Oakland Local

The City of Oakland has a 17% reported unemployment rate, foreclosures are high, and times are rough for almost everyone, but that doesn’t mean everything in Oakland isn’t going well–there’s new vibrancy downtown, urban gardens and new initiatives to improve corner markets are happening around town, and merchants and neighborhood associations are working together to promote strong communities. And for many of us, the tough challenges of the past year mean that we’re entering this season just grateful for being here, keeping on.