14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com Salinas is a city of renters; more than half, 52 percent, do not own their homes. And over the past five years, those renters have become an increasingly visible political constituency. Former councilmember Anthony Rocha, who represented District 6 from 2000-2024, spearheaded an effort to implement rent stabilization and tenant protections. The council approved a mandatory registry for rental units in 2022, then in 2024, followed with approvals for three more ordinances that impose stronger tenant protections from evictions and harassment by landlords than those provided by state law, and set a maximum 2.75-percent annual rent increase (or 75 percent of the consumer price index, whichever is lower), on qualifying units. It made Salinas the first city in Monterey County to implement rent stabilization, on buildings constructed pre-1995, citywide. And the policy discussion ignited a fierce political debate about housing with two defined factions crystallizing in defense of or opposition to the four ordinances. The policies became a defining issue in the 2024 election season, which saw a whole new council swept into power, with three incumbents unseated and replaced by members who opposed the rent stabilization ordinances. (They won alongside other candidates aligned on the issue. Those members are Mayor Dennis Donohue; Gloria De La Rosa, who ousted Orlando Osornio; José Luis Barajas; Margaret D’Arrigo, who unseated Jesus Valenzuela; and Aurelio Salazar Jr., who took Rocha’s seat. Only two councilmembers in support of rent stabilziation—Andrew Sandoval and Tony Barrera, both up for reelection this Nov. 3—remained.) The new council voted 5-2 to repeal those four ordinances, with Sandoval and Barrera casting the two dissenting votes. Two days later, Donohue convened a meeting in City Hall to announce an alternate plan to solve the city’s housing crisis. He appointed an ad hoc committee of himself, Barajas and De La Rosa to address the issue. Their task was to develop a $1 million-plus rental assistance program to help keep people housed; enhance tenant-mediation services; and expand outreach and education on tenant rights and resources. (Residents can apply for rental assistance via the Monterey County Office of Education or the nonprofit Echo Housing Program.) “The ordinances that were put in place, which were well intended, would have exacerbated the problem,” Donohue said in his remarks on Thursday, June 5, 2025. “The real solution is to build more housing…Salinas has a long history of coming together to directly address tough problems.” ••• Donohue’s announcement came just about 36 hours after the repeal, but another initiative was already underway. Even before the 5-2 vote to make it official, on April 22, 2025, council voted to proceed in the direction of a repeal. After the vote, supporters of the policies started booing and shouting “disgraceful!” and “shameful!” in the council chambers. Then they gathered outside and started talking about next steps. On June 3, after the official vote, the group Protect Salinas Renters began collecting petition signatures for a referendum. They gathered over 10,000, more than the 6,998 required, leaving council with options: rescind their repeal ordinance, or let voters decide. The council chose the latter, and voters will decide on Measure H this Nov. 3. (Pending the election outcome, the repeal was temporarily suspended, meaning the four original ordinances are currently in effect.) If Measure H succeeds, the council’s repeal will again take effect. If Measure H loses, the four renter-protection ordinances, including rent stabilization, will stay on the books. That would not, however, prevent a future council from amending those ordinances again. Rosa Gonzalez became a volunteer with Protect Salinas Renters in its early days, before ordinances were inked and approved. “I got involved because I could see working families gouged by high rents,” she says. “We know from talking to residents that negligent landlords are a problem, and people being afraid to ask for repairs because the rent will be increased—they are afraid to ask for anything from their landlords.” For that reason, advocates pushed The fate of rent stabilization in Salinas moved from town halls to city council and now to the ballot box. By Celia Jiménez HOME TEAM DANIEL DREIFUSS Gaye Freedman, 76, worries that she and her husband might be priced out of their Salinas apartment if rent stabilization and other housing-related ordinances are repealed at the polls.
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