Crime and homelessness have risen far past COVID-19 as chief concerns for Bay Area residents, according to new polls released by the Bay Area Council (BAC).
Among the responses, 65% said they avoid downtown areas due to crime. The polling, conducted by EMC Research, showed homelessness was the top concern for most respondents. Housing cost and availability was second, followed by crime and safety.
“Even though it’s been trending poorly in recent years, the level of discontent that Bay Area voters feel certainly was much higher than we expected, particularly as we finally begin to emerge from the pandemic pall of the past two years,” Rufus Jeffris, BAC senior vice president of communications, said in an email response to the Northern California Record.
“Some of it could be explained by timing; the poll was conducted as inflation and gas prices began to soar, global geopolitical tensions were rising and there was concern about yet another COVID strain,” Jeffris said. “Concerns about crime and public safety also spiked, and there may be nothing more unsettling to voters or anyone than not feeling safe on the streets, in neighborhoods, on transit or visiting any public space.”
Jeffris noted that the most significant change from last year to now is the overall mood of voters.
“They’re very unhappy; our continuing high housing costs, intractable homelessness and surges in violent crime all played a major factor,” Jeffris said. “These attitudes can lead to cynicism, division and breakdowns in our social fabric. It doesn’t happen all at once, which means we need to get a handle on our most serious issues.”
Whether state and local leaders think they are doing enough doesn’t matter, Jeffris said.
“Voters want them to do more,” Jeffris said. “Dismissing, diminishing or ignoring the concerns that voters have would be a big mistake. Homelessness, high housing costs and generally high overall cost of living have been persistent problems and very little progress has been made to turn them around.
“The evidence can be seen on our streets and felt in our wallets. So yes, state and local leaders should take careful note of how voters are feeling about these problems. Voters want action, they want results. Frankly, they deserve nothing less.”
Despite the of range of considerable challenges, the Bay Area is still a world-class region and an economic powerhouse, Jeffris said.
“Voters here still see economic opportunity. They still enjoy one of the most naturally beautiful places on earth. And they still think the Bay Area is a good place to live,” Jeffris said. “But we can’t take our advantages for granted. People have a choice of where to live, even more so with the rise of remote work. We’ve already seen California’s population decline and age. Those are not the ingredients for future economic and social vitality.”