22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 10-16, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com council. By contrast, the city of Salinas is more than 10 times the size at 163,000 residents, and has seven members on its council. Measure Z would shrink P.G.’s council from seven to five. The talent pool of those willing to volunteer to serve is not that deep (see above, with our endorsement for just two of six candidates). Not unimportant is that with five members instead of seven, the meetings will likely be 25-percent shorter—good for community participation and engagement. Many in political circles in Pacific Grove see the size reduction as a power grab by the current council majority to cement its hold. To that we say, run great candidates in good campaigns and let the voters decide. Salinas Chris Barrera for Mayor A major realignment of power is underway in Salinas City Hall, and that means hotly contested elections. There are 14 candidates total vying for five seats on the seven-person City Council, including two former electeds—Dennis Donohue and Gloria De La Rosa—trying to get their old positions back. We recommend staying the course with Salinas’ path forward, instead of going back. There’s a powerful effort, bankrolled largely by agribusinesses and real estate interests, to go back to the old way of governing in Salinas with $600,000 and counting spent to support a slate of candidates who are viewed as more business-friendly. That includes Dennis Donohue, a former mayor endorsed by outgoing Mayor Kimbley Craig. Thanks partly to Donohue’s professional experience in ag tech, he is well connected and sees opportunity to expand Salinas’ economic development prospects. “What I bring to the party is a series of state, national and global relationships to facilitate economic development,” he says. He sees the clear need for private investment to make big changes—but he’s not the only candidate capable of facilitating those relationships. Chris Barrera works as a real estate agent and is president of the local LULAC chapter, advocating for civil rights of Latinos. He supports a number of good, if controversial ideas: an urban growth boundary to prevent further sprawl into agricultural land; a recently adopted rent stabilization policy with a 2.75-percent cap on annual increases; and “beefing up” the police department with more officers (including motorcycle officers). He is not beholden to special interests, and while he has a lot to learn, we think he’s the best person to take Salinas forward. Ernesto González García is well-meaning and has long been civically engaged, but seems to have only partially developed ideas. We respect his hardline stance on campaign finance reform—”I truly believe in it, so I’m not taking money from anyone”—but it’s hard to run a serious campaign with no money at all. Alex Ayala for City Council, District 1 This East Salinas district will have a new councilmember as Carla Viviana González is, fortunately, not running. She has conducted herself professionally only some of the time. There are two capable and prepared candidates running to replace her. José Luis Barajas is running on a platform to increase housing stock and enhance economic development, both important initiatives. He has a particularly inspired idea to create a new Sports Authority or Commission as a joint partnership of the City, County and school districts, promoting athletic tournaments and the like (one creative form of economic development). He opposes rent stabilization. Alex Ayala hopes to improve street safety, increase civic participation (he notes District 1 routinely has the lowest voter turnout) and improve customer service at the city. It’s not an innovative economic development idea, but it is concrete: As a general contractor, he sees how slow the process of pulling permits can be. He wants to re-create the success of the downtown revitalization in other neighborhoods. He supports rent stabilization (but not without reservations). Barajas is backed by $103,000 from many of the same power brokers who are supporting Donohue. Ayala is running a very grassroots campaign with just $5,500 of his own money. Jesus Valenzuela for City Council, District 3 There are four candidates for a partial, two-year term left vacant when Steve McShane resigned midterm, citing dysfunction on City Council. Worth noting is that part of the negativity came from McShane. And much of it came from District 5 Councilmember Andrew Sandoval, who filed multiple complaints against McShane, acting like a finger-wagging watchdog instead of a colleague. Notably Sandoval is not on the ballot this year, and neither is McShane. A lot of people are saying that Salinas City Council is dysfunctional, but much of the dysfunction happened between these two. After McShane resigned, Jesus Valenzuela was appointed to replace him, and he quickly proved he is up for the task. He is smart and displays a clear understanding of City Council’s role. He is enthusiastic about the prospect of Amazon jobs, and wants to be sure the next council negotiates the best possible deal for the city with the least impact and the best prospects. He is invested in hearing from all perspectives, including workers and business owners, and making sure the former are welcome. “We are in a transition period of defining who belongs in City Hall, and that makes some people uncomfortable,” he notes. Cary Swensen, an educator who ran unsuccessfully against McShane in 2022, is running again, but still does not clearly articulate a platform. David Maisonneuve is a self-described “squeaky wheel,” running as a question-asker more than anything else, a role he can fulfill as a member of the public. Margaret D’Arrigo is experienced in agribusiness, and is running with a lot of support of agribusiness. She has experience as an elected official—formerly on the board of Salinas Valley Health, and now Hartnell College—and is primarily motivated by public safety, although she did not articulate a clear plan for how to improve it. Orlando Osornio for City Council, District 4 Since he was elected four years ago, Orlando Osornio points to a list of accomplishments he’d like to continue working on: new housing units in Chinatown and cleaning up homeless encampments; the revamped Hebbron Family Center, which just began construction after securing needed state funding; the forthcoming new Ensen Community Park, and other investments in recreation. He wants to see a broader idea of economic development and the types of businesses that the city can support—think the Swap Meet—so it’s not just downtown getting investment. His challengers include former councilmember Gloria De La Rosa, who promises that her experience makes her the best candidate, but she has answered none of the Weekly’s specific questions about her plans. (She is also running with $114,000 in the bank, largely from business interests; maybe they know her platform.) Albert Lomeli, a teacher, veteran and Moss Landing Harbor commissioner, is thoughtful and has some good ideas. He wants to see more equitable investment in downtown revitalization efforts beyond Oldtown, and he wants to restore a more respectful communication style to City Hall. However, he is nonspecific in his proposals. We believe Osornio deserves another term to complete the projects he started. Anthony Rocha for City Council, District 6 Of all the races in Salinas this year, this one is the clearest. Anthony Rocha is a fearless politician, still young and still learning—but smart, able to clearly articulate his thinking and willing to shake things up. That can include THE ENDORSEMENT Edition 2024 Jean Rasch for Monterey City Council
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