Yesterday the Oakland Chamber of Commerce released their annual “Pulse of Oakland” poll, and the results are encouraging for us members of the Coalition for a Better Oakland. The poll shows that, by large majorities, Oaklanders share our concerns.
On the all-important “right track/wrong track” question, citizens think Oakland is heading “in the wrong direction.” And not just by a small majority: 64% responded with “wrong track,” the highest such percentage since 2010. I’m confident that the overwhelming majority of Coalition members similarly feel that our beloved city is going down the drain.
What drives this voter discontent? Homelessness and homeless encampments were the two “top problems” people identified in the poll, with 68% and 60%, respectively, selecting them. That comes as no surprise to our members, nor does top problem #3: crime, which got 48%. As our members know, encampments and crime (i.e. proper funding of the Oakland Police Department) are our priorities. This puts us solidly in synch with the majority of our fellow Oaklanders.
And when it comes to crime, Oaklanders are deeply worried. An astounding 68% of the people--more than two-thirds—said they feel “less safe in Oakland than they did two years ago.” That is by far the highest percentage in the poll’s 22-year history. When respondents were asked how seriously they view the threat of crime—extremely serious, very serious, somewhat serious, or not a problem at all—77% of respondents replied “extremely” or “very serious.” By comparison, in 2017 that percentage was only 45%. Clearly, Oaklanders are anxious about what seems to them to be an unprecedented explosion of violence.
It thus is perfectly natural that by huge majorities, Oaklanders want the number of police officers to either be “increased” (51%) or “kept the same” (23%). Only a meager 16% want the number of cops to be “decreased.” You’d think that Carroll Fife, Nikki Bas, Rebecca Kaplan and the other defunders on the City Council would hear this message loud and clear. Maybe they do, but apparently, they don’t care what we think. All they care about is pushing their woke ideology, which would see policing abolished or severely restricted.
A related issue that we don’t talk much about here in the Coalition (but maybe we should) is whether “having more large companies locate in Oakland is good for our economy.” Once again, a supermajority, 75%, responded “agree.” That even included 65% of self-identified “progressives” ! The reason this is important is because it’s long been a tenet of leftwing ideology to complain about large companies relocating here. According to the left, this only contributes to “gentrification.” This is why the left is against the Oakland A’s new ballpark at Howard Terminal, despite the fact that the Chamber poll found 72% of Oaklanders favor that project.
Once again, these wokesters are out-of-step with the rest of us. We know that when companies come here, they bring jobs, tax dollars, and revitalized neighborhoods. It’s pitiful that the wokes despise these things.
Bottom line: Coalition members should take confidence in these poll findings. We’re not alone; what we feel is shared by almost everyone else. We’re on the right side of history. Now, we have to stay united and focused. As we head into the 2022 elections, we ought to be optimistic we can rid ourselves of the incompetent failures on the City Council, who have gotten us into so much trouble, and replace them with people who truly represent us.
I hope to see you tonight at 6 p.m. on Zoom! Here’s the link:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/4676483902?pwd=VG9tcGJNS2lBMUVMU3VmRk9tUjBhUT09
Steve Heimoff