Oakland’s crime rate, consistently higher than the Bay Area’s other big cities, has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic, while the rates in San Francisco and San Jose have leveled off, an analysis of California Department of Justice data shows.
The data presents a striking contrast between the Bay Area’s biggest cities at a time when crime has become a growing concern across the region. An August poll by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found voters statewide are lining up 2-to-1 to support a November ballot measure to toughen penalties for repeat theft and drug offenses, which is backed by the mayors of San Francisco and San Jose.
A look at 20 years worth of state justice department crime data shows Oakland’s rate of reported crimes per 100,000 people has consistently surpassed that of San Francisco and San Jose. The figures also reveal that:
Oakland’s overall 2023 crime rate was higher than at any time in the past two decades, up 100 percent since 2020, 56 percent since 2013 and 86 percent since 2003. Oakland’s 2023 violent crime rate was up 174 percent since 2020, 72 percent since 2013, and 150 percent since 2003. Oakland’s 2023 property crime rate was up 90 percent since 2020, 52 percent since 2013 and 72 percent since 2003.
San Francisco’s overall 2023 crime rate has fluctuated, up 15 percent from 2020, down 16 percent from 2013, and up just 2 percent from 2003. San Francisco’s 2023 violent crime rate was up 16 percent from 2020, but down 27 percent from 2013 and 14 percent from 2003. San Francisco’s 2023 property crime rate was up 14 percent from 2020, down 15 percent from 2013 and up 4 percent from 2003.
San Jose’s overall 2023 crime rate was as low as it’s been in 20 years, down 15 percent from 2020, 22 percent from 2013 and 12 percent from 2003. San Jose’s violent crime was up — 11 percent since 2020, 41 percent since 2013 and 27 percent since 2003 — but remains lower than San Francisco or Oakland. And San Jose’s 2023 property crime rate was as low as ever, down 19 percent since 2020, 30 percent since 2013 and 18 percent since 2003.
The Bay Area’s big cities combined total and property crime rates are higher than 20 years ago, though trending down, while violent crimes are lower but trending up.
It’s unclear why Oakland’s crime rate has diverged so sharply from those in San Francisco and San Jose, especially in recent years. In 2023, the number of Oakland car thefts was the highest in more than 20 years, increasing 114.5 percent from 2022 to 2023 — a rate of roughly one car stolen for every 27 residents.
That divergence in crime rates appears to be affecting the fortunes of the city’s leaders.
In Oakland, where business owners earlier this year threatened to withhold taxes in a strike protesting crime and blight, Mayor Sheng Thao faces a recall vote in November, as does Alameda County’s District Attorney Pamela Price.
In San Francisco, Mayor London …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
