Pacific Grove Mayor Bill Peake withdraws from the November election.

Pacific Grove Mayor Bill Peake seemed determined to run for a fourth term—he took out candidate filing papers on the first day of the nomination period, July 15, according to the P.G. City Clerk's office—but about a week later he returned those papers, withdrawing from the race.

The P.G. City Council's mayor pro tempore, Nick Smith took out papers on July 22, joining another possible candidate, Dionne Ybarra, who took out papers on July 15. Ybarra ran for mayor in 2018, the year Peake won the post.

Two days later, on July 24, former P.G. councilmember Dan Miller took out papers to run for mayor as well. He ran in 2016 for mayor after serving several years on council but lost to Bill Kampe, but since then has been a town firebrand, voicing his disagreements at city meetings and through the now-defunct P.G Press newspaper.

The potential candidates must collect signatures from 20 residents registered to vote in P.G., and complete the paperwork, to be turned in by the end of the nomination period. The period for most candidates ends Friday, Aug. 9, but in this case, where the incumbent candidate, Peake, has chosen not to run, the period ends Wednesday, Aug. 14.

Once nomination signatures are turned in, the clerks' office forwards them to the Monterey County Elections Office for verification of the signatures. 

So far the only official candidate for P.G. City Council is Tina Rau, who qualified on July 22. Rau ran in 2022 and lost to Councilmember Debby Beck by 52 votes. 

Incumbents Luke Coletti and Chaps Poduri have taken out papers to run again. Three other potential candidates are former P.G. mayor Carmelita Garcia, Chilla Kartalov and Paul Walkingstick.