Jonathan Ford Jr

by day I work in software. by night I work on the internet.

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

@resetbasis Reading thru comments, my interpretation+nuance of what ur saying is "ppl don't want diversity of value systems, even if they want cultural diversity"

"unique food choices" (& the ethnic diversity that's a proxy for it) = good

Varying opinions on stealing or hard work = tough

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

Everything about this city's governance feels like a parody

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

@otter401 need to do more reading on it, bt thinking about how other cities on the coast eg Seattle & SF have built lrg industries/co's where u can find a mid class salary irrespective of education. Feels like a big gap here (where Hwood, nonprofits, & the govt just won't do it long-term)

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

@otter401 I've been thinking a lot about the dynamic of labor costs (largely but not exclusively imposed by the unions)

Feels like the only way around that is anchoring the region to large industries / companies that don't have the union baggage, no?

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

@mnolangray Why can't LA fix it? There's no path to repeal?

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

Great thread on why permitting ≠ building, esp in LA

TLDR LA imposes fees on each stagegate of building, & offers a "shot clock" for builders to delay the next stage

The spike in permits is just builders coming to the end of a COVID shot clock extension, meaning pay or permit

[mottsmith @mottsmith]

Measure ULA's defenders are citing Q1 permitting data as "proof" multifamily development is "back."

But remember: a building permit is not a housing unit. It's an option to start construction.

And the data they're celebrating is actually evidence of distress. Let me explain.

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

This is good. I'm fascinated by how stories shape meaning for us but also how this stuff has real world consequences. Not sure if a financier of any kind will ever be a sympathetic protagonist but it's interesting to be aware of the pattern

[Chris Elmendorf @CSElmendorf]

Excellent post on the Hollywood history of how real estate developers came to symbolize badness.

cc: @dbroockman, @j_kalla

1/2

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

But the idea that there's a durable cost for things just *existing* kinda changed my view on what's worth building, sustaining, & paying for as a resident of a place

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

This is the sort of insight I've been learning about over the past year or so researching cities.

It was generally clear to me that most things don't just *happen*, eg trash pickups or potholes getting filled..

[Anna Riedl @AnnaLeptikon]

Somehow it was learning how many people are fulltime employed to maintain the Golden Gate Bridge that flipped something inside of me in my understanding of the entropic force civilization has to constantly fight against. Before that moment I thought — I had not applied real conscious thought — you simply build a building or anything really and then you just … have it. After that I understood everything is constantly at the brink of being lost.

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

@Andrew_Moser @lulumeservey Rags to riches is ok in a vacuum... But I think it's gotta be a msg removed from tech. Median doesn't care about "founders"

I'm in socal & it just feels like outside of tech / bay area folks r fed up, & "tech" is increasingly the problem not soln

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

Reading through the list of supporters & "lies" on the our neighborhood voices site.

I know I'm coming from a different value set but it feels like a dystopian reality to have so many govt / elected officials across the state argue in favor of sprawl & single family homes.

[Liam Dillon @dillonliam]

Los Angeles city attorney has outlined her legal attack on SB 79, the high-profile bill to allow dense housing near mass transit. She's planning to make a claim to an obscure state commission to reimburse the city for $2b+ in costs. For subscribers: https://t.co/6cyKPLNCVh

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

@JMGregorchuk @rycpt Earnest question - I haven't been here forever but it seems to me that p13 is a *huge* handicap for us

Why is this nonsense? I hear ppl talking about it like it's sacrosanct & it just feels like a structural impediment & a terrible idea to me?

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

@kaseyklimes This implies that the friction is just innate, no? Or are there non-incremental solutions to this

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

This is the sort of stuff that has me thinking the future of LA county is in these odd suburbs like Culver City & Pasadena

[Unrig LA @UnrigLA]

"Overpaid CEO Tax Ordinance" initiative approved for circulation in the City of LA.

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

@CohenSite Poorest big city in the US. Did grad school there a few yrs back before moving to LA & I miss it all the time.

I think it's the most underrated city in the country for exactly what you stated.

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

Seems like it's gonna be a bigger story now.

Did the BoS sign off on the settlement?

[Joe Cohen @CohenSite]

How is this not a bigger scandal?

LA County is paying a $2 million settlement to its highest-ranking non-elected employee because she is claiming “emotional distress” from a ballot measure that eliminates her position.

Does nobody have shame any longer?

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

So Newsom finally signed SB79, which is great news for housing in CA.

My ? now is, when / how does it make an impact, particularly in the state's biggest city, LA? Isn't the mansion tax (tax on sales of properties >$5M) still one of the biggest obstacles to building more?

[Senator Scott Wiener @Scott_Wiener]

MAJOR NEWS: @GavinNewsom signed SB 79, my bill allowing more housing near public transit — rail, subway, rapid bus.

It’s a huge step for housing in California. It’ll create more homes, strengthen our transit systems & reduce traffic & carbon emissions.

Thank you, Governor!

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

@bobbyfijan @bhargreaves @FamStudies @lymanstoneky My wife & I left LA a few yrs ago to move to the South bc we couldn't find a 3br we were comfortable with for our 1st kid. Just very little supply.

We thankfully had the means to come back, but I appreciated this article putting data behind the experience.

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

With that said, there are caveats

Local governance doesn't seem to have grown *that* much in the last ~20 years

Suburbanization has to play a huge role - and there are infinitely more municipalities than states

So I'd be just as interested in employee per polity

[Jonathan Ford Jr @JonathanFordJr]

This chart is calling out to me like the green goblin mask

Improving local governance feels like both one of the biggest problems and opportunities

Esp in California

[Jason, @jasonc_nc]

People get hung up on the size of the federal government when it’s actually local government that has ballooned in size while often getting consistently worse at the delivery of basic services.