03 Dec Pittsburg Selects New Mayor, Vice Mayor for Next Year

Dionne Adams, now vice mayor and seen at a special City Council meeting Monday, will be the next mayor of Pittsburg. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

Pittsburg City Council members Dionne Adams and Angelica Lopez will finish out their first terms with some of the city’s highest titles.

Council members unanimously selected Adams as the new mayor and Lopez as vice mayor, succeeding Adams, as part of the annual council reorganization at Monday’s special meeting.

“I accept this role with a full heart, a clear vision, and a deep commitment to the people who make Pittsburg the city that I love,” said Adams. “We step into this year with courage, hope, and belief that together we can accomplish powerful things.”

Adams, a Pittsburg native, said her goal during her term as mayor is “simple” — making sure every resident is “seen, valued and supported.” She said strengthening community trust and safety, expanding youth and working family opportunities, economic development, and housing stability are some things the city will focus on in the coming year.

Lopez acknowledged what she saw as Adams’s rise from a young girl of color, where many were faced with “Nos” and shut doors in the once-white majority city.

“One thing that my mom has told me is when God has something for you, nobody will ever be able to shut that door,” said Lopez.

The two are in their last year of each’s first four-year term on the City Council since being elected by voters back in 2022. Both, along with council member Arlene Kobata, will be up for reelection in November 2026.

Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors District 5 Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston, who represents Pittsburg and is a former mayor of the city, congratulated Adams and Lopez on their appointments.

“I have seen so much growth … and I admire you both,” said Scales-Preston, who was reelected in 2022 alongside the two.

The city is looking to be “a regional powerhouse,” then-Mayor Jelani Killings said at the Nov. 20 State of the City address. That means leaning into developments such as those in economic development and youth sports tourism, he said then.

Adams and Lopez will oversee the expected opening of the Dream Courts, at least one hotel, and the Pittsburg Premier Fields in 2026.