by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

(full-disclosure: I work for Courage)

There is an interesting and troubling pattern emerging.  The California media is being greatly outclassed by papers from out of the state and country on the developing story about the residents of Potrero pushing back against Blackwater's attempts to move a massive base into their town.  This seems like it could be chalked up to the major cutbacks at California newspapers over the past year, but it is a stark reminder about the impacts of those losses.  California stories are no longer being covered by California newspapers.

It was the Guardian UK who had a lengthy, detailed article on the push for a recall of the Planning Group members who had voted to approve Blackwater's plans.  They talked to Brian Bonfiglio, Blackwater's Vice-President who is deployed to San Diego County to work on the project.  The Guardian also interviewed a number of the town residents, including several people who were on the ballot this week.

This week it was the New York Times who dispatched a reporter to Potrero to preview the recall.  The reporter ended up breaking news, even though I don't believe he knew it:

(much more on the flip)