PITTSBURG — Two Pittsburg City Council members are setting the record straight over information included on a campaign website that they feel not only paints a negative image of the city but also includes gross factual inaccuracies.
The need to speak out comes after the creation of a website by a group called “Concerned Citizens for Everyone’s Safety Opposing Scales-Preston for District 5 Supervisor 2024,” which is sponsored by the Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Antioch Councilmember Mike Barbanica is facing off against Pittsburg Councilmember Shanelle Scales-Preston for the seat.
On the site, Scales-Preston’s track record as a councilmember is criticized. The website claims that her lack of leadership is the reason the city has a high crime rate, with incidents of violent crime above the national average and the highest rate for stolen vehicles in the country.
It also claims the city has no major grocery store, with a popular retail outlet closing due to rampant crime, and elected officials have done nothing to change that.
But Mayor Juan Antonio Banales and Vice Mayor Jelani Killings said the crime statistics on the website are far from the truth and insulting to the community. They also said they were disappointed in Barbanica’s campaign tactics.
“Pittsburg is thriving, and we have made significant investments to reach where we are today,” both Banales and Killings said in an open letter to Pittsburg residents.
The councilmembers said they want to ensure the public is presented with factual information instead of inaccurate numbers, which can create a negative perception of the city. Banales said what is presented on the website could deter people who want to move to Pittsburg to raise their families or start businesses.
“So really, we aim to correct the record or challenge the statements that are being made to make sure that our community understands what the truth is,” Banales said.
The mayor said Pittsburg has three grocery stores in the city — Safeway, WinCo Foods, and Cardenas Market – and a new Sprouts Farmers Market opening next year.
“These statements are incredulous. It’s just outlandish and irresponsible to say some of these things because they are very much untrue,” Banales said.
Barbanica said he has been running a positive campaign focused on making the county’s cities more livable and the streets safer while ensuring individual liberties are protected.
“My campaign has not discussed Pittsburg’s public safety shortcomings, whatever they may be,” said Barbanica in a text to this news organization.
According to year-to-date data released by the Pittsburg Police Department, there were 49,577 calls for service made as of Sept. 30, a 3 percent dip compared to 2023. The data, presented during a City Council meeting early this month, also noted that since 2020, the violent crime rate in Pittsburg has dropped.
In 2020, Pittsburg’s violent crime rate was 5.26 per 1,000 residents, but the numbers saw a fluctuation through the years. In 2021, it dipped to 4.67, but it shot up to 4.99 the following year. In 2023, the rate went down to 4.70.
Property crime spiked in 2022 when the rate was 22.27 per 1,000 residents, and it went down to 21.23 last year, according to data. The Pittsburg Police Department noted 182 shoplifting cases in 2023, but that number dropped to 109 as of September. According to data from the California Department of Justice, most counties in the Bay Area experienced a decrease in crime, including violent and property crimes, in 2023.
In Contra Costa County, Pittsburg recorded a total crime rate of 2,670 per 100,000 population. Antioch had a rate of 3,542. However, both cities had similar violent crime rates, with Pittsburg seeing 556 per 100,000 population and Antioch with 559.
For property crime rates, DOJ data showed that Antioch had 2,978 property crimes recorded compared to Pittsburg’s 2,103.
Lucky Chestnut, president of the Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, said the website opposing Scales-Preston is sponsored by an independent committee of an association supporting Barbanica. According to Barbanica’s website, the Pittsburg, Martinez, and Hercules Police Officers Associations have also endorsed him.
Chestnut said the Contra Costa association believes Barbanica is the “best person to lead” District 5 on the Board of Supervisors. He also stood by the data published on the website, adding that they were documented and factual.
“If I were on the Pittsburg City Council, I would be worried too about the direction crime in Pittsburg is taking,” said Chestnut. “I know voters are concerned and rightfully so.”