How Pittsburg is run
Who runs Pittsburg, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Pittsburg's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Pittsburg
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day and appoints the department directors. Darin Gale became city manager on December 15, 2025, after Garrett Evans retired on September 4, 2025. Five council members are elected to staggered four-year terms; the council sets goals and policies and adopts the budget. Voters also elect the city clerk and city treasurer.
What they are paid
- Three-year term from December 15, 2025 to December 14, 2028, extended one year automatically each December 15
- Severance of six months' base salary and six months of health benefits if fired without cause in the first year, twelve months from the second year on
- Cannot be fired within 90 days before or after a council election
- CalPERS classic member at 2% at 60; he pays 9% toward CalPERS
- Vacation accrues at 8.62 hours per pay period, starting with 80 hours of vacation and 40 hours of sick leave
- $100 per meeting for a member serving on the Tri Delta Transit board
- $209 per meeting for a member serving on the Delta Diablo Sanitation District board
Pittsburg city staff
312 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Works 122, Police 109. FY2026-27. City of Pittsburg · Jun 15, 2026
The council adopts a master pay schedule that lists the monthly pay range for every job title, including the city manager and council. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Pittsburg in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $21.6M (2025-06-30). City of Pittsburg · Feb 17, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Sales tax (1% Bradley-Burns)$12.4M · 18%
- Property tax (secured, unsecured and former redevelopment residual)$11.3M · 16%
- Motor vehicle in-lieu tax$7.6M · 11%
- Transfers in from other funds$7.2M · 10%
- Measure M half-cent sales tax$6.1M · 9%
- Franchise fees$6M · 9%
- Public works fees (inspection and plan checks)$5M · 7%
- Drawn from reserves$3.1M · 4%
- Other (police and development fees, cost allocations, hotel tax, business license, interest, other)$11M · 16%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$39.1M · 56%
- Transfers out to other funds$9.8M · 14%
- Community and economic development$5M · 7%
- Public works$4.8M · 7%
- Recreation$2.8M · 4%
- Non-departmental$2.7M · 4%
- Finance$2.3M · 3%
- Other (human resources, city manager, city clerk, city attorney, city council)$3.2M · 5%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Pittsburg is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityPittsburg Police DepartmentCity of Pittsburg · Feb 17, 2026
- Fire protectionSeparate districtContra Costa County Fire Protection DistrictCity of Pittsburg · Feb 17, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Pittsburg water utilityThe city treats water bought mostly from the Contra Costa Water District at its own plantCity of Pittsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- Sewer collectionThe cityCity of PittsburgCity of Pittsburg · Feb 17, 2026
- Wastewater treatmentSeparate districtDelta DiabloCity of Pittsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorPittsburg Disposal ServiceCity of Pittsburg · Jun 15, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Pittsburg Public WorksCity of Pittsburg · Feb 17, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of PittsburgCity of Pittsburg · Feb 17, 2026
- MarinaThe cityCity of PittsburgCity of Pittsburg · Feb 17, 2026
- Housing assistanceThe cityHousing Authority of the City of PittsburgCity of Pittsburg · Feb 17, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | PleasantonCA | BellflowerCA | PittsburgCA | Chino HillsCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 76,149 | 76,203 | 76,484 | 77,191 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $271,000 | $312,236 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $20,755 | $6,000 | $13,297 |
| General fund per resident | $2,251 | $729 | $912 | $823 |
| Debt per resident | $564 | $252 | $1,330 | $122 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,924 | $61 | $1,081 | $228 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 2.1 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Bellflower and Pittsburg and Chino Hills pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Pittsburg publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineDarin Gale's employment agreement is attached to the November 17, 2025 council agenda packet. City of Pittsburg · Nov 17, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote by name, such as the 4-0 vote adopting the budget on June 15, 2026, with one member recused. City of Pittsburg · Jun 15, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMeetings are webcast live and archived with approved minutes on the city website, and air on Comcast Channel 24. City of Pittsburg · Jun 15, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's master pay schedule lists $500 a month for council members. City of Pittsburg · Nov 17, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Pittsburg · Nov 17, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Council pay rises from $500 to $1,600 a month on December 6, 2026, the first raise since 1995. How will the council explain the raise while the general fund runs a structural deficit?
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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