www.montereycountynow.com september 26-october 2, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 How much money does it take to win a local election? In Salinas, business interests are betting it takes six figures. Out of 14 candidates seeking four open council seats and the role of mayor this Nov. 5, three have already raised in excess of $100,000. While the next campaign finance reporting deadline is Sept. 26, a review of filings so far—including individual reports of gifts that exceed $1,000— shows more than $681,000 has already flowed into these five races. And more is coming. In June, retired county supervisor Butch Lindley registered a PAC called Protect Salinas. That enables donors to give sums that exceed the $5,500 individual maximum, such as $25,000 each from Church Brothers, D’Arrigo Bros., Tanimura & Antle and Scattini Farms’ companies. The PAC now has over $110,000 in the bank. On Sept. 20, Protect Salinas reported spending just about $5,000 on slate mailers supporting three candidates for council: Jose Barajas (District 1), Gloria De La Rosa (District 4) and Aurelio Salazar Jr. (District 6). Meanwhile, those three have also raised significant funds. Along with Margaret D’Arrigo (for District 3) and Dennis Donohue for mayor, these candidates have collectively raised over $538,000 as of Sept. 24. (That compares to $143,000 total for the nine candidates running opposite the business-backed slate.) The California Real Estate PAC gave the maximum $5,500 to each council candidate on the slate; agribusiness companies Braga Fresh, Ocean Mist Farms, the Nunes Company and Taylor Fresh Foods gave multiple candidates on the slate $5,500 each. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that business interests are throwing their weight into Salinas City Council elections. There was a time that they enjoyed a certain amount of influence in City Hall. A new, fiercely progressive council has been seated in Salinas, and it’s been uncomfortable. For example, on Sept. 24, they passed Monterey County’s first rent stabilization ordinance. Beyond policy, there is the matter of style that has upended the way things used to be in Salinas City Hall. First-term councilmembers Orlando Osornio (District 4) and especially Anthony Rocha (District 6) are not deferential. They are not afraid to disrupt the status quo. Salazar, a Hartnell College trustee who is challenging Rocha, says the current council is governing through bullying and intimidation. “It’s failed leadership,” Salazar says. He sees the money coming in as proof that Rocha has pushed too far: “If you create an uncomfortable business environment for ag and for hospitality, what are you going to do when they pack up and leave? His politics are going to push this into being a ghost town.” Notably, nobody is running for council on an anti-business platform. Many opposite the business-backed slate are in fact businesspeople. Chris Barrera, who is running for mayor, is a real estate agent; in District 1, Alex Ayala is a general contractor; Osornio previously operated a food truck catering business. There are some heavy hitters on the other side. Former county supervisor Jane Parker cofounded the Monterey County New Progressives PAC, which gave $5,500 each to Barrera, Rocha and Cary Swensen in District 3. Unions and small businesses are throwing down. (Osornio, for example, received $1,000 each from the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 104 and Coastal Dental.) But overall, it’s a tough matchup. Rocha, who has raised $40,000 in “corporate-free” contributions, is unsurprised by the hefty spending in support of his opponent (Salazar has raised nearly triple, $114,500, so far). “The City Council is making significant strides in changing the power structure of our community to make sure residents are heard,” Rocha says. “Groups that are used to being in control are upset they have to be one stakeholder amongst many. We are not saying we are not interested in hearing from business—we want to hear from business as one stakeholder.” And there is precedent. Jyl Lutes, one of Rocha’s predecessors in District 6, lost her seat of 18 years when she was outspent 4-to-1 by Tony Villegas in 2016. Besides trying to win, industry appears to be sending a message: If your policies don’t reflect our agenda, we will try to unseat you. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. Buying City Council Big business is spending big money on Salinas City Council elections. By Sara Rubin Naming Names…As a resident of a cutthroat marine ecosystem, Squid is well-acquainted with the transience of life, and as such, Squid has never had much of a desire to have Squid’s name on something, nor does Squid believe in the principle of it. (Though likewise on principle, Squid does want a Seaside Star in Squid’s honor.) All around us, there are things named after dead people, mostly white men, who the general public has no idea about—they just got here earlier than us. And in some cases, those names replaced another name, like Fremont Peak, which was once Gavilán Peak, but was named after Fremont following his conquering mission to win California for the United States in the 1840s. “Gavilán” means “sparrow-hawk” in Spanish, though in this case, it’s a falcon. How much cooler is that than a peak named after a dead conqueror? But the City of Seaside loves to name stuff after people, and on Sept. 19, City Council approved the street names of “Phase 1A” of the nascent Campus Town development, and the city stayed on brand. While the city’s policies suggest naming streets with a theme, like flora, fauna or geologic features, the council went a different direction—naming the streets after people. The phase’s main artery will be Rubio Avenue, named after former mayor Ralph Rubio, and there’s even a Bakewell Court, named after the developers of the project, Danny Bakewell Jr. and Danny Bakewell Sr. Seaside’s gonna Seaside. Chair Exercise…Maybe we owe it to Clint Eastwood for making chairs famous in the world of politics, thanks to his conversation with an empty chair at the Republican National Convention in 2012. But the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee is giving Eastwood a run for his money, as two people lay claim to the chairpersonship. On Sept. 3, committee members voted 24-7 to change their bylaws pertaining to when new leadership roles take effect. After a ferocious debate about the nature of the term “immediate,” Ian Oglesby took over from Karen Araujo, saying the chair-elect was now immediately in office. But Araujo has not stepped down. In her interpretation of “immediate” she still holds the gavel—the transition will take place in 2028, only after the next presidential election. Ten days after the vote, she sent a fundraising email to Democrats and wrote: “It falls upon us to unite and reclaim the moral compass of our communities, state and nation.” It would seem to fall to MAGA Republicans to fight it out over who actually is in charge (remember Jan. 6?) but here’s a power struggle for the ages, right in the county’s own Democratic Party. Squid will have plenty of shrimp-flavored popcorn within a tentacle’s reach as it all unfolds. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “We are changing the power structure of our community.” Send Squid a tip: squid@montereycountynow.com
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