At least two contenders have already entered the race for Salinas mayor.

With the Nov. 5 election around the corner, candidates for Salinas City Council are emerging. 

Although the filing period does not formally open until July 15, some prominent Salinas residents are already making known their intent to run for office. There are four seats up for election this year in Salinas, including the mayoral seat and four City Council districts (6, 4, 3 and 1). 

So far, two people have already announced they will run for mayor: Dennis Donohue and Chris Barrera.

Monday morning, June 10, outside of Las Palmas Furniture parking lot, Donohue held a press conference to announce his candidacy. The former mayor is now the director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, an ag tech startup incubator based in Salinas. 

Donohue was the Salinas mayor from 2006-2012. He also ran for District 4 supervisor against the then-incumbent, Jane Parker, in 2016 and lost. 

Donohue says the idea of running for mayor has been around since he retired from local politics. “There have been a lot of events in the city—Mayor [Joe] Gunter passing and, then with Kimbley's retirement, the window opened up to consider that,” Donohue says.

About two dozen people showed up for the launch, some carrying signs that read “Dennis Donohue for Salinas Mayor.” Among them there were some local politicians including Craig, Gonzales Councilmember Maria Orozco, and former Salinas District 4 councilmember Gloria De La Rosa, who served during the time Donohue was Mayor. 

De La Rosa says Donohue is the experienced leader the city needs. “We need to bring somebody strong,” De La Rosa says. She notes Donohue would bring something that is missing at Salinas City Council: unity and collaboration. “He has a lot of experience in his job with [agriculture],” De La Rosa notes. "We can’t separate ourselves from ag, we're known as the ag capital of the world so we need to work with them.”

“I'm relieved and excited that he has decided to come back and to take on a leadership role with the city,” Craig says. “I know Dennis can step into that role and start from day one without any learning curve.” Craig says she will endorse Donohue. 

Craig announced on May 23 she won’t seek reelection for a third term. She said her departure was because there was "a change in the direction of City Council priorities, the mass departure of leadership from City Hall and disrespectful City Council dynamics." 

Craig says she hopes the upcoming council focuses on economic development so the city would have enough money to provide services for residents. “There's a structural deficit that absolutely needs to be addressed, and I think Dennis is the person that can handle that and address it,” Craig says.

Chris Barrera, a real estate agent and a president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), confirms he’s also running for mayor with a formal launch coming later this month.

“There is so much improvement that needs to be happening. Our city is still pretty dirty. The housing issue—I am a real estate agent and I see the need for housing, for everybody,” Barrera says.

Barrera ran in 2020 in a five-way race. Craig won with 36 percent of the vote and Barrera was behind, with nearly 33 percent.

Donohue and Barrera both shared what they think about Craig’s performance as mayor.

Barrera says Craig is doing what she can. “Everything changes, every once in a while. I think that agendas change, priorities change. Right now, I have never seen so much work being done in the city—sidewalks, streets, potholes.”

“I think Kimbley has been a fine mayor,” Donohue says. “It's obviously been a challenging environment but I think she's been a good mayor and well regarded by the community.”

Donohue's goals is to focus on expanding and protecting Salinas’ revenue base, worker retention and review the city’s charter. “The mayor is technically a part-time policy position but the reality is the demands on a mayor are virtually full-time,” Donohue says.

Barrera's goals focus on accountability and transparency. 

Both seek to improve economic development in the city. “It is a shame when a new business wants to open and they can’t even get a call back from our city. They have to call Chris Barrera to get a call back,” Barrera says. 

Barrera will launch his campaign June 28, but says he is already walking precincts and talking to voters. If elected, Barrera will step down from LULAC leadership. He would also step down from his appointed role on the city's Measure G Oversight Committee.

De La Rosa is also returning to the political realm. She is coming back from retirement to challenge incumbent Orlando Osornio. De La Rosa says District 4 residents motivated her to run again: “They're not pleased with what our leaders are doing right now. They have no communication hardly with the residents.”

Incumbents Osornio (in District 4) and Anthony Rocha (in District 6) have both announced they will seek reelection.

Sara Rubin contributed to this report. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the following correction. Four council seats, not three, are up for election this November. They are in districts 1, 3 4 and 6.