Schaaf: Let’s go for Oakland moon shot

Mayor Libby Schaaf delivers the State of the City speech at Oakland City Hall Oct. 14, 2016 in Oakland, Calif. Mayor Libby Schaaf delivers the State of the City speech at Oakland City Hall Oct. 14, 2016 in Oakland, Calif. Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Schaaf: Let’s go for Oakland moon shot 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf used the 1969 moon landing as the overarching metaphor Friday for her second State of the City speech, in which she enthusiastically touted her programs and policies, describing them as “moon shots.”

But the mayor also acknowledged the housing crisis and income disparities that plague Oakland, and the sexual misconduct scandal that rattled its Police Department in recent months, thrusting the city — and Schaaf — into the national spotlight.

Despite the tense timing of the speech, which came weeks before a contentious November election, and the same day that the Nevada Legislature approved funding for a new Raiders stadium in Las Vegas, Schaaf was upbeat. She conspicuously omitted mention of the Raiders in her 45-minute address.

“A moon shot is a big, audacious goal; it’s less about incremental improvement and more about transformational change,” said Schaaf, who opened her speech with a video clip of John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “We Choose to Go to the Moon” speech at Rice University.

Oakland’s moon shot, she said, is “a city where everyone thrives” without having to fear displacement or job loss in a gentrifying city.

She went on to highlight her own achievements of this year. In January, she started a citywide effort to triple the number of Oakland youths who graduate from college, mostly through grants and scholarships.

Two months later, the city’s Housing Cabinet presented plans to create 17,000 new affordable and market-rate homes in a city that desperately needs them. With rents steadily rising, too many Oakland residents — roughly 1 in 4 — spend too much of their income on housing, Schaaf said.

In April, Schaaf overhauled Oakland’s troubled workforce programs, creating new neighborhood job centers. And in June, shortly after news of the Oakland police misconduct scandal engulfed City Hall, Schaaf presented a 13-month study by Stanford University social psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt that demonstrated racial bias occurring in Oakland police traffic stops.

Midway through her speech, Schaaf paused to offer an apology for the police scandal. But she also took a jab at antipolice activists who recently launched a mayoral recall campaign that seeks to oust Schaaf and strip the Police Department of half its funding.

“We took a hard line against the reprehensible culture that came to light this year,” Schaaf said. Even so, she added, “I refuse to defund the police or stop growing our ranks.”

Schaaf also plugged the $600 million infrastructure bond measure that she is pushing on the November ballot. Intended to repair streets and sidewalks and help fund affordable housing, it will need a two-thirds vote to pass.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan