Oakland officials launch new secure parking program at downtown garage to promote local business
OAKLAND -- The mayor of Oakland on Tuesday touted a new pilot program that will allow people working in or visiting downtown Oakland to park in a secure parking garage for a flat $5 fee seven days a week.
The Five After Five program was one of the new safety initiatives Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao introduced during her State of City address earlier in October. The program is aimed at giving business owners and workers downtown as well as those visiting the city's downtown restaurants and shops a safe place to park their vehicles.
"The more people we have on the streets, the more eyes and ears, we are going to be able to be safer in that way," Mayor Thao said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon in front of the historic Fox Theater.
The Five After Five program allows people to park at the Franklin Plaza Parking Garage located at 19th Street and Franklin Street for a flat rate of $5 on weekdays after 5 p.m. and all day on weekends. Hours of operation for the garage are also extended beyond Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The extended garage hours are:
- Monday through Wednesday: 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Thursday through Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.
- Saturday: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
- Sunday: 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The garage will be monitored by city ambassadors and the streets around the garage will get extra lighting -- all in an effort to help people feel safer coming downtown.
"When we say we want to make sure that our businesses are thriving, it's because those are the tax dollars that go to pay for public safety, to pay for infrastructure, and all those things," said Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife.
"The number one issue for any one of our businesses around here is the customers' fear getting their car windows broken," said Sean Sullivan who owns The Port bar and event space Fluid 510, which are both in downtown Oakland.
He's lived in the city for more than 20 years and says crime has a definite impact on his business.
"It's heartbreaking, right? Because we work so hard to get people here. They will have a great time, but then it will all be ruined when they get back to their car and a window is broken," said Sullivan.
The announcement comes as Oakland crime is surging in nearly every category compared to last year.
New statistics just released by the Oakland Police Department show almost all violent crimes have increased in the city with violent crimes increasing up to 40% year over year. The one exceptions are homicides, which are slightly down from this same time last year. Crime is up 24% year to date with home break-ins up 71% and 12,405 vehicle thefts in 2023, according to the department's figures. Car break-ins have surged by about 35%, rising to more than 11,600 so far this year.
"These other ideas are absolutely noble, but they don't help with the foundation of public safety in Oakland," said Barry Donelan, president of the Oakland Police Officers Union.
He says crime rates spiked the same time the city eliminated 91 police officer positions from the department and then allocated money toward alternative violence prevention programs — that he says, so far, haven't accomplished the goal.
He says staffing at the police department is near record lows and the city should instead focus on supporting the department.
"When the police department is so stretched that we can't respond in a timely fashion to these calls for help from our citizens, that's a clear and present danger to commerce, to public safety and the residents we are trying to encourage to come downtown," said Donelan.
Sullivan sees it a little differently and says this is just one initiative designed to move the city in the right direction.
"Everybody's frustrated, but we have to see steps, and these are like baby steps. I hope it means that the city and the mayor are really committed to turning this around," he says.
The new program builds on last year's Shop Safe investments in downtown security cameras and Oakland's launch of the Corridor Safety and Ambassador initiative over the holiday season in key commercial districts including downtown Oakland, the Airport/Hegenberger corridor, and the Fruitvale. The Oakland Police Department will increase patrols and deploy special units to enhance safety downtown and in neighborhood business districts during the holidays.
The Five After Five pilot program begins on October 31 and runs through the holiday season. Oakland will evaluate the success of the program and make recommendations for future implementation after the holidays. Additional information about Five After Five is available online.
Katie Nielsen contributed to this report.