03 Mar New Mayor Dionne Adams Brings Hometown Roots to Pittsburg’s Top Job

Dionne Adams is this year’s mayor of Pittsburg, where she is a fourth-generation resident. (City of Pittsburg official photo)

By Emily Tenorio Molina and Malcolm Marshall

Dionne Adams stepped in as mayor of Pittsburg in December after three years on the City Council, assuming the role as the city advances recreation, transportation and economic development projects.

In Pittsburg, the mayor and vice mayor are not directly elected by the public but chosen from and by the City Council members. Adams and Angelica Lopez were unanimously selected Dec. 1 as the next mayor and vice mayor, respectively. Each serves a one-year term in the position. Adams previously served as vice mayor.

She is a fourth-generation Pittsburg resident whose great-grandparents migrated to the city after World War II, when many Black families left the South for economic opportunities. For her, the city she now leads has always been close-knit and diverse, something she says shaped her identity and values.

“Growing up here is one of the things that I cherish,” she said. “Pittsburg has always been…very much a village.”

Adams credits the city for building her confidence to pursue a career in community-focused work. She remembers how much easier it was for her family to spend quality time together because her mother had a job in town. That meant less commuting and more family time during Adams’ upbringing, an important memory that would later shape her life enrichment goals.

After graduating from Pittsburg High School, she went to Diablo Valley College, transferring to San Francisco State University for her bachelor’s in business administration and later earning her master’s in public administration from Golden Gate University. For two decades, she worked for PG&E in Oakland, where she led belonging and diversity programming. While she studied and worked in other, more urban cities, she saw the recreational amenities and job opportunities that Pittsburg could one day have.

When Adams returned home, she started her civic engagement by joining city commissions to use her public policy background.

“People were pushing me to help in different places,” she said. “It made me think, ‘Wow, I can contribute.’ ”

Then, she ran for City Council, taking office in 2022.

After three years on the council, Adams remains focused on her vision for the city.

“My commitment is to lead Pittsburg better than I found it when I first sat in the seat, ” she said.

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As mayor, she says her priorities include welcoming new residents and strengthening infrastructure, including road conditions and accessible transit that is “affordable and clean.” The current work plan from the City Council is to reduce long commutes, create local jobs and improve families’ quality of life.

The city is also exploring the development of a data center in Pittsburg, which she says could support business growth and jobs. She also hopes to attract additional development to bring in companies, jobs and tourism.

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Other priorities include working with the Police Department to understand crime citywide and focusing on being financially solvent as a city.

“This is a great time for Pittsburg, we have reinvented ourselves through the years,” Adams said. “We were a fishing town, then to mining, and steel, and now we are technology and sustainability. The common thread throughout all of that is the community.”

By the end of her term, Adams said she hopes Pittsburg will have more lodging options, sports facilities and stronger infrastructure to support local businesses.

“That will translate over time to more jobs and improve the quality of life.”