Darrell Owens
@idothethinking.bsky.social
Housing and transit data guy. Against fascism. My "bluesky posts" represent myself and do not represent my employer or any affiliated groups and organizations.
Berkeleyside's coverage of the Charlie Kirk event included a brief moment of housing politics when the TPUSA speaker accused Berkeley of being nimby hypocrites and Berkeleyside is like: um acthually!
November 11, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Berkeleyside's coverage of the Charlie Kirk event included a brief moment of housing politics when the TPUSA speaker accused Berkeley of being nimby hypocrites and Berkeleyside is like: um acthually!
Shattuck Avenue has struggled to be an attractive area since the Key trains left. The key issue is obviously that a semi-highway of 4 lanes meant for trains is dominated by loud autos and then flanked by diagonal parking. What if the street was turned into buildings and the parking areas roadways?
November 11, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Shattuck Avenue has struggled to be an attractive area since the Key trains left. The key issue is obviously that a semi-highway of 4 lanes meant for trains is dominated by loud autos and then flanked by diagonal parking. What if the street was turned into buildings and the parking areas roadways?
Nothing against Nancy Pelosi's daughter but it seems inappropriate to run for a job as powerful and impactful in people's daily lives at state senator without having proved your chops in local government first.
November 11, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Nothing against Nancy Pelosi's daughter but it seems inappropriate to run for a job as powerful and impactful in people's daily lives at state senator without having proved your chops in local government first.
I'm sorry but pickleball noise is fucking grating. You need a permit to do pickleball near me, you best believe...
Zoning Practice magazine devotes an entire issue to *checks notes* pickleball noise
November 11, 2025 at 4:13 AM
I'm sorry but pickleball noise is fucking grating. You need a permit to do pickleball near me, you best believe...
I support Igor Tregub's item for Landmarking reform, which essentially bars landmarking attempts on upcoming housing projects with use permits. Because this is functionally illegal anyways under SB 330, so we're just wasting public money holding hearings and analysis on these attempts. 1/2
November 11, 2025 at 3:59 AM
I support Igor Tregub's item for Landmarking reform, which essentially bars landmarking attempts on upcoming housing projects with use permits. Because this is functionally illegal anyways under SB 330, so we're just wasting public money holding hearings and analysis on these attempts. 1/2
Reposted by Darrell Owens
Barretts logic for not touching gay marriage while going after abortion makes no sense other than she got frightened by how mucn the country hated her after
BREAKING: The Supreme Court rejects a call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Supreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide
The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
bit.ly
November 10, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Barretts logic for not touching gay marriage while going after abortion makes no sense other than she got frightened by how mucn the country hated her after
Reposted by Darrell Owens
BREAKING: The Supreme Court rejects a call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Supreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide
The Supreme Court has rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
bit.ly
November 10, 2025 at 2:41 PM
BREAKING: The Supreme Court rejects a call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
Looks like something cooking with the 2190 Shattuck high-rise (formerly Walgreens). I noticed the project info sign says the applicant is requesting a permit modification to increase height from 25 stories to 34 stories. I think this is new? Building permit it got says 25 stories in 2023
November 10, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Looks like something cooking with the 2190 Shattuck high-rise (formerly Walgreens). I noticed the project info sign says the applicant is requesting a permit modification to increase height from 25 stories to 34 stories. I think this is new? Building permit it got says 25 stories in 2023
Reposted by Darrell Owens
My son Seamus died 15 years ago today. He was killed by a careless driver in a crosswalk.
He walked at 9 months, almost as if he knew he wouldn’t have much time. His favorite thing to do was throw rocks into water. He loved the moon. He called butterflies “buddy buddies.” I miss him every day.
He walked at 9 months, almost as if he knew he wouldn’t have much time. His favorite thing to do was throw rocks into water. He loved the moon. He called butterflies “buddy buddies.” I miss him every day.
November 9, 2025 at 5:10 PM
My son Seamus died 15 years ago today. He was killed by a careless driver in a crosswalk.
He walked at 9 months, almost as if he knew he wouldn’t have much time. His favorite thing to do was throw rocks into water. He loved the moon. He called butterflies “buddy buddies.” I miss him every day.
He walked at 9 months, almost as if he knew he wouldn’t have much time. His favorite thing to do was throw rocks into water. He loved the moon. He called butterflies “buddy buddies.” I miss him every day.
It's kinda confusing to me why drug stores in the 1940s - 1960s were also restaurants and soda fountains. Like, why are drug chain stores offering hot food exactly?
November 10, 2025 at 3:11 AM
It's kinda confusing to me why drug stores in the 1940s - 1960s were also restaurants and soda fountains. Like, why are drug chain stores offering hot food exactly?
Berkeley City Council will vote tomorrow on an important landmarking law. To discourage the use of landmarks used whenever housing projects are proposed, the required number of signatures is being raised to 200 people, or 400 if the property owner does not consent.
berkeleyca.gov/sites/defaul...
berkeleyca.gov/sites/defaul...
berkeleyca.gov
November 10, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Berkeley City Council will vote tomorrow on an important landmarking law. To discourage the use of landmarks used whenever housing projects are proposed, the required number of signatures is being raised to 200 people, or 400 if the property owner does not consent.
berkeleyca.gov/sites/defaul...
berkeleyca.gov/sites/defaul...
SF's proposed demolition rules ahead of planned upzoning seem mostly identical to Berkeley's and despite local developers freaking out about it when Berkeley amended our demo ordinance, development projects replacing old rent controlled units with new ones continue.
therealdeal.com/san-francisc...
therealdeal.com/san-francisc...
SF aims to strengthen tenant protections ahead of broad upzoning
A proposal before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is poised to make tenant protections even stronger.
therealdeal.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:17 PM
SF's proposed demolition rules ahead of planned upzoning seem mostly identical to Berkeley's and despite local developers freaking out about it when Berkeley amended our demo ordinance, development projects replacing old rent controlled units with new ones continue.
therealdeal.com/san-francisc...
therealdeal.com/san-francisc...
I love the endless scams of this admin. Whats the point in a loan you can never pay off? The median *first time* home buying age is 40
November 9, 2025 at 12:12 AM
I love the endless scams of this admin. Whats the point in a loan you can never pay off? The median *first time* home buying age is 40
Is Connor Sen an abundance guy? Hes always talking shit about zoning reform.
hey guys isn't it weird how all of the abundance guys in DC started talking about the US government needing to back US AI tech companies at the same time and now government backed entities are now looking into doing this
What the fuck
November 8, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Is Connor Sen an abundance guy? Hes always talking shit about zoning reform.
I knew the DEI stuff was bs but this is the real issue. Advocacy orgs ruined by poor management and bedwetters cliques from within.
I was at the Sierra Club during the period described in this article and although I have my criticisms, it gets the issues in the Club fundamentally wrong. A 🧵
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I knew the DEI stuff was bs but this is the real issue. Advocacy orgs ruined by poor management and bedwetters cliques from within.
Reposted by Darrell Owens
I was at the Sierra Club during the period described in this article and although I have my criticisms, it gets the issues in the Club fundamentally wrong. A 🧵
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart.
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I was at the Sierra Club during the period described in this article and although I have my criticisms, it gets the issues in the Club fundamentally wrong. A 🧵
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Reposted by Darrell Owens
Man, I used to avoid shopping at Publix because of this. Leave me alone when I’m shopping. I’ll ask you if I need something.
"Store employees are now required to smile if they are within 10 feet of a shopper.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
Target is now requiring its employees to smile more
As the holiday season fast approaches, Target is urging its employees to add a little more “jolly” to their work routine.
www.wilx.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Man, I used to avoid shopping at Publix because of this. Leave me alone when I’m shopping. I’ll ask you if I need something.
Agreed. Buildings that have varying degrees of massing and formation just look worse than a ornamented box.
Don't break up the massing. Ornament the surface of your plain box with a decoration at the ground floor for the pedestrians, some stuff in the middle, and a fancy cornice molding at the top.
Shout out to decorated boxes. Gotta be one of my favorite architectural genders.
November 8, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Agreed. Buildings that have varying degrees of massing and formation just look worse than a ornamented box.
Reposted by Darrell Owens
Don't break up the massing. Ornament the surface of your plain box with a decoration at the ground floor for the pedestrians, some stuff in the middle, and a fancy cornice molding at the top.
Shout out to decorated boxes. Gotta be one of my favorite architectural genders.
November 7, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Don't break up the massing. Ornament the surface of your plain box with a decoration at the ground floor for the pedestrians, some stuff in the middle, and a fancy cornice molding at the top.
I agree with Humbert's proposal for limiting the zoning in Elmwood to the parcels that will be developed. We're stuck with two Elmwood blocks getting at best 130 units. Not worth performatively rezoning tiny commercial parcels that wont be built on.
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/11/07/b...
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/11/07/b...
Plan to add housing in 3 wealthy Berkeley neighborhoods faces backlash, but City Council is undeterred
Berkeley leaders signaled support for taller height limits in the Elmwood District and parts of North Berkeley despite opposition.
www.berkeleyside.org
November 8, 2025 at 12:31 AM
I agree with Humbert's proposal for limiting the zoning in Elmwood to the parcels that will be developed. We're stuck with two Elmwood blocks getting at best 130 units. Not worth performatively rezoning tiny commercial parcels that wont be built on.
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/11/07/b...
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/11/07/b...
Reposted by Darrell Owens
There needs to be trials and there needs to be people sent to die in a prison cell. Consequences must fall on the people who issued the orders and those who carried them out. We must make the punishment of these people a national spectacle that will be remembered for generations.
November 7, 2025 at 6:07 AM
There needs to be trials and there needs to be people sent to die in a prison cell. Consequences must fall on the people who issued the orders and those who carried them out. We must make the punishment of these people a national spectacle that will be remembered for generations.
Reposted by Darrell Owens
November 7, 2025 at 12:51 PM
My cat ate my adhesive sticker for my shower rack and i need a new one. Anyone know where i cant get one of these? ACE Hardware or Home Depot?
November 7, 2025 at 8:12 AM
My cat ate my adhesive sticker for my shower rack and i need a new one. Anyone know where i cant get one of these? ACE Hardware or Home Depot?
Most of the normal merchants' comments (not at anti-development regulars) at Berkeley City Council on Elmwood / North Berkeley corridor upzoning have been opposed to the plan, but I see a genuine desire to add density in a way not destructive to businesses and a plan can certainly be worked out.
November 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Most of the normal merchants' comments (not at anti-development regulars) at Berkeley City Council on Elmwood / North Berkeley corridor upzoning have been opposed to the plan, but I see a genuine desire to add density in a way not destructive to businesses and a plan can certainly be worked out.