Jake Berman
@lostsubways.com
4.1K followers 330 following 880 posts
Wrote and illustrated "The Lost Subways of North America". Lawyer. Californian living in New York. Avid cyclist. Transport + housing nerd. Order the book at: http://lostsubways.com
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
lostsubways.com
Eric Adams naming a public building after noted corrupt jackass? Game recognize game.
madar.bsky.social
Excellent potted bio of the late Bernie Kerik, a scuzz for the ages. Mind-boggling how he stuff so much corruption (on multiple continents) into one life. Fine reportage like this is why I subscribe to @hellgatenyc.com hellgatenyc.com/city-jail-na...
Adams Administration Quietly Renames the Tombs for Disgraced Criminal Bernard Kerik
The Lower Manhattan jail facility briefly bore Kerik's name once before, until he was convicted of corruption.
hellgatenyc.com
lostsubways.com
Just like with Costco and toilet paper, trains are cheaper when you buy in bulk.
trenvistaen.bsky.social
Germany aims to reunify the procurement of PSO trains in order to make their acquisition and maintenance easier and cheaper. The model is based on that of the VDV Tram-Train consortium.
Germany's 27 states join forces to make joint train purchases
Since regionalisation, purchasing has become fragmented, losing the benefits of economies of scale.
www.trenvista.net
lostsubways.com
Note: it's not where you'd expect.
-Staten Island: Most of the island.
-Brooklyn: Bay Ridge, Boro Park, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Flatbush, Bath Beach, Canarsie, Sheepshead Bay, Gravesend.
-Manhattan: UES, UWS.
-Queens: Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, Howard Beach, Ozone Park, far Eastern Queens
lostsubways.com
So, on the ballot propositions for NYC. Here's the map of the neighborhoods where housing will be fast-tracked if Question 2 passes. They're the community districts that have built the least affordable housing.
lostsubways.com
This is the best explainer I have read about SB79. @mnolangray.bsky.social did a great job of getting this law over the line.
lostsubways.com
(note, betteridge's law of headlines applies here, the author's answer is 'no')
lostsubways.com
"My timeline is full of bots and Nazis. Should I have stuck around?"
lostsubways.com
They did, but I fully expect Beverly Hills (population 31,027) and *maybe* South Pasadena (population 25,656) to go over 35,000 once they actually start building things. There's a LOT of available land in that quarter-mile ring.
lostsubways.com
NorCal: Menlo Park 33k, Burlingame 31k

LA: Beverly Hills 32k, San Dimas 34k, La Verne 32k, Lawndale 31k
lostsubways.com
The outer half-mile circle doesn't apply in cities sub-35k, but some are *real* close to the cutoff. It should kick in once building starts. Cities between 30k and 34,999 population within SB79 zones, per CA Dept of Finance's most recent estimates are:
lostsubways.com
Statutory definition is "a passenger rail station." In the absence of a judicial or statutory definition, it's the plain meaning.
lostsubways.com
I'm glad! I was involved in the RHNA fight a few years ago, and hoo boy, Culver's proposed rezoning was just as bad as Santa Monica. (But not as bad as Whittier, which wanted to put all the people in fire zones, or South Pasadena, which said they'd sell off City Hall to build affordable housing!)
lostsubways.com
That whole 15 stations business was a part of the deal to get the bill through. I'm not a fan, but this is why I'm not a politician. Also, one would hope that a future expansion restores the old Tier 3 proposal, which rezones everything near commuter rail like SMART and Capitol Corridor.
lostsubways.com
Honestly, even an extension of the Sac light rail wouldn't get you enough. There's no way you can justify more than 3 stations in Davis and 2 in West Sac.
lostsubways.com
Yeah, you need >15 passenger rail stations to qualify as an urban transit county, and Contra Costa has exactly 15. Of course, when the Hercules Capitol Corridor station opens, Contra Costa loses that exemption - but nobody apparently thought of that.
lostsubways.com
This is definitely something my Asian relations would be interested in. A granny flat for your 75-year-old auntie is just, well, normal.
lostsubways.com
Note: it's not clear whether the outer circle applies to Menlo Park or not - the city's population was 33,780 at the 2020 census, just short of the cutoff for the outer circle to apply.
lostsubways.com
In bigger cities - LA, San Jose, SF - there's a lot more room for playing games, since there are many more stations in play. LA City has over 50 Metro stations; San Jose has 39 VTA light rail, 5 Caltrain, and a BART station, with more on the way; basically all of SF is SB79-ed. 5/
lostsubways.com
On top of this, SB79 rezoning hits single-family neighborhoods first, because the law prohibits demolition of anything rent-controlled that's larger than a duplex. Suburban-style single family homes are not rent controlled at all, and they're usually owner-occupied. 4/
lostsubways.com
Same thing in LA. Culver City has two stations. South Pasadena and Redondo Beach have one each. Beverly Hills will have two once the Purple Line extension opens. But critically, there's nowhere they can reallocate their zoning budget without risking a cripplingly expensive lawsuit. 3/
lostsubways.com
In San Mateo County, (Bay Area), Belmont, San Carlos, Menlo Park and Atherton each only have one train station - so there's nowhere else they can "reallocate" the budget. There's some room for gamesmanship, but nothing like the bullshit we saw a couple years ago with the state quota process. 2/