Public safety key to reviving Oakland's economy, chamber of commerce report says

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Oakland city councilmembers received a preview Friday of the city's economic indicators report.

The report is published annually by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and often serves as a guide for city lawmakers.

"Generally, we believe that good data leads to good decision making," said Barbara Leslie, Chamber of Commerce president.

Leslie said this year's report has some sobering revelations based, in part, on survey results. Perhaps, most important of all, the role public safety plays in the city's overall economic well-being.

MORE: Will the 200 cameras now operating and recording on East Bay freeways help reduce crime?

"The foundation for our economic recovery lies in public safety. And by public safety, maybe even drilling down a little bit deeper. We need to rebuild the confidence that our residents need to have, our visitors need to have and our businesses need to have," Leslie said.

Leslie said the chamber believes city policymakers should make public safety the top issue they address. She said, without it, creating new business and expanding the city's tax base will remain a nearly impossible task.

Leslie highlighted some statistics from the upcoming report. One specifically highlighted that the majority of Oakland residents feel more unsafe now that they have in the past year or so, even though that percentage is dropping.

That data is also backed up by our ABC7 News Neighborhood Safety Tracker, which shows steady decreases in things like robberies, homicides and assaults.

"We really need people to come back downtown. We need businesses to stay downtown. And we need to develop more economic activity by attracting additional businesses," Leslie said.

INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker

The report says, while it's important to develop all areas of Oakland economically, downtown remains the city's vital core.

Oakland faces a budget deficit of over $100 million this year, which makes getting the city's economy back on track more important than ever, says the chamber.

"There's a lot of interesting creativity. There's activity -- whether it's going to a really nice restaurant, enjoying arts, culture, museums, theater, music," said Adam Fowler, the chamber's economist.

The full economic indicators report is set to be released on Wednesday.