Survey: Oaklanders unhappy with their city

Though The Bold Italic asked this week, “Why are all my friends moving to Oakland?” those living across the Bay might actually not love it too much.

A new opinion poll commissioned by KPIX-TV indicates that a whopping 65 percent of Oakland residents think the city is on the wrong track. Only 22 percent have a more glass-half-full view of how the city is operating.

Survey takers spoke to adults in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose.

One question posed – How do you feel about your mayor? – was asked as a way to probe how residents feel about the city’s direction and operations.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan’s approval rate was at a sad 23 percent, while San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is sitting happy with a 61 percent approval rating,

Though Quan is the first female and Asian American mayor of Oakland, dissatisfaction was strong across the demographic board. In fact, it was highest among Asian Americans, 67 percent of whom disapprove of her job performance.

Oakland residents’ pessimism seems to stem largely from recent spikes in crime. Oakland’s murder rate is higher than San Francisco and San Jose’s, with 126 murders in the last year (up from 90 in 2010).

According to the survey, 71 percent of Oakland residents fear crime. Meanwhile, the next biggest concern, jobs and the economy, only affected 10 percent of those surveyed.

Mayor Quan, up for reelection next year, is making efforts to reduce crime, aiming to add 200 police officers to the Oakland force over the next five years and holding a series meetings on public safety.

While only 13 percent of those surveyed in The City are worried about crime, rising housing costs top the list of concerns, with 28 percent indicating the cost of a home as their biggest worry.