City of Antioch releases 2025 City Manager’s Annual Report
Touts public safety reforms, approving 1,806 new housing units, plus, 530 new businesses opening in 2024 & 2025
“It has been an honor to serve and to help lead the continued effort to strengthen and improve our community together.” – Bessie M. Scott, Antioch City Manager
By Allen D. Payton
The City of Antioch has released its 2025 City Manager’s Annual Report, on what might be Bessie Scott’s last day in the position, providing a comprehensive overview of work completed across City departments over the past year.
According to the City’s press release by PIO Jaden Baird, “The report highlights major projects, operational updates, departmental accomplishments and ongoing efforts that supported residents, businesses, and the broader Antioch community. It is intended to provide a clear picture of the City’s work and progress across a range of service areas and organizational priorities.
“The 2025 Annual Report includes updates from departments throughout the organization and reflects the breadth of work required to deliver core services, advance City initiatives, and support the daily operations of local government.”
“I am deeply grateful to our Mayor, City Council and City staff for their partnership and commitment to this work–but most importantly, to the residents of Antioch,” said City Manager Scott. “Your trust, your voices and your belief in what this city can become have made this progress possible. It has been an honor to serve and to help lead the continued effort to strengthen and improve our community together. Opportunity lives here.”
Key Highlights
- Antioch reported a continued focus on fiscal stewardship, including reserve levels above policy thresholds and steps to address projected General Fund pressure.
- The City reported 530 new businesses opening in 2024 and 2025 and highlighted new retail, industrial, and mixed-use development activity.
- In 2025, the City entitled 1,806 housing units across multiple housing types, including 178 affordable units.
- Parks and Recreation highlighted major community usage, including 46,943 water park guests and program participants and 6,234 recreation class and program participants.
- Information Services reported major technology upgrades, including core infrastructure improvements, cybersecurity investments, and 4,421 helpdesk tickets resolved.
- Public safety reform efforts included continued DOJ-related reform work, expanded transparency measures, and ongoing recruitment within the Police Department.
- Public Works highlighted major infrastructure activity, including the Brackish Water Desalination Project, L Street improvements, water main replacement work, and sustainability investments.
In the report’s Welcome Message, Scott wrote, “This annual report is dedicated to the department heads who work tirelessly each day to serve the residents of Antioch. Their leadership, expertise, and commitment drive the essential services, programs, and initiatives that keep our city running. Through their collaboration and dedication to public service, they help move Antioch forward and make our community a better place to live, work, and grow.”
Here message continued, “As I reflect on my first year serving as your City Manager, I want to speak directly to you—openly, honestly, and with deep respect for the resilience of this community.
“This past year has not been easy. Antioch faced multiple, overlapping challenges that tested our institutions and our trust in one another. We confronted a deeply painful police scandal that rightly demanded accountability, transparency, and reform. We navigated a significant structural budget deficit that required difficult decisions and fiscal discipline. And we did so in a city experiencing real division—where frustration, fear, and fatigue were present alongside hope and determination.
“As part of this work, the City also launched a citywide operational assessment process with an independent consultant to evaluate how departments are functioning, identify strengths and gaps, and recommend improvements in areas such as strategy, leadership, systems and processes, workforce, and resources. These assessments are intended to help the City better understand where operations can be modernized, where efficiencies can be gained, and where organizational changes may be needed to support stronger service delivery and long-term stability. This work is ongoing. At the time of this annual report, only some departmental assessments have been completed and released, with additional reports to be issued as the process continues. “The goal is not only to identify challenges, but to create a roadmap for improvement that strengthens accountability, supports employees, and positions the City to serve the community more effectively.
“Managing through crisis is never about pretending challenges don’t exist. It is about facing them directly, grounding decisions in facts and values, and keeping the long-term health of the community at the center of every action. From day one, my commitment has been to stabilize the organization, restore credibility, and move Antioch forward—without losing sight of the people most affected by our choices.
“Over the past year, we took decisive steps to address immediate risks while laying the groundwork for sustainable progress. We strengthened financial controls, improved transparency, and began the hard work of restoring fiscal balance. We initiated organizational reforms to reinforce ethical standards, accountability, and professionalism across city operations. We continued delivering core services—public safety, infrastructure, and community programs—even under constrained conditions. And we worked to rebuild trust by engaging more openly with residents, employees, and community partners. As the City Manager, I am proud to be part of a City that has taken hard, meaningful and necessary steps to move Antioch forward in the following ways:”
Scott then offered details of accomplishments in six areas including:
- Stabilized the City’s finances;
- Strengthened organizational accountability and ethics;
- Maintained core services during crisis;
- Improved internal operations and governance;
- Advanced transparency and communication; and
- Positioned the City for recovery and growth.
She continued in her Welcome Message for the Annual Report writing, “Progress does not always look dramatic or come with flashy headlines. Often, it looks like steady, disciplined work: systems being repaired, policies updated, teams rebuilt, and expectations clarified.
“It looks like choosing long-term stability over short-term comfort. It looks like listening—even when conversations are difficult—and acting with integrity, even when the path forward is not popular. Even still, I am incredibly grateful to get to do this “quiet” work in order to keep moving the city forward.
“Despite the challenges, Antioch is moving forward. The city is more financially disciplined, organizationally aligned, and focused on results than it was a year ago. We are better positioned to address public safety, invest in infrastructure, pursue economic development, and deliver services that reflect the values and diversity of this community.
“None of this work happens alone. I am grateful to the City Council for navigating complex decisions, to city employees who continued serving under extraordinary pressure, and to residents who demanded better while remaining engaged in the civic process. Your voices—critical, supportive, and everything in between—matter.
“The work ahead is still significant. Healing trust, strengthening systems, and building a more equitable and unified Antioch will take time. But I remain confident in this city’s capacity to confront hard truths, make responsible choices, and shape a stronger future together.
“Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve. I am committed to continuing this work with transparency, professionalism, and an unwavering focus on the long-term well-being of Antioch.
With respect and resolve,
Bessie Marie Scott, City Manager, City of Antioch”
The 40-page report is available on the City’s website at antiochca.gov/annualreport.
the attachments to this post:
Cover Antioch CA 2025 CM Annual Report
