Core Issues

Public Safety

Oakland is at a breaking point. Like so many residents and business owners, Kanitha has been victimized by crime. Her store has been devastated by repeated robberies and serious property damage that almost closed the market forever.

  • Kanitha's story is one of many. Hundreds of local businesses have closed or are closing, resulting in thousands of jobs lost. This is destroying the pathway out of poverty for many immigrants and historically disenfranchised Oakland residents.

  • Rampant street crime is starving our city of sales tax revenue and business license fees necessary for vital services, including public safety. Local businesses not only fund basic city services, but are essential to tying our diverse community together.

For Oakland to be a city where we all love to live, we first must restore public safety. The starting point is for city leaders to be honest with the community and acknowledge that the Oakland Police Department is severely understaffed. It can be several hours or even days before the police are able to respond. As a result, criminals have no fear of being caught and arrested. Crime thrives in such an environment.

On day one in office, Kanitha will call for the city to hire substantially greater number of police officers over the next several years.

  • With more police officers we can dramatically improve emergency response times and restore community policing.

  • Community policing is the long term solution to restoring public safety in Oakland. Community policing consists of police developing real and positive relationships with individual community members. With sufficient department staffing, officers can get out of their cars, patrol busy commercial areas by foot or bicycle, attend neighborhood meetings and form lasting partnerships with residents and business owners.

Hiring more patrol officers and instituting community policing form the foundation of making Oakland safe again. Kanitha will also undertake the following:

  • Evaluate existing community partner programs for efficacy and improvement opportunities

  • Strengthen multi-agency and neighboring city partnerships

  • Usher in a modified “Police Chase Policy” to include assault and battery, residential, and commercial burglaries, and grand theft auto

  • Support tougher enforcement of property and violent crimes

  • Review and update fire preparedness, especially in the Oakland Hills and unhoused encampments

  • Prioritize an increase in funding of available county, state, and federal grants regarding public safety

Local Economy

I want to empower all of our local businesses to thrive in order to revitalize our local economy. We can mitigate the consequences of business closures, job losses, and boarded-up storefronts by tackling this issue head-on.

  • Address revenue shortfall by dramatically improving public safety and marketing

  • Promoting, protecting, and attracting new local businesses for Oakland’s economy

  • Offer tax incentives and support programs to assist local businesses in need

  • Incentivize new business startups and improve the accessibility to city resources

  • Partner with Oakland’s larger employers to provide a safer work and living environment

  • Streamline permitting processes, combining departments to reduce fees that can pass on the savings to the businesses or projects managers

  • Support programs that stimulate local shopping

  • Expand job training and placement programs for people of all ages

Community Wellbeing

My commitment to community health and well-being centers around compassion and providing support services for vulnerable populations while improving quality of life for all. I aim to collaborate with Oakland’s seven district leaders and organizations to improve Citywide services.

  • Supporting the Education/Partnership Committee composed of elected and school officials to inspire and drive positive change in our youth

  • Advocate for policy reforms aimed at enhancing our education system, ensure school safety, and promote accessible educational equity

  • Emphasize youth engagement through mentorship and after school programs, career training partnerships, and safe spaces such as better maintained parks and recreation centers

  • Invest more in mentoring for young people, setting up skill centers, and job opportunities to steer them away from crime

  • Review and enhance programs for the unhoused, victims of abuse, foster children, veterans, the aging population, and those facing mental health challenges with an emphasis on compassionate care

  • Restore Oakland’s arts, cultural initiatives, heritage celebrations, and community festivals through strategic funding partnerships and streamlining permitting and public safety requirements

  • Propose a citywide "Love Where You Live" neighborhood initiative to expand community gardening programs, organize neighborhood cleanup drives, graffiti removal and abatement

  • Propose "Adopt A Block" program to encourage corporate investment in neighborhood unity, growth, and beautification. Our city would offer tax incentives to participating corporations