Speaking of local blogs...

There are a bunch of Oakland bloggers who are writing their hearts out as the mainstream media continues its accelerated collapse. For nitty gritty political coverage, including detailed discussion of land use and zoning, there is www.abetteroakland.com, Oakland's most popular blog according to a recent column by Chip Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle. For downtown politics and culture, there is thedto.wordpress.com and www.dogtowncommons.com. For general politics and city living there is www.novometro.com. For gardening there is yourcityfarmer.blogspot.com, which has wonderful links to other writers engaging in guerilla gardening, an effort to reclaim neglected urban spaces! The Grand Lake Guardian, at www.grandlakeguardian.org, features writing by civic activists who are focused on the Lake Shore Drive merchant district. The Town, at thetown.wordpress.com, features some excellent posts by journalism students. Oakland Goods, at www.oaklandgoods.com promotes local artists, businesses and stuff to do. There is a new elections blog at cityofoakland.blogspot.com and a crime wrap up at oaklandcrimesurge.blogspot.com.

Safety First Oakland, at www.safetyfirstoakland.com is the best central source for information on police and crime. Oakland Residents for Peaceful Neighborhoods, at www.orpn.org, run by City Council At-Large Candidate Charlie Pine, has for years made a forceful case for the need to hire an additional seven hundred police officers. East Bay Conservative, at www.eastbayconservative.com, has intelligent posts that skewer some of the most misguided liberal policies.

All of these blogs have excellent material and are worth checking in with. ABetterOakland probably does the best job of maintaining the most comprehensive link list if you are looking to further explore the Oakland writing community. The Oakland blogging scene has really begun to take off in the past year, and it is sure to continue to get richer as time goes by.