James T.
@jathaj.bsky.social
Public librarian. Erstwhile historian. Personal account - posts do not represent the views of my employer.
Happy 250th America! The HOA has let the hot tub become a scum-filled nightmare in emulation of the reflecting pool to mark the occasion.
Last year the California legislature passed Senate Bill 79, which legalized multifamily housing within a half mile of major public transit stops across California. This legislation was nearly a decade in the making. As of today, is officially active! Let the building begin!
JFC, can we just have real electric cars already?
A New Era of Super-Hybrid Cars Is Coming
nytimes.com
Why have any non-police government workers at all?
Divided San Jose council approves police housing preference - San José Spotlight
A measure to allow San Jose Police Department personnel to jump to the front of the line in a new workforce housing effort has won approval. But the victory comes only after sharp dissent on the City ...
sanjosespotlight.com
Elon Musk’s is truly one life that is not worth living. If your day has even one happy moment you are experiencing more meaning and fulfillment than the world’s richest man ever has.
Sam@samd.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe one poetic thing about Elon musk is that he’s such an unfunny loser and nobody actually likes him. I would take my life of having a loving wife + family, lots of friends, and being a normal human being 100 times out of 100 over living Elon’s life of being a fucking freak
How many Einsteins did the solar system gain from this?
AZ Intel@azintel.bsky.social · 2mo agoBREAKING: Blue Origin's New Glenn blows up at Launch Complex-36 while attempting to static fire.
Just do it already. This fascist overreach is taking forever.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2mo agoFaulkner: "Sanctuary cities include Boston, Chicago, Denver, LA, NY, Philadelphia, SF. All of those airports handle 1,100 int'l flights per day. They're not just gonna not fly. They're gonna go to red states and cities. A boon for red states. People will just really hate living in blue states."
In addition to wanting to be ensconced, I would drape myself in velvet if it were socially acceptable.
Corey Atad@coreyatad.com · 2mo agoi think, end of the day, the real problem with Bluesky is that most of its users are here *because* they want to be in a bubble. and they can tell themselves that it’s just about not being around Nazis it supporting Musk, and that’s part of it, but also there’s a palpable desire to be ensconced.
I think the best indicator of Matt Mahan's supposed "pro housing" agenda is that San Jose lost 2.3% of its population during the past 5 years.
Americans are justifiably suspicious their elites will do nothing to protect their jobs, privacy, creative works, or lives from reckless application of AI.
Michelle Goldberg@michellegoldberg.bsky.social · 3mo agowww.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/o...
I love explaining to people outside of California how school districts where the median home value is $1.5M ask parents to contribute $1K-$2K in donations per child so that the music teacher won't be laid off. Great system!
Anonymous-Scientist@newbie-1.bsky.social · 3mo agoCA is a strange place when it comes to property markets. It’s the only place ive lived where property taxes (homes are 1 million+ in SD) cannot fund basic school costs or infrastructure. 28 kid full day pre-k classes with one teacher (no aides), no bus, no specials, random short day was insane.
These pardons don't have to be honored and Trump v. U.S. can just be ignored. Ultimately, the monopoly on legal force is what decides which laws are real and which are fake.
The Wall Street Journal@wsj.com · 4mo agoExclusive: President Trump has repeatedly promised his top administration officials pardons before he leaves office, according to people who have heard his comments. on.wsj.com/3PTqciC
I’ve been thinking about this guy almost daily for ten fucking years. essentially my entire 30’s. when he finally croaks I imagine I’ll let out a sigh so deep it realigns my fucking spine
this guy isn't just a danger to our democracy, he's a danger to every democracy on the planet
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 4mo agoJD Vance: "Will you stand against the bureaucrats in Brussels? Will you stand for western civilization? Will you stand for freedom, truth, and the God of our fathers? Then, my friends, go to the polls and stand for Viktor Orban!"
The media told us, based on the amount of coverage they devoted to it, that the number one military-related issue of the 2024 campaign was whether Tim Walz retiring from the National Guard after 21 years was too soon or not.
In happier news, my kid had a great time going through his Easter basket and a tomato vine I left in its grow bag from last season is already sprouting tomatoes.
The biggest story in the world right now is that the president of the United States is a demented old man who takes pleasure in torturing and killing people and is committing crimes with impunity. And yet most legacy media outlets are too cowardly to tell it like it is.
Like at least North Korea has to set up a special, state run TV station for the lady in the hanbok, whereas the NYT just does the same thing for free because they went to Yale with Trump admin staffers and their kids attend the same private school.
Remember all this nonsense about the supposed inferiority of “third world” immigration? They really believed that and applied their theory to international relations and it failed. Racism makes you stupid.
Someone as easily manipulated and incapable of skepticism as Ezra Klein just shouldn’t live in the Bay Area.
Opinion | I Saw Something New in San Francisco
nytimes.com
🎶 From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, you won’t have any oil unless you pay Iran a fee.
TPM@talkingpointsmemo.com · 4mo agoRubio: Iran May Own The Strait Now, And That’s a Huge Bummer
Maybe I should throw my hat in the ring for California governor? I’m sure the candidacy of a complete unknown wouldn’t be a doomed waste of resources and a potentially disastrous distraction.
This is absolutely not a surprise, but the inevitable outcome of the jungle primary in a state whose “progressive” party mostly rejects the idea that you should have to contribute the greater good, whether by allowing new housing, paying property tax, or dropping out of the race for governor.
The Daily Beast@thedailybeast.bsky.social · 4mo agoDemocrats are sounding the alarm over a near-unimaginable revelation: the top two contenders for California governor are Republicans.
I don’t have strong views about who should be the next governor of California, but I do feel strongly that candidates currently poling at < 5% have already been assessed by voters and found lacking. Arguing whether voters should like them more is irrelevant to winning the election.