San Francisco’s woes are well known. Across the bay, Oakland has had more trouble.

Ms Thao, who took office in January, said her government has taken steps to strengthen police patrols and use technology to tackle crime hotspots and draw crowds back to the city centre. 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 in the 1990s. The California Highway Patrol has sent officers to help with enforcement on some of Oakland’s busier thoroughfares, and the city is installing about 300 license plate readers whose cameras will help combat crimes from car thefts to illegal dumping, mayor said Thao.

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 directly employed about 50,000 people and indirectly supports almost as many more jobs in the Bay Area. Kaiser Permanente, the giant healthcare provider, is based here and remains a major employer. Samuel Merritt University, which specializes in training nurses and other health care professionals, broke ground this year on a new campus in downtown Oakland.

And given California’s severe housing shortage and high cost of living, the city’s problems are mitigated by its enduring appeal as a more affordable alternative to San Francisco. Monthly rental prices hover around $2,200 for a one-bedroom apartment, according to city figuresand the median home value is about $815,000.

“Oakland will always have more soul and grit than any part of the Bay Area, and it won’t lose that anytime soon,” said Libby Schaaf, who led the city as mayor for eight years before leaving due to term limits this year. . “Don’t count out Oakland. “Oakland will be fine.”