Oakland is an incredible city that under-utilizes its strengths and uniqueness. It can become much more with a clear vision, understanding its strengths (and weaknesses) and making a concerted effort that ALL Oaklanders are heading in the same direction. We can't afford to try to mimic San Francisco policies which are often an ill fit for Oakland --Oakland is more diverse, has more small businesses, doesn't have a strongly defined "downtown", and has a lot of neighborhoods that are under-recognized. Connecting Oakland's neighborhoods rather than pitting them against one another is a start. We have a very vibrant arts community that isn't taken seriously by city government. We also have a growing small/micro business community that doesn't feel accessible, but through such groups as the HUB, Popuphood, et al., those businesses can be more vibrant if given better opportunities and cheaper space before the tech community starts buying up all of the uniqueness of Oakland, like they're doing in San Francisco.

Just as retail needs an anchor tenant, Oakland needs a new anchor business F500 tenant now that it has virtually lost Clorox, an anchor for 100+ years. It's important to define the kind of industries, both large and small, you want to grow in Oakland and, then, attract a new F500 company to locate its headquarters here. Then, there will be an aggregate of small and independent businesses that grow up around that anchor. (Think Salesforce. Think UCSF Mission Bay. Etc.)