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,

In Oakland Tuesday, the city's budget woes and a pending recall vote were in the spotlight as supporters and opponents of Mayor Sheng Thao held dueling rallies a short distance apart ahead of her "State of the City" address.