Four seats. One ballot.
Four Salinas City Council seats are on the November 2026 ballot — including the mayor’s. Here’s every declared candidate, the race they’re running, and a line straight to their campaign finance.
Finance figures reflect filings as of . Semi-annual FPPC reports covering January–June 2026 are due July 31 — updated numbers land here in early August.
Salinas City Council Races
Four seats up. Incumbents and declared challengers below.
Mayor
Dennis Donohue
Daniel Muñoz
Also known as: Cal Paradox
Construction worker, musician, community activist
Peter Szalai
Retired educator, citizen-advocate
District 2
Tony Barrera
District 3
Margaret D’Arrigo
Cary Swensen
Educator, small business owner
Brent Bagley
Small-business & housing advocate
District 5
Andrew Sandoval
Irma C Lopez
U.S. Congressional Race
Salinas Valley sits in California’s 19th Congressional District. The June 2 top-two primary is over — here’s the November matchup.
U.S. House · CA-19
Jimmy Panetta
In office since January 2017 · Ways & Means Committee
Peter Coe Verbica
Republican challenger · advanced from the June 2 primary
CA-19 uses a top-two primary. In the June 2, 2026 primary, Panetta (58.4%) and Verbica (20.5%) finished first and second and advanced to November; the other candidates — including Sean Dougherty (11.5%) — were eliminated. Results are reported but not certified until July 10, 2026.
Also on the 2026 Salinas Ballot
Everything else a Salinas voter sees on Nov 3. We don’t track campaign finance for these — find candidates and details at the California Secretary of State, Monterey County Elections, and the FEC. June 2 primary results are reported but not certified until July 10, and statewide proposition numbers are assigned over the summer, so treat names and numbers as preliminary.
Federal & statewide offices
U.S. House · CA-19
Jimmy Panetta (D) vs. Peter Coe Verbica (R) — full breakdown in the section above.
Governor of California
Open seat — Gavin Newsom is term-limited. The top two finishers from the June primary advance.
Lieutenant Governor
Statewide executive office · on the November ballot.
Secretary of State
California’s chief elections officer · on the November ballot.
Controller
State’s chief fiscal officer · on the November ballot.
Treasurer
Manages state banking and investments · on the November ballot.
Attorney General
State’s top law-enforcement officer · on the November ballot.
Insurance Commissioner
Regulates insurance in California · on the November ballot.
Supt. of Public Instruction
Nonpartisan statewide education office · on the November ballot.
Board of Equalization · District 2
Tax-administration board seat covering Monterey County.
State Assembly · AD-29 / AD-30
Salinas is split — most of the city is in AD-29 (Speaker Robert Rivas); southwestern parts are in AD-30 (Dawn Addis). Check your address.
Statewide propositions
Roughly a dozen ballot propositions
Expected statewide measures span housing bonds, taxes, elections, and CEQA/environmental review. Final proposition numbers are assigned in late summer — see the Secretary of State’s qualified-measures list.
Judicial — retention (yes/no)
California Supreme Court
Retention votes for Justices Kelli Evans and Joshua Groban — a yes/no on keeping each in office.
6th District Court of Appeal
Retention votes for Justices Bromberg, Wilson, Grover, and Danner (this district covers Monterey County).
Monterey County
County offices
Supervisors, Sheriff-Coroner, District Attorney, Assessor, Auditor-Controller and more appeared on the June 2 primary; several were decided then. Any that advanced appear in November — confirm at Monterey County Elections.
Schools & special districts
Salinas Union High School District
Governing board seats up for election.
Salinas City Elementary School District
Governing board seats up for election.
Alisal Union School District
Governing board seats up for election.
Hartnell Community College District
Trustee-area seats up for election.
Salinas Valley Health
Healthcare district board seats up for election.
Not sure what’s in your specific ballot? Look up your address at Monterey County Elections ↗ or the California Secretary of State ↗
Track these campaigns as they raise.
FPPC Form 460 filings happen on a fixed schedule throughout the year. When the next filings drop, the data on this site updates — and so do the candidate profiles.