming super-duper-high. And the whole push for rent control in CA was only felt to be needed because of Prop 13, as far as I can tell. Yet another reason I’m automatically voting “no” on any ballot proposition to limit taxes.

100

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

So I live in an apartment that was built in the early ‘90s, but since that was before the Costa-Hawkins cutoff, it’s covered by Pasadena’s rent control, which was passed by ballot initiative just 4 years ago.

100

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

It depends on when the municipality implemented its rent control ordinance. Like, in the city of LA, it’s 1978. One nuance of Costa-Hawkins that I didn’t appreciate until I moved to Pasadena is that if a muni adopts a rent-control ordinance for the first time now, the cutoff is set at 1995,

110

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

That’s long been one of my favorite songs.

010

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Paying rent or a mortgage every month and believing supply and demand don't apply to housing is like paying triple for a seat on a sold-out flight and calling it a coincidence.

030

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

So a building might have a small number of units per land area, but a high FAR, if the units are large, or a low FAR with a large number of units per land area, if the units are small.

100

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“Density” here is about units per land area. Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is about the floor area of the building per the lot area, or sometimes, as in most (but not all) in LA, the buildable area of the lot, minus required setbacks.

100

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Application of the density bonus percentage to FAR instead of density seems powerful: "When an applicant provides a base density study pursuant to paragraph (7) of subdivision (o), the applicant may elect to receive a density bonus in the form of a percentage increase in maximum floor area ratio."

100

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

(4) The granting of a waiver or reduction of development standards shall not be discretionary...

110

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I’m not a surfer, but I love a blue wave! voiceofdissentwear.etsy.com/listing/4458...

voiceofdissentwear.etsy.com

000

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Ah. I see. It’s amazing to me that so many decades into our housing crisis, discretionary entitlement processes for housing are still allowed.

120

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Waivers are supposed to be unlimited in number according to GC 65915, right? Was the waiver for the anti-shade provision not requested in the first place, and now their entitlement doesn’t include it?

110

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Legalize Apartments Everywhere YES, THERE TOO Available in many colors and a full range of sizes. All cotton. voiceofdissentwear.etsy.com/listing/4583...

A T-shirt for sale with text that reads, “Legalize Apartments Everywhere YES, THERE TOO”

010

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

<sarcasm> I know: let’s put as many housing units as possible on wide roads that are hard to cross, with cars and trucks whizzing by constantly! Brilliant! Who needs to live on a quiet street anyway? Why on earth would anyone want that? </sarcasm>

040

Reposted by Sam Alcorn

Roger Senserrich @4freedoms.es · 01/10/2026

How did Southern Spaniards adapt to hot weather? NARROW FUCKING STREETS. They are narrow on purpose!

021

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It’s hotter every year, and with the sun beating down through cloudless skies, I genuinely don’t get how shade can be bad.

163

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Policy is downstream of politics, and political incentives in a system of representatives are downstream of the cultural norms of their constituents/voters.

010

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

My new T-shirt arrived! It says “Show me your nexus study,” and is available here in lots of colors, in a full range of sizes. All cotton: voiceofdissentwear.etsy.com/listing/4439...

A short sleeved crew neck t-shirt that says, “Show me your nexus study” in teal text with a black outline and a drop shadow.

040

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Well, shit. SB 1090 has been signed into law. I thought this state cared about people. Only the ones who want their neighborhoods rebuilt to look the same as they did before they were destroyed, I guess, without regard to whether the people can afford to rebuild. www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/u...

gov.ca.gov

221

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Corridor zoning is just gross.

170

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Corridor zoning is just gross.

010

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Make sure everyone you know is registered to vote, has a plan to vote, and make sure they do the same for everyone they know.

011

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Something I think about often is how planes landing on aircraft carriers increase their throttle just as they’re about to touch down. This is exactly what we need in the short time before the elections. Don’t get complacent due to the favorable polls. We need a full-court press up to the buzzer.

120

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Good summary of the history behind the Mt. Laurel doctrine: youtu.be/0By4M6a-r3w?...

youtu.be

How a NIMBY Suburb Screwed Themselves Over

YouTube video by City Beautiful

021

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Is your goal that kids grow up with lots of friends outside of school and paid activities? Is your goal that kids can get around on bikes? Is your goal that kids develop a sense of independence? Legalize apartments everywhere.

0140

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Is your goal reducing road deaths? Legalize apartments everywhere. Is your goal that children be able to play outside again? Legalize apartments everywhere. Not just on broad streets that are impossible to cross safely, with cars and trucks whizzing by.

1142

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Yeah, looks like the head of a viper.

000

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Legalize apartments. Not just near transit. Not just on deadly huge roads. Everywhere. Now.

1181

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Is your goal reducing carbon emissions? Legalize apartments. Is your goal advancing social justice? Legalize apartments. Is your goal reducing segregation? Legalize apartments. Is your goal reducing housing costs? Legalize apartments.

26216

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I’ve been bombarded by anti-Prop-40 ads on YouTube. I don’t understand the point about it applying to the viewer. How many billionaires are watching ads on YouTube?

110

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The state of California should acquire Kaiser Permanente and make all residents of California members. We need universal healthcare now! And this seems like it could be a good way to get there.

050

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Another banger from @nickandert.bsky.social. Watch this. Get all your friends, families, and government representatives to watch it: youtu.be/uYwInrTocww?...

youtu.be

California's Brilliant State Rail Plan

YouTube video by nandert

000

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

In most US places, there’s no requirement that an elevator be installed in a residential building at any height. So you could have a walk-up skyscraper if you wanted.

020

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Some states, like where I am in California, build the ADA and FHAct requirements into their State Building Code. Then it varies by funding source. Sometimes, there are special reqs for certain resident populations, like Seniors in California funded by LIHTC.

100

Sam Alcorn @samalcorn.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

ADA does apply to residential buildings that meet the definition of “public housing,” which generally means government funding, but not necessarily government ownership. Also, each state and municipality in that state may have its own requirements. Many states adopt 2017 A117.1. Some the 2009.

100