[lacker]

Personally I find that Berkeleyside and Oaklandside are full of “personal interest” type stories that are interesting but usually aren’t too important. Some new restaurant opened, a new indie movie is showing. Whereas the SF Chronicle has recently become an excellent source for local coronavirus and wildfire news.

[jeffbee]

Interesting. I find the primary sources on wildfires, pandemics etc to be so easily accessed that I don't need the interpretations of local newspapers on those topics. What can they tell me that I can't find out by viewing up-to-the-minute satellite and air quality data? Nothing. And in particular I don't need editorial takes like the ones of the L.A. Times earlier this year, crowing about how sprawl protects them from the pandemic. How does that take seem this week? Better to just get stats from health officials' web sites.

On the other hand there's no ready alternative source for restaurant openings and closings. That's just about my favorite topic on Berkeleyside.

[lacker]

The SF Chronicle charts are just really well done. For example this page I find to be the most useful one for California-centric coronavirus information: https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/coronavirus-map/