Securing Partnerships for More Community Safety

Public safety is my top priority. Under my administration, we are making investments that are data-driven under my three-prong public safety strategy plan:

1. Having a robust and accountable police department.
   Having a strong response time is important, that is why in my proposed budget I funded and Council passed two extra police academies.
2. Leveraging new crime-fighting technology to expand OPD's capacity and,
3. Resourcing strong violence prevention strategies.

I continue to work in deep partnership with Governor Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta and our State representatives, Assemblymembers Mia Bonta, Buffy Wicks and Senator Nancy Skinner to bring more resources to Oakland. The issues that Oakland is experiencing is not unique and are fluid. It will take all of us working together to create the deep positive impacts we know all Oaklanders deserve.

I am excited to announce that we have secured additional support from Governor Gavin Newsom in the form of 120 CHP officers. These extra patrols will be working in Oakland and the greater East Bay to tackle retail theft, auto and commercial burglaries, armed robberies and more.

In addition to these patrols we have also secured additional prosecutorial support from CA Attorney General Rob Bonta. Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta have been vital partners in our efforts to make Oakland safer.

We previously partnered with the state to deploy more law enforcement over the last few months and through this partnership, hundreds of new FLOCK cameras will be coming to Oakland to help us fight crime and blight. The partnership to bring cameras to Oakland could not have been successful without the commitment of our City Councilmembers, Privacy Commission, and Oakland Police Department.

Collaboration and partnership is key to ensuring that government is impactful and responsive to the needs of our city and communities. Thank you to everyone who continues to advocate on behalf of our beautiful city and for your commitment to a safer, cleaner and healthier Oakland.

In Service,

Sheng Thao,

Mayor of Oakland

California Clean and Oakland Fresh

As Mayor of Oakland, I extend my sincere appreciation to Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Nancy Skinner, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks for their invaluable dedication to cultivating a cleaner, greener Oakland.

At yesterday's Clean California event, I joined the Governor, Assemblymembers, and Senator alongside CalTrans crews in a cleanup around Highway 880. This is an example of how the state and city have come together towards one goal: a safer and cleaner Oakland for everyone.

I am thrilled to announce that Oakland will soon launch its own initiative, Oakland Fresh, which will prioritize local cleanup efforts and ensure accountability for illegal dumpers. Together, we are taking significant strides towards a more sustainable and pristine future for our beloved city.

Mayor Sheng Thao, Governor Gavin Newsom, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, and Senator Nancy Skinner are proud to stand behind our amazing staff at CalTrans and thank them for their hard work fighting blight and trash.

911 Progress Report

I had the pleasure of joining Oakland’s 911 Police Dispatchers for an update on the status of our 911 system after decades of under investments.

Since taking office 1 year ago, we began our aggressive work in improving the system and empowering our operators with the necessary tools. I am proud to say that we are seeing positive results, however, there is still much more to be done and we are committed to being better and stronger for all of Oakland. Some of these critical successes in improving 911 response times include:

• An increase in the number of calls taken within 15 seconds from 37% of all calls to 50%;
• An increase in the volume of calls taken, from 11,000 a month to well over 14,000;
• Bringing dispatcher vacancies down from double digits to just four positions, which we expect to fill soon;
• Upgrading the backup generator to ensure that our 911 dispatchers can continue working, even during a power outage;
• Giving our phone systems their first major upgrade in 20 years!

The City Council and I committed $2.5 million to 911. We are actively utilizing the funds to enhance services and outcomes for the community. We plan to provide a progress report in the spring, highlighting how the funding will be used to expedite call transitions, hire additional staff, and modernize equipment to increase dispatcher efficiency and support their overall health.

Mayor Thao connects directly with 911 dispatchers while doing a site visit.

US Conference of Mayors

Last month, I was honored to join Mayors from across the country at the US Conference of Mayors. This annual conference is not just an opportunity for mayors to come together to meet and collaborate but also to meet with federal officials and push for some of our shared priorities, including community safety, affordable housing, transportation infrastructure, and ending homelessness. I had the pleasure of connecting with our federal partners in Congress and met with members of the Biden Administration.

President Biden’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention

This past September, President Biden announced the formation of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, a new program focused on violence prevention and intervention work. While in DC, my team and I met with the new office to discuss our plans for resurrecting the Ceasefire strategy that was an effective tool to decrease violent crimes in Oakland when it was running at full capacity. I'm excited to partner with the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to ensure Oaklanders are safe, please stay tuned for more updates.

Mayor Thao stands with staff of the new Presidential Department of Gun Violence Prevention

Meeting Transportation Secretary Buttigieg

Continuing our relationship with the US Department of Transportation is essential to securing additional federal dollars to help improve our street safety, transit, port, and airport. Meeting with Secretary Buttigieg in DC was productive and allowed us to discuss these critical issues and connect about significant initiatives and efforts led by his Department.

Mayor Thao joins other California big city Mayors in meeting USDOT Secratary Pete Buttiegieg

14th Street Safety Project Groundbreaking

It’s official! After 25 years of talking about improving 14th Street, my administration was finally proud to break ground on this critical project.

The transformation of 14th Street through the heart of DowntownOakland will improve safety and create an inviting atmosphere to visit our local shops, restaurants, and other businesses.

Thank you to our fantastic staff at The Oakland Department of Transportation for your work on this life-saving project, as well as our community advocates with Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland, Bike East Bay, and Traffic Violence Rapid Response for your work - fighting for projects like these as well as joining us at this groundbreaking celebration!

Top: 14th Street groundbreaking cermony featuring Mayor Thao and public and community leaders.

Bottom: mock up of new designs for 14th Street

Celebrating Lunar New Year

Join me in celebrating Lunar New Year! I joined Chinatown merchants, community leaders, and city officials to celebrate Lunar New Year at Oakland’s annual Lunar New Year Bazaar. This year’s bazaar was greeted by sunshine and warm weather. It included thousands of attendees and vendors from across the East Bay. The Chinatown Chamber of Commerce hosted this event; they are also a recipient of the "Activate Oakland" grant which helped make this celebration possible.

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the Year of the Dragon and support our small businesses in the iconic Oakland Chinatown.

Mayor Thao joins elected officials and business leaders on the main stage of the Lunar New Year Bazaar

Mayor’s Annual Economic Forum with the SF Business Times

Thank you to the San Francisco Business Times for inviting me to your annual Mayors' Economic Forecast with our neighbor from across the Bay, Mayor London Breed.

Oakland is open for business, and we highlighted some significant economic changes for the City, including:

• PG&E is moving their HQ and 7000 employees downtown
• Samuel Merritt University is constructing a new $240 million campus headquarters in our City Center. It will eventually be home to 10,000 students, bringing activity seven days a week.
• The 50 new bars and restaurants that opened across the city in 2023.

I'm also excited about securing millions of dollars in federal and state dollars to bring more green jobs to Oakland, and if you haven't yet heard, the City of Oakland will be receiving $1.2 billion for building out and becoming a Hydrogen Hub; making Oakland one of only seven clean hydrogen hubs across the country.

Mayor Thao stands with community leaders at the Mayors Economic Forum.

Oakland Receives $20.4 million in Homekey Round-3 funds for the Quality Inn

I know that the solution to homelessness is dignified housing, getting our unsheltered population off the streets, out of the elements and ensuring all residents of Oakland can access our city's public infrastructure. The acquisition of the Quality Inn motel in District 7, funded by the State of California Homekey program, exemplifies our commitment.

This eighth Homekey award underscores Oakland's leadership in delivering permanent supportive housing, ensuring quick construction timelines, deep operating subsidies, and wraparound services. With this innovative approach, we are creating new permanent supportive housing at record speeds, providing a life-changing impact for those exiting homelessness.

The Quality Inn in East Oakland will be a new dedicated supportive housing complex for formarly homeless individuals including youth.

New Rapid Permitting Reform

The City of Oakland is committed to building more housing and making it easier for businesses to succeed.

We are excited to announce a significant enhancement in our permitting process by introducing ten new "rapid permits" available through the Online Permit Center.

This initiative aims to streamline and expedite the issuance of permits, providing applicants with instant approval upon completion of the application and fee payment.

Find out how you can take advantage of this new service by clicking here.

Point in Time Count

My team woke up early for this year's annual point-in-time count. This count is our yearly census of our residents experiencing homelessness. It will help us better understand where federal, state, and local resources should be allocated. The PIT count includes individuals and families in various situations: sleeping outside, in vehicles, in emergency shelters, and in transitional housing.

Under the new formula, we know that the count for this year will result in a higher number of our unhoused than from the previous PIT count due to pandemic restrictions. Previously, the count did not include approaching individuals, but rather an estimate from afar. This year, we were able to connect with individuals, ask if they'd like to take a survey, offer resources and more.

I want to thank everyone who signed up and showed up to volunteer. This year Oaklanders citywide showed up in force! We had more volunteers in Oakland than the County as a whole. THANK YOU to everyone who participated.

Members of the Mayor's Office, MACRO, and Oakland's homelessness teams met up at St. Mary's before heading out to complete the point in time count.

Celebrate the Town

Last year, we launched #ActivateOakland to promote the art, culture, and soul of Oakland's vibrant communities. This partnership with Visit Oakland will support dozens of events throughout the city. Check out the full calendar of events at

www.visitoakland.com/activate-oakland

Some Upcoming events include:

• Panther Prowl Roller Skating

• Valdez Street Vibes

• The Evolution of Jazz & Blues

• SnowDay Oakland

• ODP Game Day Party