Oakland has had no shortage of problems in recent years. But according to a recent survey, many residents think the city is turning a new leaf. 

A poll released yesterday by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce shows that 46% of surveyed residents feel like Oakland is headed in the right direction, compared to 36% who say the city is going in the wrong direction. 

It’s the first net positive result for this question since the chamber started asking it in 2017. 

“It’s always gratifying to see voter appetite and voter feeling about the direction of our city,” Barbara Leslie, president of the chamber, told The Oaklandside. “And when I see that number crossing over in the right direction, headed more strongly upwards, I’m always happy to see that.” 

The survey, which was conducted by Fairbank, Maaslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, was conducted over telephone and online interviews with 720 Oakland residents who are likely to vote in the November election. 

There were several key takeaways that the pollster and the chamber highlighted during an event on Wednesday at Fluid510.

68% of respondents view Mayor Barbara Lee favorably. And a majority, 52%, say Lee, who is running for reelection, is doing a “good” or “excellent” job as mayor. 

71% of likely voters are in favor of Measure EE, which would transform Oakland into a “strong mayor” city, and 47% said they will definitely vote yes on it. 

Almost every councilmember is viewed favorably within their district, although many respondents said they didn’t know their councilmember or had never heard of them. The percentage of residents who have an unfavorable view of the council has dropped over the past year. But 52% of respondents view the council as a whole unfavorably, compared to just 34% favorable. 

Respondents generally have a favorable outlook on Oakland’s unions. The firefighters union has a 65% favorability rating, and 53% for the other city unions, which aren’t broken down in the data.

OUSD is viewed negatively by 52% of respondents. Only 32% gave the school district a positive rating. 

Public attitude toward the Oakland Police Department hasn’t changed much over the past decade. 46% of respondents view OPD favorably, while 44% gave the police an unfavorable rating. But public perception of OPD’s job has improved: 34% ranked the department as doing an excellent or good job this year, compared to 22% in 2025. 

There has been a dramatic drop in the percentage of people who say they feel less safe in Oakland. In 2026, 18% of respondents said they felt less safe. In 2022, the percentage was 70%. 

A majority of respondents think the number of OPD officers should be increased. 

Voters are cautiously optimistic about Oakland’s economy. 21% of respondents said they expect the city’s economy to get  better over the next year, while 40% said they think it will stay the same. 

The percentage of residents who view gun violence as an extremely or very serious problem has declined over the past year, dropping from 82% in 2025 to 69% in 2026. 

“It feels like the work that’s being done by all organizations across the city, the elected officials, the mayor’s office, organizations like the chamber, all working in unison to drive our economy forward, is resonating with our residents and electorate,” Leslie said. 

Poll also highlights election odds, attitudes on surveillance, and eagerness for economic growth

The poll might provide some insight into how the Nov. 3 election could play out. In addition to the mayor, City Council districts 2, 4, and 6 are on the ballot.

According to the poll, 48% of the respondents said they would vote for District 2 Councilmember Charlene Wang, while 20% would vote for challenger Nate Adams. 32% are undecided or plan to vote for someone else. 

Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they plan to vote for Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, while 9% are planning to vote for  Nancy Sidebotham, and 33% are undecided in District 6. 

Two-thirds of respondents said they want to vote for Barbara Lee for mayor. Mindy Pechenuk was in second place at 7%. 

All of the councilmembers except Carroll Fife are viewed favorably by respondents in their district, according to the chamber poll. However, the pollster noted that data broken down to the district level has a margin of error of 10%. 

Voters generally approve of the city’s surveillance systems, including speed cameras, privately operated cameras accessed by OPD, and automated license plate readers. Aerial drones used to monitor public safety incidents registered the highest level of opposition, at 37%. 

Nine out of ten respondents agreed that it’s good to have more large companies move to Oakland, and three-quarters agreed that more tax incentives will help attract companies to the city. That includes having more AI companies come here — 55% of respondents agree that it will be good for the economy, while 39% disagree. 

Only 30% of people feel that Oakland’s government is doing a good job helping local businesses, while 35% think that downtown is “vibrant.” 

A majority of respondents said they are willing to pay a “modest” amount in taxes to pay for critical city services. Repairing potholes was the top-ranked service. 

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