Free Cities
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Private buses are back, but will government leave them alone?
Private buses are back, but will government leave them alone? Looking forward to attending FIFA World Cup 26? There’s “an easy and affordable way to move between host cities to see the matches.” FlixBus, the world’s largest motor coach service — it has a presence in more than 40 countries ...
Blog
One cat death is a tragedy. 43K human deaths is a statistic
For those who missed the internationally publicized brouhaha, a tabby named Kit Kat had lived in the city’s Mission, where he sauntered into bodegas and bars. Dubbed the Mayor of 16th Street, Kit Kat was by all accounts a charming character. Then on October 27, the unthinkable happened: a Waymo self-driving taxi ...
Blog
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation By Sal Rodriguez | December 12, 2025 Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee gets it. The longtime progressive former Congress member has taken a hatchet to the regulatory thicket that’s hindered true progress in Oaktown. “The city has transformed its permitting process with same-day ...
Blog
Latest loan plan won’t fix transit’s fundamental problems
To follow the narrative from California’s political leaders, the state’s transit systems are still struggling because of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Ridership numbers and revenues fell dramatically as a result and have yet to fully recover. Therefore, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Muni and other public systems need a state bailout ...
Blog
After balking, Fresno rightly OKs housing-streamlining compromise
after balking, fresno oks housing-streamlining compromise by Sal Rodriguez | December 5, 2025 (Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated from the article originally published on December 5 to reflect Fresno’s recent action on the issue.) The answer to the housing shortage plaguing cities across the country isn’t really that ...
Blog
Robotaxis offer real-world solution for urban traffic congestion
Waymo is the Autonomous Vehicle division of Alphabet/Google, which for two decades has mapped almost every road in America. The cars are electric I-Pace Jaguars made in Austria by Magna Steyr and, he said, quite luxurious. Other cities hosting Waymos include Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta and San Francisco, also covering ...
Blog
LA apartment builders pull back as bureaucracy, taxes take toll
LA apartment builders pull back as bureaucracy, taxes take toll By Kerry Jackson | November 25, 2025 Los Angeles needs more apartments. No one will argue otherwise. Developers want to build more units to meet the demand. It’s what they do. But not in Los Angeles. A third party that should play ...
Blog
Privatizing the loo: A solution for cities’ restroom debacle?
Privatizing the loo: A solution for cities’ restroom debacle? By D. Dowd Muska | November 21, 2025 Spend enough time researching the subject, and one can be forgiven for abandoning all hope. Simply put, America’s public restrooms are a disaster. First, there aren’t enough of them. Writer Quinn O’Callaghan considers ...
Blog
Private transit worked in the past. Could it help cities again?
On the surface, Tokyo and Los Angeles couldn’t be more different — one city known for its safety, cleanliness, walkability and vibrancy, while the other is often criticized for sprawl, dysfunction and decay. But there was a time when Los Angeles was known for the former — in part, by ...
Blog
Cities bury power lines to halt wildfires, but state slows progress
Cities bury power lines to halt wildfires, but state slows progress by John Seiler | November 14, 2025 California’s wildfires burned more than a half-million acres this year, with the Pacific Palisades and eaton wildfires counting among the nation’s most devastating wildfires ever. While some wildfires are inevitable in such ...
Private buses are back, but will government leave them alone?
Private buses are back, but will government leave them alone? Looking forward to attending FIFA World Cup 26? There’s “an easy and affordable way to move between host cities to see the matches.” FlixBus, the world’s largest motor coach service — it has a presence in more than 40 countries ...
One cat death is a tragedy. 43K human deaths is a statistic
For those who missed the internationally publicized brouhaha, a tabby named Kit Kat had lived in the city’s Mission, where he sauntered into bodegas and bars. Dubbed the Mayor of 16th Street, Kit Kat was by all accounts a charming character. Then on October 27, the unthinkable happened: a Waymo self-driving taxi ...
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation By Sal Rodriguez | December 12, 2025 Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee gets it. The longtime progressive former Congress member has taken a hatchet to the regulatory thicket that’s hindered true progress in Oaktown. “The city has transformed its permitting process with same-day ...
Latest loan plan won’t fix transit’s fundamental problems
To follow the narrative from California’s political leaders, the state’s transit systems are still struggling because of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Ridership numbers and revenues fell dramatically as a result and have yet to fully recover. Therefore, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Muni and other public systems need a state bailout ...
After balking, Fresno rightly OKs housing-streamlining compromise
after balking, fresno oks housing-streamlining compromise by Sal Rodriguez | December 5, 2025 (Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated from the article originally published on December 5 to reflect Fresno’s recent action on the issue.) The answer to the housing shortage plaguing cities across the country isn’t really that ...
Robotaxis offer real-world solution for urban traffic congestion
Waymo is the Autonomous Vehicle division of Alphabet/Google, which for two decades has mapped almost every road in America. The cars are electric I-Pace Jaguars made in Austria by Magna Steyr and, he said, quite luxurious. Other cities hosting Waymos include Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta and San Francisco, also covering ...
LA apartment builders pull back as bureaucracy, taxes take toll
LA apartment builders pull back as bureaucracy, taxes take toll By Kerry Jackson | November 25, 2025 Los Angeles needs more apartments. No one will argue otherwise. Developers want to build more units to meet the demand. It’s what they do. But not in Los Angeles. A third party that should play ...
Privatizing the loo: A solution for cities’ restroom debacle?
Privatizing the loo: A solution for cities’ restroom debacle? By D. Dowd Muska | November 21, 2025 Spend enough time researching the subject, and one can be forgiven for abandoning all hope. Simply put, America’s public restrooms are a disaster. First, there aren’t enough of them. Writer Quinn O’Callaghan considers ...
Private transit worked in the past. Could it help cities again?
On the surface, Tokyo and Los Angeles couldn’t be more different — one city known for its safety, cleanliness, walkability and vibrancy, while the other is often criticized for sprawl, dysfunction and decay. But there was a time when Los Angeles was known for the former — in part, by ...
Cities bury power lines to halt wildfires, but state slows progress
Cities bury power lines to halt wildfires, but state slows progress by John Seiler | November 14, 2025 California’s wildfires burned more than a half-million acres this year, with the Pacific Palisades and eaton wildfires counting among the nation’s most devastating wildfires ever. While some wildfires are inevitable in such ...
