Look, Jen, look! Oakland city council member Henry Chang (at left) announced yesterday that, after six years of wheedling, the Bay Area is officially getting a pair of pandas for the Oakland Zoo. The Chengdu Panda Breeding Center is coming to town on December 2 to make the official announcement. Oakland's been high on the priority list for awhile, given our diverse population, the strong ties to China in the area, and our temperate weather.

It's not like Oakland gets the pandas right away, though -- they've got to raise the $10 million in bamboo bounty to pay China for the privilege of giving us two, and supporters say they'll also need to raise between $5 and $15 million to build the pandas a nice new home. The zoo was promised $24 million in bond money two years ago, but it's unclear how much of that is going to the panda fund -- so if you want to help bring the pandas to town, sign up to be a zoo member.

Jen and the rest of the Gothamist panda crowd, you're always welcome here -- we'll take you out not just for burritos but xiao long bao and dim sum too!