20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 8-14, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com The people we elect will shape our communities for years to come. Here are our picks for Nov. 3. By the Editorial Board DOWN BALLOT Perhaps dark times remind us of how much elections matter. News from the White House is a daily list of assaults on American freedoms. For two years, Monterey County’s representatives to Congress have been on the front lines of that resistance (where they are producing limited results). It’s not just at the highest levels of power but at the local level where public participation shapes our society. Local governments are not only pushing back against Washington’s worst instincts, but also doing the essential if mundane tasks of providing services that shape our lives—fixing streets and sidewalks, running an emergency room, delivering water to your faucet, keeping libraries open. Fortunately for voters, a range of people with different ideas about how to take on these challenges in a tough economic environment are running for office. These endorsements reflect our take on who is best suited for these roles in this moment, even if we do not agree with everything in their platform—as always, democracy is messy, but elections give us a chance to vote for a whole candidate, not a list of priorities. (We did not make endorsements in unopposed races, but you can read more about many of those candidates in the news—and elections beyond those covered here, such as school boards—in ongoing coverage at montereycountynow.com/news.) As this issue goes to print, ballots may have already arrived in mailboxes. You can return those ballots by mail until Election Day, Nov. 3, or vote in person. For details about how to vote, visit montereycountyelections.us. The Weekly’s editorial board comprises Founder & CEO Bradley Zeve, Publisher Erik Cushman and Editor Sara Rubin. These determinations are made independently of the news reporting team. Cities Carmel MAYOR | DAVID BOLAND CITY COUNCIL | ALISSANDRA DRAMOV, BOBBY RICHARDS This is an unusual endorsement, because our argument for David Boland for mayor begins with praise for his opponent. We really like Hans Buder, one of the most effective members of the current council. While we disagree with his housing plan that the council passed this summer, Carmel needs him. That is exactly why he should stay where he is—on council, where he has two years left of his four-year term. If he wins the mayor’s race, that seat goes empty and likely will be filled by appointment. That means a vote for Buder for mayor is also, in effect, a vote to let only four Carmel citizens pick the fifth councilmember, someone whose name will never appear on a ballot. On a five-member council, that fifth vote swings decisions. That’s a bad prescription for a healthy democracy. Boland, a banking executive who is new to politics, says outgoing Mayor Dale Byrne recruited him with what Boland called “an impassioned plea for democracy.” We concur. While he will have a lot to learn, Boland is sharp and open-minded. He wants to see needed housing get built, possibly on city-owned lots. And he is enthusiastic about the industry that drives Carmel’s economy, instead of viewing it as a problem—he sees tourism as an asset (and rightly identifies the associated challenge as one that can be readily solved, which is parking). For City Council, three candidates are running for two seats, and all three are worthy of consideration. Alissandra Dramov has earned a second term. With Buder as leader, she was part of a council that finally took an honest look at the city’s books. That review found millions in deferred maintenance and produced a 10-year plan to deal with it. She supports both Measure M and Measure N, which we also endorse. Bobby Richards served two terms, from 2016 to 2024, and he is back after a health challenge, bringing with him institutional memory. More than that, his support for getting new and more affordable housing built for the local workforce on city-owned parking lots is spot-on. Plus, he is an important voice to keep the resident-visitor economy in balance (even though we part ways with him on Measure M, a hotel tax increase that he opposes). Stefan Karapetkov, an architect on the Planning Commission since 2023, is a thoughtful first-time candidate. We hope he stays involved. Del Rey Oaks CITY COUNCIL | CHERYL PARKER, SHELLEY CABANILLAS Del Rey Oaks is a small city with some big challenges and big opportunities. There is a chronic budget challenge. Various failed projects on the city’s portion of the former Fort Ord never got built. A city property that could be a revenue-generating rental is vacant. Two years into construction, resident frustration has built around a massive regional transportation project (the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway, FORTAG). In a field of three, first-time candidates Cheryl Parker and Shelley Cabanillas are best suited to take Del Rey Oaks forward through the next four years. They bring enthusiasm, a genuine love of their city and a positive attitude. Parker in particular has done her homework. Professionally, she is a civil engineer, but she does not want to engineer projects—she understands the role of a councilmember, and wants to
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