County Supervisor Simon Salinas to retire, aide Chris Lopez to run for open seat.

After 28 years in elected office, Monterey County Supervisor Simon Salinas plans to retire next year when his term ends. His chief of staff, Chris Lopez, plans to run to succeed him, with the outgoing supervisor's blessing. 

Salinas became the first Latino elected to Salinas City Council in 1989. That came two years after he joined a successful 1987 federal lawsuit against the city, arguing the at-large system of elections there was a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act. The plaintiffs prevailed, and the city transitioned to a district-based system still in effect today, one that is designed to encourage Latinos to win fair representation in smaller districts rather than across the entire city. 

He was first elected to the County Board of Supervisors in 1993, then went on to serve in the California Assembly in 2000, and termed out in 2006. Following that, Salinas again became a county supervisor. 

Lopez has served as Salinas' chief of staff for six years. He says that he and Salinas each discussed future plans with their families over Thanksgiving, and when his boss decided to retire, Lopez decided to throw his hat in the ring, with Salinas' endorsement. 

Lopez, 32, has never held elected office before, but says his work as a county staffer would give him insight and expertise to tackling two primary issues: housing and infrastructure. 

"It’s about marketing, making sure we’re going out and selling our communities as a place to be," Lopez says. 

"That’s something we could always do a little bit better. It’s something Simon has done well, and a mantle I could take up."

Lopez has served on the Groundwater Sustainability Agency formation committee, and as a co-chair of the Lead Me Home Coalition to address homelessness. 

He grew up in King City, raised by parents who owned a car dealership for more than 30 years. 

"That’s where we all got our start—washing cars, changing oil. Then we got to go to sales; we all got to work every job," Lopez says. "We were the main provider of vehicles for agriculture industry in King City, and we were proud of that."

Lopez and his wife now live just outside the city of Greenfield, in District 3, the largest supervisorial district that encompasses part of Salinas and all of South County, including all four South County cities. 

This summer, while Highway 1 was closed, Lopez says a couple of cyclists from Lithuania showed up his doorstep en route from Canada to Panama, asking if they could camp in the front yard. He and his wife invited them in, and learned about the website warmshowers.com, which cyclists use to find places to stay along their routes, and the Lopezes signed up. 

That led to about 60 visitors coming by this summer, from all over the world. 

"It was really cool to just brag about our valley, and our agriculture industry," he says. "This is what I want to be doing, putting us at the forefront. It’s a place I’ve always been proud to show off."