City of Pittsburg · Statewide General Election
Pittsburg City Council
Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.
This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.
On the ballot
- Arlene Kobata — Appointed Incumbent · Incumbent
- C.C. Cardinalli-Macaluso — Mother
- Wolf Croskey — Small Business Owner
- Amhari Perkins — Homemaker
- Pauline Johnson
- Dionne Adams — Diversity Executive/Councilmember · Incumbent
- Mark Linde
- Alvin Nelson — Business Leader
- Sonja Shephard — Environmental Activist
- Carolynne Born — Small Business Owner
- Iztaccuauhtli Hector Gonzalez — Businessman/Realtor
This person holds one of three at-large seats up this cycle on Pittsburg's City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Pittsburg does not directly elect a Mayor -- the council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor each year on a rotating basis, and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. A 4-year term.
Eleven candidates are running for three at-large seats on Pittsburg's City Council. Incumbents Dionne Adams and Arlene Kobata are both seeking re-election; the third seat, held by Angelica Lopez, is open -- Lopez did not file for re-election.
Pittsburg's City Council sets city ordinances, the budget, and land-use decisions for the city, with day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. Pittsburg does not directly elect a Mayor: the council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor each year on a rotating basis, so a vote for Council is the only way to influence who eventually holds that title.
The top three vote-getters win, in a single November election with no primary -- there is no runoff. Both incumbent Council members' filed ballot designations reflect their current status: Adams as "Diversity Executive/Councilmember," and Kobata as "Appointed Incumbent," a status the county's own records tie to her having reached the seat by council appointment to a vacancy rather than a prior election win.
Dionne Adams
An incumbent Councilmember first elected in November 2022; her filed ballot designation is "Diversity Executive/Councilmember." As a sitting Councilmember, she voted "aye" on the April 17, 2023 Faria/Southwest Hills Annexation Project master plan -- a 1,500-home, 341-acre development -- a vote later highlighted in a 2024 election-season mailer from the conservation group Save Mount Diablo. This dataset found no further biographical detail or 2026-specific platform coverage beyond that record and her county-filed designation.
Strengths
A full term already on the Council, so voters have an actual voting record -- including the Faria project vote -- to weigh, not just a designation.
Trade-offs
This dataset found no independent (non-official, non-campaign-finance) reporting evaluating her first term as a whole, only the single documented Faria vote.
Keep in mind
No 2026 campaign-finance figures were found for her campaign in this pass -- see the financial note below.
Arlene Kobata
An incumbent Councilmember whose filed ballot designation is "Appointed Incumbent"; the county's own records list her among the seats' incumbents as having reached the Council by appointment to a vacancy rather than by winning an election outright. This dataset found no further biographical detail, appointment date, or 2026-specific platform coverage beyond that designation.
Strengths
not established beyond her current appointed incumbency in the sourcing found for this race.
Trade-offs
unlike Adams, she has not yet won a Pittsburg election outright -- her time on the Council so far came via appointment, not a vote.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against her -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing further on her appointment or record beyond the county's own filed designation.
Sonja Shephard
A repeat candidate; her filed ballot designation is "Environmental Activist." She also ran for one of Pittsburg's three Council seats in 2022, without winning a seat that cycle. Beyond her self-declared occupation and that prior run, this dataset found no campaign website, news coverage, or further biographical detail.
Strengths
A second run gives some sense of sustained interest in the seat, though not of any change in her standing since 2022.
Trade-offs
Her 2022 run did not win a seat, and this dataset found no reporting explaining why or what, if anything, has changed for this campaign.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against her -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing beyond her name, occupation, and 2022 candidacy.
Wolf Croskey
A repeat candidate; his filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner." He also ran (as "Wolfgang Croskey" in East County Today's contemporaneous coverage) for one of Pittsburg's three Council seats in 2022, qualifying only after that cycle's nomination-period extension, without winning a seat. Beyond his self-declared occupation and that prior run, this dataset found no campaign website, news coverage, or further biographical detail.
Strengths
A second run gives some sense of sustained interest in the seat, though not of any change in his standing since 2022.
Trade-offs
His 2022 run did not win a seat, and this dataset found no reporting explaining why or what, if anything, has changed for this campaign.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against him -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing beyond his name, occupation, and 2022 candidacy.
Amhari Perkins
A first-time candidate; her filed ballot designation is "Homemaker." This dataset searched the city's own site, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, local news coverage, and general web search and found no campaign website, news coverage, or further biographical detail beyond that self-declared occupation.
Strengths
not established in the sourcing found for this race.
Trade-offs
as a first-time candidate with no located public record beyond her filed paperwork, voters have little beyond her name, her self-declared occupation, and the fact that she qualified for the ballot.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against her -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing further to report.
C.C. Cardinalli-Macaluso
A first-time candidate; her filed ballot designation is "Mother." This dataset searched the city's own site, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, local news coverage, and general web search and found no campaign website, news coverage, or further biographical detail beyond that self-declared designation. Her qualification date (Aug. 12, 2026) is the latest of any candidate in this race, at the close of the extended nomination period.
Strengths
not established in the sourcing found for this race.
Trade-offs
as a first-time candidate with no located public record beyond her filed paperwork, voters have little beyond her name, her self-declared designation, and the fact that she qualified for the ballot.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against her -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing further to report, and her late qualification date left little visible campaign runway before this dataset's retrieval.
Pauline Johnson
A first-time candidate with no filed ballot designation. This dataset searched the city's own site, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, local news coverage, and general web search and found no campaign website, news coverage, or biographical detail of any kind beyond her name.
Strengths
not established in the sourcing found for this race.
Trade-offs
as a first-time candidate with no located public record and no ballot designation at all, voters have essentially only her name and the fact that she qualified for the ballot to go on.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against her -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing further to report.
Mark Linde
A first-time candidate with no filed ballot designation. This dataset searched the city's own site, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, local news coverage, and general web search and found no campaign website, news coverage, or biographical detail of any kind beyond his name.
Strengths
not established in the sourcing found for this race.
Trade-offs
as a first-time candidate with no located public record and no ballot designation at all, voters have essentially only his name and the fact that he qualified for the ballot to go on.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against him -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing further to report.
Alvin Nelson
A first-time candidate; his filed ballot designation is "Business Leader." This dataset searched the city's own site, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, local news coverage, and general web search and found no campaign website, news coverage, or further biographical detail beyond that self-declared occupation.
Strengths
not established in the sourcing found for this race.
Trade-offs
as a first-time candidate with no located public record beyond his filed paperwork, voters have little beyond his name, his self-declared occupation, and the fact that he qualified for the ballot.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against him -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing further to report.
Carolynne Born
A first-time candidate; her filed ballot designation is "Small Business Owner." This dataset searched the city's own site, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, local news coverage, and general web search and found no campaign website, news coverage, or further biographical detail beyond that self-declared occupation. Her qualification date (Aug. 12, 2026) is tied for the latest of any candidate in this race, at the close of the extended nomination period.
Strengths
not established in the sourcing found for this race.
Trade-offs
as a first-time candidate with no located public record beyond her filed paperwork, voters have little beyond her name, her self-declared occupation, and the fact that she qualified for the ballot.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against her -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing further to report, and her late qualification date left little visible campaign runway before this dataset's retrieval.
Iztaccuauhtli Hector Gonzalez
A first-time candidate; his filed ballot designation is "Businessman/Realtor." This dataset searched the city's own site, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia, local news coverage, and general web search and found no campaign website, news coverage, or further biographical detail beyond that self-declared occupation.
Strengths
not established in the sourcing found for this race.
Trade-offs
as a first-time candidate with no located public record beyond his filed paperwork, voters have little beyond his name, his self-declared occupation, and the fact that he qualified for the ballot.
Keep in mind
this is a documented sourcing gap, not evidence against him -- a real, multi-method search turned up nothing further to report.
Source review: Strong (86/100) · 6 cited sources
Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.
- contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Contest/Candidate Proof List" (8-27-26_candidatelist_detail_final.pdf), the county's post-filing-deadline, final export: shows all three City of Pittsburg contests as ON BALLOT with each qualified filer's ballot designation, incumbency, and qualification date -- Member, City Council (vote for 3 of 11 qualified filers, flagged as extended), City Clerk (vote for 1 of 4, flagged as extended), and City Treasurer (vote for 1 of 1, not extended)
- contracostavote.gov (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa County Elections Division -- "Positions Up for Election, November 3, 2026, General Election": lists the City of Pittsburg's only three offices this cycle as City Clerk, City Treasurer, and 3 Councilmembers -- no Mayor line item appears, confirming the office is not directly elected
- pittsburgca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Pittsburg -- City Clerk "Elections" page (read via a dated Internet Archive snapshot after pittsburgca.gov returned HTTP 403 to every direct fetch attempt in this pass, including a retry with full browser headers): confirms the Nov. 3, 2026 General Municipal Election fills three City Council seats plus one City Treasurer and one City Clerk seat, each a 4-year term, with successful candidates sworn in at a December 2026 Council meeting; as retrieved (May 2026, before the Aug. 7 filing deadline) the page's own 2026 candidate materials were not yet posted
- contracostaherald.com (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa Herald -- "Pittsburg Mayor Announces Campaign for District 5 Supervisor if Incumbent Glover Doesn't Run for Re-Election" (Aug. 4, 2023): profiles then-Mayor Shanelle Scales-Preston and describes Pittsburg's Mayor as "a position rotated annually among council members" -- independent confirmation that Pittsburg's Mayor is chosen by the council, not directly elected
- contracostaherald.com (opens in a new tab)Contra Costa Herald -- "During Election Season, Save Mt. Diablo Sends Mailer Showing 10-Month-Old Votes by Pittsburg Councilmembers": reports that sitting Councilmember Dionne Adams voted "aye" on the April 17, 2023 Faria/Southwest Hills Annexation Project master plan (1,500 homes on 341 acres), alongside then-Mayor Shanelle Preston-Scales, Jelani Killings, and Angelica Lopez -- independent confirmation of Adams's sitting-councilmember status and a real vote in her record
- eastcountytoday.net (opens in a new tab)East County Today -- "Five Candidates Now Running for Pittsburg City Council" (Aug. 18, 2022) and "Pittsburg City Council Candidate Nomination Period Extended" (Aug. 12, 2022): names the 2022 Council field as incumbent Shanelle Scales-Preston, Sonja Shephard, Dionne Adams, Wolfgang Croskey, and Angelica Lopez -- independent confirmation that Shephard, Adams, and Croskey are each repeat 2026 candidates (Adams having won that cycle) and that Pittsburg's nomination period was extended in 2022 for the same reason (an incumbent not re-filing) documented again for 2026
Last updated September 1, 2026.