Monterey County Elections & Politics Articles

MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Board of Supervisors has approved the placement of a measure on the November 2024 ballot to increase the sales tax in Monterey County’s unincorporated areas by 1%.

After a controversial congressional recount spurred by dark money, one lawmaker is introducing a bill to mandate automatic recounts for statewide elections with tight margins.
Assembly Bill 996, authored by Assemblymember Evan Low, calls for any statewide election with a …

In this field-produced, bonus episode, the Moment of Truth team interviews pro-Palestinian, student protestors and campers at encampments at UCSC‘s Quarry Plaza, and at Stanford University, in the courtyard in front of the Stanford campus bookstore—one of the longest-lived encampments …

After two terms (two years each) as Salinas' mayor and two terms (four years each) as a City Council member, Kimbley Craig announced on Thursday, May 23 that she will not seek re-election to a third term.

California has been home to many Asian American and Pacific Islanders who have transcended barriers and reshaped society, from education to advocacy, art to sports, politics, and beyond.

The California housing crisis is not only weakening the state politically at the national level, it could shift the political balance in Washington, D.C., as Republican-led states add population while California’s exodus continues.

Soledad residents worked for months to bring a referendum to the ballot and motivate voters to reject a five-district map the City Council selected last year. Measure P was rejected by a massive 80-point margin, reflecting the voice of members…

Dozens of people showed up at Salinas City Hall on Tuesday night, April 23 to talk about elections even though it is not yet election season. But District 3 residents organized—they received text messages and shiny flyers motivating them to…

Salinas City Councilmember Steve McShane brought tomato seedlings to a council meeting on Tuesday, April 9 to give to his colleagues, “to spread goodwill,” he said. Then he announced his resignation, effective May 10.

A new bill would make it illegal for homeless residents to camp in certain places, such as near schools, throughout California. Its authors say such a ban has had great success in San Diego. But a closer look at that …

In an analysis of more than 1 million votes cast by current legislators since 2017, CalMatters Digital Democracy reporter Ryan Sabalow and CBS Sacramento reporter Julie Watts found that Democrats vote “no” less than 1% of the time on average.

Some of California’s top lawmakers want to clear up, but also rein in, the “builder’s remedy.”

The state is considering zeroing out funds for CalWORKS family stabilization and job subsidy programs to help balance the budget.

The City of Pacific Grove is on its way to switching from at-large to district elections, after the P.G. City Council voted 5-0 on Wednesday, March 6, to hire a demographer to study the makeup of P.G. residents—the first step…

There’s more to Election Day than campaign platforms. While candidates run on policy ideas and promises, they are human beings behind all those glossy mailers. The Weekly has made a tradition of asking about some of that behind-the-scenes work of…

State Sens. Aisha Wahab (left) and Shannon Grove speak during the Senate floor session at the Capitol in Sacramento on Jan. 22, 2024. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

Peter Coniglio described himself as a "Monterey guy," and he was, with deep roots that run back to his Italian immigrant grandfather who came to Monterey and found success as a fisherman and founder off the first cannery. Coniglio branched…

The trustees of the Hartnell Community College District Board were faced with filling a vacancy last fall after former chair Erica Padilla-Chavez resigned and moved out of the area. They could fill it by an election, maybe during the primary…

Sara Rubin here, examining my vote-by-mail ballot that arrived earlier this week. It’s a heavy piece of mail but good news—postage is prepaid, one of several steps designed to make it easier than ever to vote.