For what could be the final time, Mayor Sheng Thao took stock of the city she’s led for two years, describing a place that looks markedly different from how her harshest critics describe it. “I said this last year and I’ll say it again: Oakland,

Former NFL star Marshawn Lynch has already hinted he might run in a special election to replace her. But Thao is hoping to turn the tide with a last-minute pitch to voters, arguing that crime is down, foot traffic on city streets is up and Oakland is turning a corner in its fight to revive businesses kneecapped by the pandemic.