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Not to alarm you or anything, but...

Violent crime climbs in the Bay Area
As homicides and other felonies decrease in L.A., several Northern California cities are recording increases. Experts say finding the culprit will be tough.

In a grim twist on the longtime rivalry between Northern and Southern California, a group of Bay Area cities has won the disturbing distinction of seeing violent crime rise as it continues to plummet in Los Angeles.

While the incidence of homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault dropped in Southern California's biggest city from 2005 to 2006, Oakland, San Francisco and Richmond, in particular, struggled with rising rates of serious felonies. Other cities in Northern California, including Fremont, Novato and San Rafael, also recorded increases.