Pittsburg Chamber finally pays Antioch security business for Seafood Festival work three years later
CEO is running for Pittsburg City Council
By Allen D. Payton
According to documents available on the Superior Court of California, Contra Costa County website, a private security company based in Antioch sued The Greater Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce and “Does 1-50” to get paid a little more than $15,000 for providing services to the Pittsburg Seafood Festival in 2023. The annual event was organized by the Chamber for which Wolfgang Croskey, a current Pittsburg City Council candidate, was and is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
While the organization’s new website offers no mention of him, on the page of Croskey’s campaign website entitled, “The Record” he lists, “Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce, CEO 2020 onward.”
In his role as CEO, Croskey signed the agreement with Strategic Threat Management, Inc. in August 2023 for the security services provided to the festival the following month. Yet, Croskey and the Chamber refused to pay, even after being sued and losing in court in 2024, until now.
While the contract total was for $26,561.60, the company sought $15,173.60 in their lawsuit, filed April 23, 2024, and the default judgment was issued and filed a little over a year later, on April 29, 2025. It required the Chamber to also pay the company pretrial interest at an annual rate of 10%, plus, attorneys fees and other costs for a total of $18,555.30.
Asked why the difference between the contract total and amount in the lawsuit, Strategic Threat Management’s president, Lawrence Treat explained, “He paid 50 percent as a deposit.” The additional amount sought in the lawsuit was to cover interest before it was filed. “He totally ghosted us. The judgment was by default. He completely ignored the court.”
On Monday, October 12, 2026, Treat shared with the Herald that Croskey had paid his attorney on Friday which was confirmed today. Asked what Croskey said to him, Treat said, “He didn’t say squat. No apology. It’s an absolute insult. It couldn’t have come at a better time. More important is the principle. You can’t do that to honest people. We’ve been in the community for a long time. It was absolutely uncalled for. It goes to his character. Heaven forbid he ends up in office. He’ll be in charge of city finances.”
“How timely was that?” Treat added asking rhetorically.
When asked why the Chamber still hadn’t paid Strategic Threat three years after their services were rendered and 18 months after the judgement was issued, Croskey said on Monday, “That’s been taken care of and paid.”
Asked if there was a dispute, he said, “No dispute at all. Just a revenue issue. The last couple of festivals have taken out of the Chamber. We’ve lost the steel mill and Corteva. We’ve lost some major sponsors. It’s been hard. We’ve never disputed the item or their services. The Chamber doesn’t get any money from the City and hasn’t for the past two years.”
The 2024 festival was the final year of the annual event that was first held in 1984.
Asked why the Chamber did not respond to the lawsuit in 2024 Croskey said, “There was nothing to dispute. Just took a little bit longer than expected. But it was paid 100 percent in full.”
See Judgement.
Croskey faces nine other candidates for three council seats in the November election.
the attachments to this post:
Strategic Threat vs Pittsburg Chamber CCCSupCrt judge & gavel
