Ms. Thao, who took office in January, said that her administration has taken steps to bolster police patrols and use technology to address crime hot spots, as well as to draw crowds back to the city center. The city, she said, still has a wealth of attractions, including its waterfront, regional parks, culinary scene and growing film industry. “Oakland is the heart and soul of the Bay Area,” she said.
Crime has increased, she acknowledged, but rates remain lower than they were in the 1990s. The California Highway Patrol has dispatched officers to help with enforcement on some of the busier thoroughfares in Oakland, and the city is installing some 300 license plate readers whose cameras will help combat crimes from car thefts to illegal dumping, Mayor Thao said.
The city has lost 15,000 residents since the pandemic began, but she said Oakland’s economy still has strong fundamentals. The Port of Oakland including its airport and real estate operations, is directly responsible for creating about 50,000 jobs, according to a recent study it commissioned. Kaiser Permanente, the giant health care provider, is based here and remains a major employer. Samuel Merritt University, which specializes in training nurses and other health professionals, broke ground this year on a new campus in downtown Oakland.
And given the severe housing shortage and high living costs in California, the city’s problems are mitigated by its enduring appeal as a more affordable alternative to San Francisco. Monthly rents hover around $2,200 for a one-bedroom apartment, according to city figures, and the median home value is about $815,000.
“Oakland will always have more soul and more grit than any part of the Bay Area and it will not lose that any time soon,” said Libby Schaaf, who led the city for eight years as mayor before she left because of term limits this year. “Don’t count Oakland out. Oakland will be fine.”
