The Oakland Ballers on opening night. Photo by me.

I have a couple of Oakland pieces up today, one for locals and one for everyone.

For the San Francisco Standard, I gave Oakland’s new mayor, Barbara Lee, some advice she didn’t ask for on how to deliver for this disastrously misgoverned city. (This is the one for the locals.)

In the Free Press, I wrote about the Ballers, Oakland’s new independent league baseball team, which is providing some hope for a city that desperately needs it. (This one is for everybody.)

The Free PressGoodbye Oakland A’s. Hello Oakland Ballers.OAKLAND, California—On a perfect night in West Oakland, Jorge Leon is roaming around Ernie Raimondi Park, where the city’s new independent league baseball team, the Oakland Ballers, play. It’s the first game of the new season, and the ballpark is sold out. A few minutes earlier Leon was up in the stands, shouting “Let’s go Oakland!” at the top of his lungs, but right now he’s on the outdoor concourse, where fans wait in line for food and locally brewed Almanac beer…Read more2 months ago · 73 likes · 96 comments · Leighton Woodhouse

For those who care about non-Oakland topics, I highly recommend this grim analysis of the geopolitics of the Gaza genocide at this pivotal moment in the conflict, by my friend Murtaza Hussein:

Murtaza HussainNetanyahu's Two BetsThe Israeli government is now implementing a policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip, according to its senior officials. In remarks over the past few weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that after the defeat of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel will enact a “voluntary emigration plan,” for…Read more2 months ago · 78 likes · 22 comments · Murtaza Hussain

Have a happy long weekend.

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