Amhari Perkins for Pittsburg City Council | 2026

Meet Amhari

Priorities

The Data Center

Get Involved

It is 2036, and Pittsburg is a city that invested in itself and in its people. Here is what that looks like.Roads and infrastructure. Streets that are maintained, traffic that moves, and smart investment in the bottlenecks we all know about, including Highway 4 and Harbor Street.Parks and recreation. Clean, safe parks with facilities that work, expanded trails, a splash pad, a year round indoor swimming facility, and youth programs including gymnastics, competitive cheer, indoor soccer, and swimming.Schools and pathways. Pittsburg High, Los Medanos College, local healthcare providers, businesses, and the City working together on real routes into healthcare, the trades, and business. Internships, certifications, mentorships, and leadership programs so students can see what is possible.Our library. A well funded place where children and families can learn, study, read, and gather. If county funding falls short, Pittsburg should look at stepping up locally.Local business. Thoughtfully planned commercial districts where local businesses can grow and hire locally, and a city that stays attainable for working families and longtime residents.A parent should be able to take their kids to a safe park and cool off at a splash pad. A teenager should be able to graduate from Pittsburg High and see a career path right here at home. Families should not have to leave Pittsburg every weekend to find something worth doing.I don't want Pittsburg to simply grow. I want Pittsburg to thrive.

The Pittsburg I want to build by 2036

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.

Community First, Pittsburg Strong

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.

The voice Pittsburg residents trust.

Crafting practical policies that address local issues such as housing, public safety, and economic growth.

Policy Development

Leveraging social media and digital tools to reach a wider audience and keep voters informed.

Digital Campaigning

Mobilizing and managing volunteers to maximize campaign outreach and voter contact efforts.

Volunteer Coordination

Residents should not have to piece together what their own city is doing. I want plain language instead of jargon, notices in the languages our neighbors actually speak, and one public place where anyone can see the city's finances, major agreements, and priorities.

Transparency you can actually use

There are good jobs near us that have never turned into lasting prosperity for the people who live here. I will not hand you a slogan about it. 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.

Opportunity that stays in Pittsburg

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 follow actual conditions, parks that are clean and safe, and places where families can spend a Saturday without leaving town.

Streets and parks worth having

What I'll work on first

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 came home, 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 themselves.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.

Born and raised in Pittsburg

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: thin 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. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-data-center-from-coming-to-pittsburg-ca">Read it and add your name</a>.

The data center is why I started

Straight answers

Pittsburg residents are asking for a stronger voice in City Hall.

Vote Amhari Perkins for Pittsburg City Council this November.

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How would you like to help?

Come help

I was born and raised in Pittsburg. This community has been home for as long as I can remember, and even when life took me elsewhere, I always found my way back.My path has not been a straight line. After high school I went to San Francisco State and left when I realized I did not have the support and guidance I needed. I enrolled at Carrington College, became a medical assistant, and built a career in healthcare that lasted more than ten years.Along the way I worked a lot of different jobs. Retail. Medical offices. Amazon Flex. DoorDash. Those years taught me what working class life actually looks like: working hard, making ends meet, and sometimes taking whatever work is available to support your family.I eventually came home to Pittsburg, bought my first house, and started a family. Today I am a mother of two and back in school finishing my bachelor's degree in Health Science. I refuse to believe that a setback means you stop trying. You keep going.Becoming a mother changed how I see this community. Pittsburg is where my children are growing up, just as I did, and I want them to have every opportunity to build a future here.

My story

I grew up in a single mother household, with my father in state prison. I have been on food stamps and Medi-Cal. I have stayed up late trying to schedule an Amazon Flex route that paid base rate, then made those deliveries while breastfeeding, with my babies riding along, because that was what it took to make ends meet.I dropped out of college once, and I went back in my thirties.None of that is a talking point for me. It is the reason I understand what a rent increase, a road that never gets fixed, or a job that pays a little less than it should actually does to a family in this city.

Where I come from

I did not start this movement thinking I would run for City Council. I was focused on the data center. On getting information to residents, talking with neighbors, organizing rallies, and making sure people knew they had a say in what was happening here.But out at those rallies the same question kept coming up. Are you going to run for City Council? Then people started telling me I should.So I looked into what it takes to run. What I found is that this seat does not require a political resume or a lifetime in politics. It requires someone who shows up, does the work, and answers to the people who live here.I was a resident. A homeowner. A mother. Someone who cared about this community and was already doing the work.I talked it over with my husband, Frank. I prayed about it, because I did not want to make a decision this size without really sitting with it. Then I decided I was all in. I picked up my paperwork, started collecting signatures, and felt the same neighbors who had stood beside me at rallies telling me to keep going. A week later I filed and took the oath.I did not wake up one day wanting a title. My community asked me to lead, and I said yes. I have been speaking up for Pittsburg outside City Hall. I am running to do it inside.

The moment I decided to run

Secretary of the Heights Elementary parent booster club. Volunteer at Bay Church, Concord campus. School and youth sports. Founder of Stop Pittsburg Data Center.

Leadership means listening, learning, asking the right questions, standing up when something is not right, and never stopping. That is what I have done my whole life, and that is what I intend to do for Pittsburg.

Organizing regular neighborhood forums and listening sessions to ensure every Pittsburg resident’s concerns and ideas shape our city’s future.

Like I said before I LOVE taking photos during church!

Community Voices Heard

Fighting against large-scale developments that threaten Pittsburg’s character, while promoting smart growth that benefits residents.

Protecting Our Neighborhoods

Embracing and uplifting our diverse communities through inclusive events, multilingual outreach, and cultural celebrations.

Celebrating Pittsburg’s Diversity

The problem: residents should not have to piece together where their city stands financially, developmentally, and operationally. Major decisions, city finances, and development agreements are hard to find and harder to understand.Where I stand: community input belongs in the process, not tacked on at the end. Notices should be in plain language, and in the languages our neighbors actually speak.My first step: in my first six months I would push for a comprehensive review, and an independent audit where one is warranted, then use those findings to build a public facing system where residents can see the city's financial position, major agreements, and priorities in one place. I would also use community surveys so we know whether people actually understand what is being proposed before it comes to a vote.

Transparency and trust

The problem: Pittsburg needs to understand why good jobs and economic activity have not translated into lasting prosperity for the people who live here.Where I stand: I will not promise a fix I cannot deliver. This city needs a councilmember who understands its finances, workforce needs, development history, and the real barriers to attracting and keeping quality jobs, and who then acts on what they find.My first step: in my first six months I will do that review and meet with local businesses, workers, schools, and community organizations. Then I will build a concrete local hire and economic opportunity strategy for Pittsburg, along the lines of what East Bay Works does at the county level. That includes job retention, a real look at our shopping centers, school partnerships and apprenticeships, and transition pathways for young people moving into work.

Jobs and economic opportunity

The problem: Leland is still rough while some residential streets in better shape were repaved first. Our parks and facilities need attention, and families leave town on the weekend to find something to do.Where I stand: road repair should follow actual conditions on the ground. Parks should be clean, safe, and worth spending a Saturday in.My first step: get an honest, current picture of road and park conditions across the city, then set repair priorities that match what residents are living with every day.

Quality of life

Three priorities, and where I would start

Good leadership is not about saying everything is broken.I grew up in Pittsburg and my family experienced gun violence firsthand, so I do not take our progress on public safety for granted. I am grateful for the officers and community partners working to make Pittsburg safer, and I want to keep investing in public safety, youth opportunities, prevention, and strong community relationships.Being honest about what needs to improve and protecting what is working are the same job. That is the balance I want to bring to City Council.

What I would protect

I oppose the proposed data center and I would work to stop its development in Pittsburg. Our city should not approve large scale development that could significantly affect our environment, infrastructure, energy use, and quality of life before we understand the long term consequences.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.Residents deserved clear, accessible information about a project of this scale. Even calling it a Technology Park raised concerns for me. When a decision could shape our city for decades, people deserve straightforward information and a meaningful voice.More than 27,000 people have already signed the petition to stop this project. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-data-center-from-coming-to-pittsburg-ca">Read it and add your name</a>.

Where I stand

This may surprise some of my own supporters. I am not opposed to data centers in Pittsburg simply because they are data centers.I am opposed to how the Avaio project was brought forward: inadequate community notification, terminology I believe was misleading, and an industrial scale facility proposed next to a church, a park, and a school.Pittsburg is an industrial city. If a project can meet appropriate environmental, infrastructure, and community standards, we should be able to have a thoughtful conversation about whether our industrially zoned areas are the right place for it.For me this is about responsible development, and about residents having a real voice in what gets built in their own neighborhoods.

Where I break from the crowd

"COMMUNITY". Art mural at a Bus depot in Cairns. Artwork by Daniel Wallwork, and a group of aspiring young artists. I have permission from Daniel to share this photo of his delightful artwork on Unsplash.com.

More than 27,000 signatures in two months.

Hundreds of residents at City Council meetings. Weekly community events, outreach, and engagement that reached well beyond Pittsburg.

All of it built by neighbors, with no title and no paycheck behind it.

This campaign runs on neighbors. There is no consultant behind it and no big budget. There is a list, a stack of door hangers, and people who care about this city.Knock doors. Walk your own block with me, or take a list for a neighborhood you know well.Host a yard sign. It is the fastest way to show your neighbors that someone they know is behind this.Open your living room. Invite a few neighbors over and let's talk about what you are seeing in your part of town.Bring me something. If there is a street, a park, a notice, or a decision that is not sitting right with you, tell me about it.Fill out the form below and I will get back to you. You can also reach me at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:perkinsforpittsburg@gmail.com">perkinsforpittsburg@gmail.com</a> or (925) 848-5437.

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Amhari Perkins for Pittsburg City Council. Paid for by Perkins for Pittsburg City Council. FPPC ID pending.