By Clifford L. Williams,
Globe City Editor

Speaking for nearly 60 minutes Monday night, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums captivated his audience at the Oakland Marriott Hotel as he delivered his first State of the City address.

   Nearly 700 people packed into the Jewett Ballroom, while another 300 waited outside in the lobby to listen to Dellums’ message as he made clearer his vision for making Oakland a “model city.”
   “There is no issue more important than bringing peace to the streets of Oakland,” he said. “I call on the council and the entire city to join with us in making a commitment to reach the current authorized strength of 803 officers by the end of the year — no matter what it takes.”

    In 2007, Oakland adopted a new police department geographic accountability model. The city is now organized into three regions, each led by a police captain and served by redeployed officers.
   “We must address the underlying root causes of crime and violence and recognize that this cannot be done by police alone,” said Dellums. “This is a public health crisis. We must address the economic disparity and community instability facing so many residents.”
    Dellums said he hopes to bring more jobs to at-risk youth.
   “The foundation we’ve secured will allow us to move closer to bringing peace to our streets, provide more and better jobs for our residents and help our kids succeed in their youth, so Oakland can succeed in its future,” he said.
    Throughout the speech, delivered without the use of notes, Dellums addressed his plans to bolster his administration’s firstyear efforts to concentrate on housing, economic development, health and education.
   “Economic development consists of bringing businesses to Oakland, providing quality jobs and having an effective housing strategy,” said Dellums. “Oakland needs and deserves an economic development strategy that clearly sets goals and targets for economic growth and sets out a plan for meeting those targets.”
    Without offering specifics on his proposal for a comprehensive housing strategy, Dellums said that people who live in Oakland have the right to stay in Oakland. “We will not sacrifice the diversity or the richness of our community,” he said.
   “I believe the city must support and encourage continued investment in housing in all areas to revitalize neighborhoods, provide mixed income communities and ensure that current Oakland residents share in the benefits of new development.”
    Dellums also emphasized the importance of health and education for Oakland’s families.
   “There is incontrovertible evidence that an unhealthy child cannot perform to his/her academic potential,” he said. “Too many of Oakland’s school children are hindered by preventable health afflictions. Ultimately, poor school performance often stems from the same social, economic and personal problems that cause poor health: poverty, socioeconomic inequality and violence.
   “How well Oakland educates and takes care of its children plays an important role in our future. The economic prosperity of any city is inextricably tied to the success of its school system, and failing to maximize the potential of our students will exact an increasingly large economic toll on Oakland,” he said.
    Dellums’ speech was peppered with both rousing and polite applause from audience members who appeared to embrace his message.

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