Bay Area

Oakland Hosts Town Halls on Public Safety to Discuss Concerns with Residents

The City of Oakland held a series of town halls on public safety this week to discuss and address residents’ biggest concerns about strategies city leaders are implementing to make the town a safer place. To kickoff the series, the public safety leadership team met at Beth Eden Baptist Church, where pews were filled with people ready to ask questions of city officials they don’t often get to interact with.

Published

1 year ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland Public Safety Leadership team held a series of town halls to discuss and answer concerns around public safety strategies and initiatives by city leaders. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz

To kickoff the series, the public safety leadership team met at Beth Eden Baptist Church, where pews were filled with people ready to ask questions of city officials they don’t often get to interact with.

“I want [this town hall discussion] to be honest. I want this to be productive and solutions oriented,” Mayor Sheng Thao said.

On the leadership team with Thao were Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, City Administrator Jestin Johnson, Department of Violence Prevention Chief Holly Joshi, and Fire Chief Damon Covington. Director of the Department of Transportation Josh Rowan and Assistant City Administrator Harold Duffey also joined the panel on Friday evening.

City officials have faced harsh criticism on the public safety front, with many Oakland residents reporting frustration and disappointment that they do not feel comfortable stepping out of their homes or going to work everyday.

Strategies like Ceasefire, a program used from 2012 to 2019 to reduce violent gun crimes, were highlighted to show that reinvestment in such initiatives makes it possible to reduce gun violence by at least 50%.

Programs like Ceasefire, which look to prevent crime at the source, such as gangs or individuals with histories of crime, are inter-agency. The Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) also largely looks at how to reduce and prevent violent crime and guide victims through their trauma.

Joshi explained that the department takes a community-based approach to tackling organized violent crimes in the city. These strategies include conversations with community members and grassroots organizations, providing resources and social services to those most at risk for crimes, and identifying who is most likely to commit crimes so that root problems can be tackled head on instead of waiting for these individuals to fall through the cracks.

As of August 24, violent crime is down 15% across the city from 2023 to 2024, according to police data. A major change from the 2022 to 2023 annual data that showed violent crime was up 21% and assault with a firearm was also up 12% in that same timeframe. Assault with a firearm is down 33% from last year.

“I understand that crime is not going down fast enough. I understand that you are not feeling safe enough. But we’re working extremely diligently to reimplement the things that we know work in the city of Oakland,” Joshi said.

Despite these changes in data and reinvestments into public safety programs, attendees did not appear satisfied with the results, saying they see more crime now than they did years ago when they were growing up in Oakland.

One of the main topics of discussion was related to the police department.

Attendees wanted to know when OPD would be receiving more police officers as there are currently only 691 sworn members to the nearly 431,000 in city population. OPD had 712 officers on the force before budget constraints cut positions.

Business owners and residents reported waiting hours after a crime is committed in their area before an officer shows up to take a report. Some local entrepreneurs claimed that police officers sometimes watch as crimes occur because they are not allowed to pursue potential offenders unless they believe that suspect has committed a violent crime, per OPD policy.

Mitchell explained that they are hoping to use the attrition of almost-retired officers in order to hire cadets who complete and pass police training from the local academies.

The Oakland police union revealed in a press conference earlier this month that there are only 105 officers a day over three shifts patrolling the city, meaning only 35 officers are on the streets at any given moment. The union added that to work more efficiently, 300 officers on patrol a day is the minimum in order to answer more calls and reports.

Homelessness was another popular topic during Friday’s discussion.

Residents wanted to know what the city is doing to enforce the removal of encampments and abandoned vehicles lined down major streets in Oakland.

Panel leaders said they often find it difficult to remove large encampments because advocates and lawyers will flood the scene and claim the city is violating human rights laws, putting a barrier on sweeps.

Johnson suggested that if people in the area are upset with these encampments and with advocates getting in the way of doing their jobs, residents should show up and provide support to city workers during sweeps.

Attendees did not respond well to the suggestion, saying that it was not their job to help the city and that officials should do more to clean up the neighborhoods.

Thao said she would be announcing an executive order soon related to homeless encampment sweeps, hoping to tackle one of the many public safety issues plaguing the city.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

3 days ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Bling It On: Holiday Lights Brighten Dark Nights All Around the Bay

On the block where I grew up in the 1960s, it was an unwritten agreement among the owners of those row homes to put up holiday lights: around the front window and door, along the porch banister, etc. Some put the Christmas tree in the window, and you could see it through the open slats of the blinds.

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

Christmas lights on a house near the writer’s residence in Oakland. Photo by Joseph Shangosola.

By Wanda Ravernell

I have always liked Christmas lights.

From my desk at my front window, I feel a quiet joy when the lights on the house across the street come on just as night falls.

My father, the renegade of the block, made no effort with lights, so my mother hung a wreath with two bells in the window. Just enough to let you know someone was at home.

Two doors down was a different story. Mr. King, the overachiever of the block, went all out for Christmas: The tree in the window, the lights along the roof and a Santa on his sleigh on the porch roof.

There are a few ‘Mr. Kings’ in my neighborhood.

In particular is the gentleman down the street. For Halloween, they erected a 10-foot skeleton in the yard, placed ‘shrunken heads’ on fence poles, pumpkins on steps and swooping bat wings from the porch roof. They have not held back for Christmas.

The skeleton stayed up this year, this time swathed in lights, as is every other inch of the house front. It is a light show that rivals the one in the old Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia.

I would hate to see their light bill…

As the shortest day of the year approaches, make Mr. King’s spirit happy and get out and see the lights in your own neighborhood, shopping plazas and merchant areas.

Here are some places recommended by 510 Families and Johnny FunCheap.

Oakland

Oakland’s Temple Hill Holiday Lights and Gardens is the place to go for a drive-by or a leisurely stroll for a religious holiday experience. Wear a jacket, because it’s chilly outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 4220 Lincoln Ave., particularly after dark. The gardens are open all day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the lights on from dusk until closing.

Alameda

Just across the High Street Bridge from Oakland, you’ll find Christmas Tree Lane in Alameda.

On Thompson Avenue between High Street and Fernside drive, displays range from classic trees and blow-ups to a comedic response to the film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Lights turn on at dusk and can be seen through the first week in January.

Berkeley

The Fourth Street business district from University Avenue to Virginia Street in Berkeley comes alive with lights beginning at 5 p.m. through Jan. 1, 2026.

There’s also a display at one house at 928 Arlington St., and, for children, the Tilden Park Carousel Winter Wonderland runs through Jan. 4, 2026. Closed Christmas Day. For more information and tickets, call (510) 559-1004.

Richmond

The Sundar Shadi Holiday Display, featuring a recreation of the town of Bethlehem with life-size figures, is open through Dec. 26 at 7501 Moeser Lane in El Cerrito.

Marin County

In Marin, the go-to spot for ‘oohs and ahhs’ is the Holiday Light Spectacular from 4-9 p.m. through Jan. 4, 2026, at Marin Center Fairgrounds at 10 Ave of the Flags in San Rafael through Jan. 4. Displays dazzle, with lighted walkways and activities almost daily. For more info, go to: www.marincounty.gov/departments/cultural-services/department-sponsored-events/holiday-light-spectacular

The arches at Marin County Civic Center at 3501 Civic Center Dr. will also be illuminated nightly.

San Francisco

Look for light installations in Golden Gate Park, chocolate and cheer at Ghirardelli Square, and downtown, the ice rink in Union Square and the holiday tree in Civic Center Plaza are enchanting spots day and night. For neighborhoods, you can’t beat the streets in Noe Valley, Pacific Heights, and Bernal Heights. For glee and over-the-top glitz there’s the Castro, particularly at 68 Castro Street.

Livermore

The winner of the 2024 Great Light Flight award, Deacon Dave has set up his display with a group of creative volunteers at 352 Hillcrest Avenue since 1982. See it through Jan. 1, 2026. For more info, go to https://www.casadelpomba.com

Fremont

Crippsmas Place is a community of over 90 decorated homes with candy canes passed out nightly through Dec. 31. A tradition since 1967, the event features visits by Mr. and Mrs. Claus on Dec. 18 and Dec. 23 and entertainment by the Tri-M Honor Society at 6 p.m. on Dec. 22. Chrippsmas Place is located on: Cripps Place, Asquith Place, Nicolet Court, Wellington Place, Perkins Street, and the stretch of Nicolet Avenue between Gibraltar Drive and Perkins Street.

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Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.