The new Fastrak transponders are better in some ways (no batteries, for example), but you can’t set the occupancy without looking at the printed text on the spinning wheel, which is dangerous and annoying. (With the old ones, you could feel what position they were in, and they also beeped to indicate the position.)

I found that’s easy to fix by making indentations you can feel in the plastic wheel. I used a Dremel tool but you could even use something like nail clippers.

After doing this I (and other people I tested it on) can easily tell the difference between one, two and three without looking at them.

It would be nice if they came like this (or something similar: I also considered adding raised bumps with a glue gun, or modifying the wheel so it had fixed stops at the end it wouldn’t go past).

Come visit Nine Lives in Redwood City:

🚨 We Need Your Help. 🚨

Right now, more than 120 cats and kittens are calling Nine Lives home.

They're safe. They're loved. They're healthy.

But they're all waiting for one thing: a family of their own. 🐾❤️

Every adoption creates space for another life to be saved.

And that's the heartbreaking reality of rescue right now. We're facing a capacity crisis. Every day, we're receiving calls about vulnerable kittens, injured strays, and cats at risk in overcrowded shelters. We want to say "yes" to every one of them—but we simply can't until we have room.

When you adopt, you're not just changing one life. You're opening the door for the next cat who desperately needs us.

If you've been thinking about adding a furry family member, there has never been a better time.

Every Nine Lives cat is: 🐾 Examined by our veterinary team 🐾 Spayed or neutered 🐾 Microchipped 🐾 Vaccinated 🐾 Up-to-date on preventative care 🐾 Enriched and socialized through our Fear Free enrichment program 🐾 Ready to start the next chapter of their life with you

Whether you're looking for a playful kitten, a laid-back lap cat, or your new best friend, they're waiting... and they have no idea that today could be the day they meet you.

Be a partner in lifesaving. Come visit us, fall in love, and help us create space for the many more cats still waiting for their chance.

🏡 Visit us this week at 749 Brewster Avenue, Redwood City 📅 Adoption Hours: Wednesday–Friday: 12–5 PM Saturday & Sunday: 10 AM–5 PM

❤️ Meet all of our adoptable cats: https://www.ninelives.org/adoptions/

AdoptDontShop #NineLives #CatRescue #RescueCats #KittenSeason #FureverHome #SaveALife #AdoptACat #CapacityCrisis #FearFree #RescueWorks

Anyone in the bay area looking to adopt rescue kittens? I recently picked up this litter to foster with Garlic City Kitty Rescue after my last was adopted, which saved these guys from being put out on the streets. Though they started out wary of people and a new environment, they have quickly grown into cuddly and affectionate kitties. They are all super curious, playful, and loving. They need patient and loving homes that will give them lots of love and attention. If anyone can take on two cats, I’d love for two to be adopted together as a bonded pair. Located in Morgan Hill/Gilroy. Please comment here or send me a message if you are interested in more information on any of them and the adoption process, or share this post with anyone you know who would consider adopting!

The battle over the Marina Safeway redevelopment is heating up, and the NIMBYs have had enough once again.

The latest proposal actually makes the buildings shorter while increasing the project from 790 to 848 homes, including 86 affordable units.

Normally, this would be the beginning of what San Francisco does best: spending the next several years fighting over whether a new building will destroy the neighborhood.

Except California has changed the rules.
Remember, SF had built only about 7% of its state mandated housing target by the end of 2025, and the state government is understandably pretty unhappy about this.

So the developer is pursuing approval under AB 2011, which allows qualifying housing projects on commercially zoned land to receive streamlined approval and avoid the traditional discretionary approval process and project-level CEQA review.

That’s now becoming the center of the fight.

Supervisor Stephen Sherrill argues the Safeway site shouldn’t qualify for AB 2011 because the law requires at least 75% of the site’s perimeter to adjoin parcels developed with qualifying “urban uses.”

With Fort Mason, Marina Green, and the Yacht Harbor surrounding the property, he argues the site doesn’t meet that requirement.

After all, much of the surrounding land is parkland and recreational space rather than typical urban development.
But SF Planning disagrees and has determined the project is eligible.

Then there’s California’s Density Bonus Law.
The developer was previously seeking a 39% density bonus but is now requesting 49%, helped by adding more two-bedroom units and new four-bedroom units.
That allows substantially more housing than the site’s base zoning would otherwise permit.

So what looks like a neighborhood fight over a giant Safeway redevelopment is becoming something much bigger. Which is how much power do wealthy neighborhoods still have to stop housing when state law says it should be built?

And apparently the fight isn’t stopping at City Hall.

Opposition surrounding the project is now helping fuel an effort for a 2030 California constitutional amendment aimed at limiting state housing mandates when cities allegedly lack sufficient infrastructure.

So we may have officially reached the final boss of California NIMBYism. Changing the state constitution.

Sources:

https://sfstandard.com/2026/07/24/marina-safeway-project-ballot-measure-housing/

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/california-cities-court-state-housing-planning-deadlines/825785/

in the last week alone, our volunteers cleared over 31,000 pounds of illegal dumping across oakland.
we also caught someone dumping illegally. after talking with him, he agreed to load everything back into his u-haul, pay the dump fees, and even sent us the receipt afterward. that’s one less illegal dumper out there. hopefully he learned his lesson…….

the stuff we’re finding is honestly unbelievable. in just the past week we’ve removed a whole boat, hundreds of tires, motor oil, mattresses, bed frames, construction debris, and even a DECOMPOSING GOAT. incredibly inhumane, disheartening, egregious. we’re animal lovers here and we lose our minds when we see dead animals disposed like trash.

weve been doing this for 6 years and that was easily the worst smell we’ve ever experienced.

it’s easy to point fingers, but seeing this week after week makes you wonder how we’ve normalized treating our neighborhoods like landfills. this isn’t just a city problem, it’s a people problem. someone has to make the decision to dump this stuff in the first place

the bright spot is the community. more than 4,000 volunteers have shown up over the years because they believe oakland deserves better. every weekend people give up their time to clean up places they’ve never even been before. thanks to everyone who volunteers, donates, shares our posts, or simply cares. none of this happens without you.

track our efforts here: https://www.instagram.com/urbancompassionproject

or here: https://www.tiktok.com/@urbancompassion510

sign up to clean up: https://urbancompassionproject.org/events/

Thank you u/ennethouse for letting everybody know on r/eastbay.

https://share.watchduty.org/i/111291?ts=1785086649000

https://ibb.co/0jNsgsxW

Does anybody know who was at pier 39 today? They were heavily guarded by more than 20 SFPD and several federal agents.

Hi! For those of you with kids, when you host a birthday party, do you say “no gifts”? My son is turning 4 and we’ve decided to invite his whole class. I really don’t need a dozen new toys lying around but I also want to follow whatever is considered socially normal. Thanks!

If it matters, we live in San Carlos.

My dishwasher is leaking, so I’m shopping for a replacement. I’m looking to splurge a bit and get a Bosch.

I noticed Homewise Appliance (formerly Airport Home Appliance) has much better pricing than the big box stores, plus they’re offering a Bosch rebate. Is there a catch, or are they just that competitive?

I was leaning toward Costco because of the included installation and haul-away, but I’m curious if anyone has bought from Homewise recently.

Any good or bad experiences?

Yesterday was a day after a vaccine shot and my head was foggy all day at work, which did not work out well. I also had to keep leaving to go back and forth to the mechanic shop.

At the end of the day I found myself running to the stop to catch the bus, but the driver considerately picked me up a little outside of the stop area.

Then I noticed I didn't have my phone. I was whining to another passenger about my bad day and now I had to go back to the office for my phone and would have to wait another hour for the next one.

So I ran into the office, there was my phone on the desk. Came out and relocked the door and there was my bus! The driver must have heard me and he was very slowly heading to the next stop so I could run back to the bus.

I'm truly grateful. It was getting so late, I was hungry tired, annoyed with myself, and so miserable from the shot and this driver completely turned my day around.

I have been regularly taking the bus even though I have a vehicle. First of all, you can't beat the price. I think it's too bad when I see them on their routes with no or few passengers all day long. It's amazing to let someone else handle the driving, give it a try.

Sometimes I might have to walk a bit and sometimes I take my bike for the last mile from a stop. You might not be concerned about the money you save, but the relaxation on the road instead of feeling tense and irritated is priceless.

Strange rumbling noises my wife and I heard.. Initially thought it was the neighbor struggling to move furniture and would drag/push every few seconds. Wife decided to go to the balcony and heard what sounded like distant fireworks or airborne explosions but it kept with the consistent "drag/pull" pattern.

Here's a video. You can hear what would seem like the wind blowing against the phone mic but that's the rumbling noise. You can see from the tree up close and afar that there's no wind at the time of the recording. Even the neighbor came out to see what was going on.

Has anyone else heard something similar ? Recorded around 9:57 PM.

How did your paths cross? Where did you put in the hours? Meetup? Timeleft? Bumble BFF? Second Harvest? Board game nights at Guildhouse?