Prior to becoming mayor she was a city council member, one of those who called for slashing OPD's budget, which it was. Along with OPD reductions, pro-criminal DA Price, and a moronic ballot proposition or two, crime in Oakland has soared. Crime has gotten so bad that several popular profitable restaurants near Oakland International have closed due to the danger to customers and employees.
IMO, even if DA Price and Mayor Sheng Thao are replaced by sane people and Oakland and Alameda County fight crime seriously it will take 5 or 10 years just to return Oakland to being merely sketchy. Other than driving through Oakland on the way to running events, I have not been in Oakland since 1996. There are several running events done in Oakland every and I won't even consider doing them.