Public safety is the core of a functioning and productive society and vital for attracting and retaining a competitive workforce. Unfortunately, issues surrounding crime, safety and cleanliness throughout the Bay Area have soared in recent years, pushing residents, employees, and other visitors away from city centers, lowering transit ridership, and threatening the region’s economic recovery. Restoring confidence in the safety of our downtown business districts, neighborhoods, transit systems and other public spaces is critical. The Bay Area Council has made great strides in this policy area since its conception in late 2022 – it is consistently ranked as one of the Council’s top two priority policy areas and is one of the most actively engaged policy areas. The Council will continue to make public safety a priority policy area in 2025 and beyond in order to ensure that the region is a safe place for all who live, work, and visit.
Key Priorities
With the input and guidance of Bay Area Council Board and Executive Committee leadership, as well as Public Safety Committee Co-Chairs and members, the Council is prioritizing a robust set of public safety goals for 2025, including but not limited to:
- Continue to lead advocacy to reduce crime and perceptions of crime on BART and other transit systems to draw riders back to the system
- Improve safety and conditions in Oakland through a targeted, coordinated campaign that aligns efforts in both the private and public sectors in our shared goal to ensure a safe and prosperous future for Oakland and the East Bay
- Guarantee more security presence and quicker emergency response times throughout the Bay Area by supporting public safety agencies to fill unprecedented vacancies with local, diverse hires through a regionwide sworn office recruitment and perception campaign
- Address rampant retail and property theft and vandalism
- Leverage technology as a key public safety resource and support its growth in the Bay Area, such as expanding and integrating security camera networks, increasing deployment of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras, speed safety cameras, and drones technology, as well as work to support changes to local and state laws to allow greater use and access to real time camera footage by authorized public safety personnel
Recent Progress
- Published a Bay Area Council report that clearly ties Oakland’s crime crisis to its economic crisis, “Making Oakland Safe and its Economy Strong: A Vision for Lasting Change,” which yields ten recommendations to improve safety and the economy in Oakland
- Successfully advocated for the expeditious deployment of BART next generation fare gates, which are ahead of schedule to be completed well before the December 2025 deadline
- Passed California Proposition 36 on the November 2024 ballot, which allows for stronger enforcement tools for many retail theft and hard drug related crimes, and importantly allows for mandated treatment for repeat hard drug possession
- Passed Oakland Measure NN on the November 2024 ballot, which maintains and grows critical funding for public safety personnel, programs, and infrastructure in Oakland
- Passed San Francisco Proposition E on the March 2024 ballot, which expanded key technology resources to fight crime
- Passed AB 2371 (Carillo and Flora), which cuts red tape related to some security infrastructure, and has already resulted in a significant impact on the backlog of electrified security fence permit applications
- Passed SB 905 (Wiener), which makes crimes related to vehicle break-ins easier to prosecute
- Killed AB 819 (Bryan), which would have decriminalized fare evasion
- Organized over 100 community leaders and organizations, elected officials, business groups, and other prominent local stakeholders to join in a strong coalition requesting increased police presence on BART trains and in stations
- Advanced local policies to develop and expand a public-private camera network plan in SF, Oakland, and San Jose, including 500+ networked public-private cameras in Downtown Oakland, and over 2,000 in San Francisco, with expansion efforts underway in San Jose and multiple other local jurisdictions
A Closer Look: Transit Safety
The Bay Area Council’s public safety legacy project lies at the intersection of public transit and public safety, specifically on the Bay Area’s most essential transit system – BART. A 2023 poll administered by the Council and EMC Research revealed that current and lapsed riders would return to BART in significant numbers if crime, safety and cleanliness were improved.
In response, the Council developed a transit safety work plan and built a strong coalition of over 100 member companies who are engaged and invested in transit safety, reliability, and cleanliness. The advocacy of this coalition secured several BART safety improvements, including a redeployment of BART Police Officers so that the majority are based in trains and stations, the timely deployment of BART’s next generation fare gates at every station throughout the system, and more dedicated funds for BART’s Office of the Inspector General. While more work needs to be done, the system has seen a significant impact from these changes, with overall crime down throughout the system, more visible police and ambassador presence, stronger reported feelings of safety from BART riders, and an increase in ridership.
The Council also continues to lead regional advocacy to ensure any future transit agency funding is conditional on enhancements to safety, cleanliness, and reliability of transit systems.
Public Safety Committee Co-Chairs
Greg Suhr, Director, Safety and Security, Salesforce Tower and former SFPD Chief of Police
Kristi McKenney, Executive Director, Port of Oakland
Jeff Littlefield, Chief Operating Officer, SFO
Denise Pinkston, Managing Director, TMG Partners
Rick Callender, CEO, Valley Water (On Leave)
Get Involved
Join the movement to make the Bay Area a safer place for all who live, work, and visit. To get involved in the committee and to learn more information about Bay Area Council public safety initiatives, email Vice President of Public Policy Laura Hill.
