The Brown Petition cannot come back for two years. A little less clear as to some of its constituent elements.

John Hawkinson@johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2d ago

The Douglas P. Brown downzoning petition is defeated. Passage to a 2nd reading is 0-9: AAZ n BA n TF n MM n PN n EDS n JSW n CZ n SS n

Approval for ShotSpotter is back in Cambridge, MA. #cambma (Not sure how fast it'll actually be turned back on. Tonight? Tomorrow?)

John Hawkinson@johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2d ago

And the vote on the PO as-amended passes 6-3, ShotSpotter is to be turned back on in Cambridge for 90 days. AAZ n BA y TF y MM y PN n EDS y JSW n CZ y SS y

"Only" 50 people in line for public comment at tonight's #cambma City Council summer meeting. It's been a month since the last regular meeting and will be another until the next, so long agenda with controversial topics.

Tonight is the #cambma City Council's one meeting of the summer, with a huge agenda including questions about revisiting the removal of Shotspotter. Perhaps John Oliver read the agenda: he included a segment on Shotspotter in his show last night: youtu.be/lnBPhelCdWE?... (Also appearing: Flock)

Police Surveillance Technology: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

YouTube video by LastWeekTonight

youtu.be

Coming up at 5:30pm, a special #cambma City Council meeting in light of the shooting death of Xavier Bautista on July 4. There's public comment and a discussion of technology (i.e. ShotSpotter).

And by vote of 7-2, the #cambma City Council votes a Negative Recommendation on the Brown Petition, but some of those votes would likely support some pieces if they didn't affect affordable development. BA's motion. AAZ y BA y TF n MM y PN y EDS y JSW y CZ n SS y bsky.app/profile/john...

John Hawkinson@johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 3w ago

By vote of 5-0, the #cambma Planning Board finds the recommendations in the Douglas Brown Petition to be too soon and recommends the City Council not adopt that zoning petition, which would roll back some of the multifamily housing ordinance. (HTC, DM, AT, CZ, TS voting)

Looks like the Governor signed #cambma's home rule petition to allow automated parking enforcement. (This does not permit red light cameras, I do not think.) Sometime earlier this month:

By vote of 5-0, the #cambma Planning Board finds the recommendations in the Douglas Brown Petition to be too soon and recommends the City Council not adopt that zoning petition, which would roll back some of the multifamily housing ordinance. (HTC, DM, AT, CZ, TS voting)

#cambma City Council has a roundtable meeting today w/ the school committee, no public comment, agenda devoted to "the Cambridge Preschool Program, including means testing & program expansion, as outlined in City Manager’s Agenda Item 2026-92, orig. ref'd to the Human Services & Veterans Committee"

PACER fees up 20% from 10¢/page to 12¢/page "temporarily" for five years to fund the federal Judiciary's CMM replacement system for CM/ECF effective Jan. 1, 2027. Huh. www.uscourts.gov/data-news/ju...

Looks like #cambma issued a statement on today's Supreme Court TPS ruling. www.cambridgema.gov/departments/...

It's almost a normal schedule for the #cambma City Council tonight. Only 25 people signed up speak for public comment (2 minutes each), somehow I thought there would be a lot more:

#cambma Cambridge CCTV's recording of the Decker/MacKay debate for 25th Middlesex (back from May 27, whoa…) finally was posted this morning: vimeo.com/1202857576

Cambridge's 25th Middlesex Candidate Forum (5/27)

This is "Cambridge's 25th Middlesex Candidate Forum (5/27)" by Cambridge Community Television on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

vimeo.com

Monday's #cambma City Council agenda is out a day early, because Friday is the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday: cambridgema.primegov.com/Portal/Meeti...

Some details on the #cambma License Commission's proposed rules/regs that were emailed in May and produced some heated discussion on social media this week:

John Hawkinson@johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Here's a copy of the PDF: www.documentcloud.org/documents/28... Staff says, "There is no vote scheduled. It won’t be until August at the earliest. This document is a preliminary working draft that was sent via email to the licensees/business owners."

The #cambma City Manager responds to massive public pressure and changes course: Ahern Field in East Cambridge will remain natural grass, not artificial turf. www.cambridgema.gov/departments/...

@benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org, a well-known anti-timezone advocate, proposes to adopt Easter Time, borrowing from a different religion. Huh.

Consistent with the agenda bsky.app/profile/john... there are 129 people (and counting) in line to speak at public comment at tonight's #cambma City Council meeting. One minute per.

John Hawkinson@johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The Jun 8 #cambma City Council agenda is out & it carries two major proposals to alter Cambridge Zoning. PO#5 (CZ/TF) seeks a feasibility analysis on multifamily zoning changes. A&P#1 (Doug Brown) has a formal petition to alter "height, setback, parking, open space and design review requirements."

So, the Cambridge Historical Commission is hearing the NCD petition for Wyman Road tonight. The hearing is ongoing now, but it is not going particularly well for the petitioners.

John Hawkinson@johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The Wyman Road NCD petition was submitted to the Election Commission on May 6, and seeks to "conserve Wyman Road in its entirety as the quirky, self-consciously historicist sampling of architecture that it was designed to be." Has 260 (unverified) sigs, needs 100.

The Jun 8 #cambma City Council agenda is out & it carries two major proposals to alter Cambridge Zoning. PO#5 (CZ/TF) seeks a feasibility analysis on multifamily zoning changes. A&P#1 (Doug Brown) has a formal petition to alter "height, setback, parking, open space and design review requirements."

Wyden/Kennedy reintroduce the Open Courts Act. Text of the bill here, h/t @courtneybuble.bsky.social www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/_cach... Not sure what's new since the 2020 version?

Courtney Bublé@courtneybuble.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Wyden and Kennedy introduced a bill to modernize PACER

Tonight's #cambma City Council meeting, 41 people in line for public comment (2 minutes per). This is kind of a lengthy agenda, but there are some AHERN FIELD signs outside City Hall, so that'll be one of the issues.

Looks like #cambma is back to Level 3 drought status as of today: www.cambridgema.gov/news/detail?... (I can never understand how the dates on the maps are a month apart and don't match the announcement date. Maybe someone can tell me in the replies, @cambridgemass.bsky.social ?)

Tiny update in Peruano: the Government filed the certification that it had distributed Judge Sorokin's 30-page takedown of ICE to Sullivan and a few other ICE people. And then Peruano filed her cost/fee itemization.

John Hawkinson@johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Small Peruano followup: Judge Sorokin ordered that the Gov. file a notice stating that Asst. Field Office Director Sullivan have the contents of the May 20 opinion "explained to him" by counsel, and the Government just filed such a notice (4:30pm).

Catching up…

Universal Hub@universalhub.com · 2mo ago

Judge sanctions ICE for complete disregard of the truth, the Constitution and basic human decency in the case of an immigrant with epilepsy www.universalhub.com/2026/judge-s... #Boston #immigrants

Coming up at 11am, a motion to enforce hearing in the Calderon class action before Judge Saris. I don't know that it's going to be worth liveposting, but I suppose we will see.

Man. To think I almost didn't read LTS's Peruano opinion yesterday because it cost $3 and I had no idea of its significance. But for some reason I emailed the docket clerk at 4pm and asked her to mark it as free which she did an hour later. I think there's a lesson here -- but not sure what it is?

John Hawkinson@johnhawkinson.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Earlier this afternoon, Judge Sorokin issued a 30-page decision granting a habeas petition and SANCTIONING ICE. Guevara Peruano v. Wesling. I'm in a meeting now and haven't reviewed it, but it looks to be a monetary sanction. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Earlier this afternoon, Judge Sorokin issued a 30-page decision granting a habeas petition and SANCTIONING ICE. Guevara Peruano v. Wesling. I'm in a meeting now and haven't reviewed it, but it looks to be a monetary sanction. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

WBUR reporting that former #cambma City Clerk Anthony I. Wilson was appointed to the Cannabis Control Commission. Huh. www.wbur.org/news/2026/05...

Former revenue chief to lead reshaped Cannabis Control Commission

The governor on Tuesday appointed Christopher Harding as chair of the new three-person commission and also picked as commissioners Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council official Xiomara D...

wbur.org

Over at the First Circuit on Monday, Any Lopez Belloza (Babson student deported over Judge Stearn's order who was afraid to return to get re-arrested) filed her opening (blue) brief. Here's a copy you can't get from PACER: www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...