Four Salinas City Council seats are contested Nov. 8.

The race to fill the seat for Salinas Mayor and three City Council spots this November will be a lively one—and District 1 will be at the core of the election craze.

Three candidates are running to unseat Councilman Jose Castañeda, who has held the position since 2012 and is seeking re-election.

Monterey County Sheriff's Deputy Scott Davis, Executive Director of Second Chance Brian Contreras and Juan Sandoval, a maintenance worker at the Alisal Union School District—and who has tried to recall Castañeda—have all qualified for the Nov. 8 ballot.

As campaigning begins—and it could get ugly—Castañeda continues to face criminal charges in a domestic violence case and will have to hustle in the next couple of weeks to find a new attorney. 

In District 6, Tony Villegas, a sixth-grade teacher and an Alisal Union School District sports program supervisor, is challenging Councilwoman Jyl Lutes, who has represented the district since 1998.

Meanwhile, Virginia Mendoza, a businesswoman and health promoter, is vying for a spot on the dais. Mendoza will be facing incumbent Gloria de la Rosa, who has represented District 4 for about 16 years. 

On the mayoral front, businessman Amit Pandya will face off against Mayor Joe Gunter. Pandya announced his candidacy back in March with a four-minute YouTube video. Gunter has been mayor since 2012 and is a former Salinas police homicide detective.

Pandya is the former chairman of the Salinas committee for public safety and advocated to pass a 1-cent sales tax dedicated to public safety in February 2015, but the city sued to block the special tax election form going forward and claimed it was illegal and invalid.