Longtime civic leaders kick off campaigns in city’s first district-based contests for districts 3 and 4
PLEASANT HILL — Mayor Zac Shess and at-large Councilmember Sue Noack have announced they will seek reelection to the Pleasant Hill City Council, kicking off their campaigns Saturday at a joint fundraiser.
The 2026 race marks the first time either will appear on a district ballot. Both were elected at-large but will now run in newly drawn districts as the city completes its transition to district-based elections — Shess in District 3 and Noack in District 4. Their current terms expire at the end of the year.
The kickoff, held at the Pleasant Hill home of Bobby and Nicole Glover, came days after the council adopted its biennial budget for fiscal years 2026-27 and 2027-28, a two-year plan that maintains current city services while drawing on reserves built up in recent years to bridge a projected gap driven by softer sales tax revenue — the kind of fiscal management both candidates have made central to their tenure.
“Serving this community has been an honor, and if re-elected I’m going to keep working hard for the residents and businesses in Pleasant Hill,” Shess said. “Right now, I believe there is good energy throughout the city with events, such as the Night Market and the return of the Farmers Market, which are bringing people together and to our city specifically. Like all municipalities in the state, we have fiscal challenges, but Sue and I are committed to finding the right solutions for our city.”
“It has been a privilege to serve Pleasant Hill for nearly 12 years and contribute to the inclusive and welcoming environment. I am also fortunate to represent the city and the county on a regional basis, because that regional voice really matters,” Noack said. “Contra Costa can get overlooked alongside San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Francisco and Napa, so it’s been a privilege to make sure our county has a strong seat at the table on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.”
About Mayor Zac Shess
Shess was elected to the City Council in November 2022 and was chosen by his colleagues as mayor for 2026, after serving as vice mayor in 2025. A San Diego native, he briefly attended Pleasant Hill Elementary in the mid-1970s before earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San José State University. A job brought him back to Pleasant Hill in 2003, where he settled with his wife, Debbie, and their two sons.
Before joining the council, Shess served nearly a decade on the board of the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District (Rec and Park), including three years as board chair in 2016, 2017 and 2021. He has coached numerous youth sports teams, including in the Pleasant Hill Baseball Association. As mayor, he has emphasized public safety, fiscal discipline and practical infrastructure investment, themes he outlined in his February State of the City address, and is helping guide the council’s work aligning the city’s zoning with the 2040 General Plan and Housing Element.
About Councilmember Sue Noack
First elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018 and 2022, Noack is the council’s longest-serving current member. She has served as mayor three times — in 2016, 2021 and 2025 — and as vice mayor in 2020. In February 2025, her regional colleagues unanimously elected her chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the nine-county agency that plans and finances Bay Area transportation, for a term running through February 2027. She represents Contra Costa County’s cities on the commission.
Noack brings an extensive finance background to her budget oversight role. A graduate of Bucknell University, she earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania while working in banking. After moving to the Bay Area in 1995, she served as a vice president at Bank of America Leasing and later as chief risk officer and senior vice president of air operations at GATX, overseeing a $1.5 billion aviation business. She and her husband, Charlie, moved to Pleasant Hill in 1998 and raised their son, Will, in the city’s schools.
After leaving the corporate world in 2007, Noack co-founded the Foundation for Pleasant Hill Education and has led the Strandwood Elementary PTA and Pleasant Hill Middle School PTSA, chaired the 2010 Measure C bond oversight committee and served with Pleasant Hill Rotary. On the council, she sits on the budget committee and the library and General Plan subcommittees and represents the city on the County Connection board, Transpac, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and the Innovate 680 policy advisory committee. Among the accomplishments she cites are the opening of the city’s new net-zero public library and the passage and stewardship of the Measure K half-cent sales tax funding street resurfacing and infrastructure.
Endorsements
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Sue and Zac for many, many years,” said former Pleasant Hill Mayor Michael G. Harris. “You couldn’t ask for two finer people to represent the city on the City Council. They’re hardworking, they’re caring, they’re diligent — and not only that, they’re nice people. They’re involved in the community, and I urge all of you to vote for them for reelection.”
“Having worked with both of them for many years — Zac when he was on Rec and Park, Sue collaborating on City Council — they’re absolutely amazing individuals who have nothing but the best interests of their community, and the broader region, at heart,” said Contra Costa County Supervisor Ken Carlson, who represents the county’s 4th District.
“I think Zac and Sue bring a unique perspective to the council and have a great vision for the future of Pleasant Hill, while still giving it that small-town charm,” said Bay Area Rapid Transit District Director Matt Rinn, who represents BART’s 1st District and is a former Pleasant Hill mayor and councilmember.
“People should vote for Zac because his heart is in Pleasant Hill, and he understands how to make life better here,” said Pleasant Hill Rec and Park Board Director Sandra Bonato. “Sue for many of the same reasons, but also because of her broader exposure in the community and the various inter-county activities she’s involved with, particularly transportation, which is just so critical to the quality of life in our community.”
“Zac and Sue are exactly the kind of steady, serious colleagues this council needs,” said Pleasant Hill Vice Mayor Andrei Obolenskiy, who represents District 2. “I’ve seen firsthand how hard they work on the fundamentals — safe neighborhoods, a responsible budget and infrastructure that actually serves residents. I’m proud to stand with them, and I hope voters in districts 3 and 4 will send them back to keep that work going.”
