Important Takeaways:

• Rising crime risks turning Oakland into a ‘ghost town.’ Newsom is sending in reinforcements
• Violent crime and other felonies fell in 2023 in America’s biggest cities. They increased in Oakland.
• Robberies grew 38% last year in Oakland, according to police data. Burglaries increased 23%. Motor vehicle theft jumped 44%. Roughly one of every 30 Oakland residents had a car stolen last year, according to a San Francisco Chronicle analysis.
• On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he was taking action, deploying 120 California Highway Patrol officers to Oakland and the surrounding area to conduct a law enforcement surge operation. The aim: to crack down on crime, including vehicle theft, retail theft and violent crime.
• “What’s happening in this beautiful city and surrounding area is alarming and unacceptable,” Newsom said in a statement.
• Business owners have been pleading for help for months.

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