Community First, Pittsburg Strong
Amhari Perkins is your neighbor and advocate, committed to bringing transparency to projects like the Avaio datacenter, good jobs, and better parks to Pittsburg. Join my grassroots campaign to build a safer, thriving city for all families.
The voice Pittsburg residents trust.
I'm Amhari Perkins. I started the petition against the proposed Pittsburg data center that more than 27,000 people signed, and I have stood with residents at City Hall ever since. Now I am running for City Council to carry that voice inside.
What I'll work on first
Transparency you can actually use
Residents should not have to piece together what their own city is doing. I want plain language instead of jargon. After advocating around the data center and seeing the communication between city officials and residents, we need clear communication in languages our community can understand and that resonates with them, and a public place where anyone can see the city's finances, major agreements, and priorities.
Opportunity that stays in Pittsburg
Too many of our local businesses are struggling to stay open and compete. I want to change that. As your Council member, I will work to create an economy where local businesses can thrive. In my first six months I will sit down with local businesses, workers, schools, and community organizations and build a real local hire strategy, with apprenticeships and career pathways for our young people.
Streets and parks worth visiting
Leland is still rough, while some streets in better shape got repaved first. That tells me the city's priorities and the neighborhood's needs are not lining up. I want road repairs that match actual conditions, parks that are clean and safe, and frequent updates in places where families can spend a Saturday without leaving town.
Born and raised in Pittsburg
I was born and raised in Pittsburg. Life took me elsewhere for a while, and I always found my way back.
My path was not a straight line. I started at San Francisco State, went to Carrington College, became a medical assistant, and spent more than a decade in healthcare. Along the way I worked retail, medical offices, Amazon Flex, and DoorDash. I know what it is to take whatever work is available to keep a family going.
Then I bought my first house and started a family. I'm a mother of two, and I'm back in school finishing my bachelor's in Health Science. A setback is not a reason to stop.
I started a petition about the proposed data center because residents deserved the information and a chance to be heard. In two months more than 27,000 people signed, and it grew into Stop Pittsburg Data Center. Since then, I have been at Council meetings, at rallies, and out helping neighbors figure out how to speak up for our community.
Leadership means listening, asking the hard questions, standing up when something is wrong, and not stopping until it is fixed. That is the work I have already been doing for Pittsburg.
The data center is why I started
I oppose the Avaio project, and not because I am against data centers or against development. I am against how this one was brought forward: misleading community notification, a name that I believe obscured what it actually is, and industrial scale proposed next to a church, a park, and a school.
Pittsburg is an industrial city. If a project can meet serious environmental, infrastructure, and community standards, we should be able to talk openly about whether our industrially zoned areas are the right place for it. Residents have to be part of that conversation.
My first step on the Council would be to work with my colleagues and city staff to review the current project, its agreements, its environmental impacts, and the alternatives, and to pursue every legal and policy option available to keep it from moving forward.
More than 27,000 people have already signed the petition to stop this project. Read it and add your name.
Straight answers
What has the movement already accomplished?
More than 27,000 people signed the petition against the proposed data center in two months. Hundreds of residents showed up to City Council meetings. We ran weekly community events and reached neighbors well beyond Pittsburg. All of it was built by volunteers, with no title and no paycheck behind it.
What is this campaign about beyond the data center?
The data center showed me the bigger problem: Too many residents were not properly informed about what was happening in their own city. That is why this campaign is about transparency you can trust, jobs that stay in Pittsburg, and streets and parks that get taken care of. The project is one example of a pattern I intend to change. Ultimately, I plan to give a voice back to Pittsburg when it comes to decisions that affect our home.
Where do you stand on development?
I am not against data centers, business, or growth. I am against approving something at this scale before we understand what it does to our environment, our infrastructure, our energy, and our quality of life, and without giving residents a real say. Pittsburg is an industrial city. If a project can meet serious environmental, infrastructure, and community standards, let's have that conversation in the open. “I'm not against development. I'm against development without a plan for the people who already live here.”
What happens in your first six months?
I push for a full review of the city's finances, agreements, and priorities, with an independent audit where one is warranted, and the findings are shared with residents. I sit down with local businesses, workers, schools, and community organizations and draft a local hire strategy. And I work with city staff to review the data center project and pursue every legal and policy option to stop it.
Pittsburg residents are asking for a stronger voice in City Hall.
You shouldn’t have to fight to be heard. I’m ready to make sure you are.
Vote Amhari Perkins for Pittsburg City Council this November.
Come help
This campaign runs on neighbors. Knock doors with me, put a sign in your yard, host a conversation on your block, or just tell me what you are seeing where you live.
(925) 276-0987