Salinas City Council victory parties overshadowed by Trump win.

The night of the Nov. 8 general election was a somber one in the city of Salinas, where predominantly Latino residents and City Council candidates dwelled on the meaning of a Donald J. Trump presidency.

Even as candidates for four contested City Council seats celebrated early election results, they kept their gaze on TV screens, nervously waiting for the final results of the presidential election. Because in a city where 70 percent of residents are Latino, and an estimated 20 percent of them are undocumented immigrants, a Trump presidency—and the immigration policy changes he promises—could prove catastrophic.

Mayor Joe Gunter gathered with supporters at Growers Pub in Oldtown Salinas. Clad in a suit and tie, he sipped on wine and posed for photos with guests. Cheese and fruit platters were served as pundits talked about national politics on a large projector screen.

By 9pm, it was clear Gunter had been re-elected to serve a third term as mayor. He beat businessman Amit Pandya with 69 percent of the vote. While Gunter declined to say who he voted for president because his vote is “secret,” he says a Trump presidency scares him: “It would be terrible,” he says.

Trump has noted among his priorities the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants nationwide. Gunter said Trump would have “to change his attitude” toward immigrants and declined to detail what the city would do if an immigration policy change affecting Salinas was implemented at the federal level.

“How many buses would it take?” Gunter says. “It is insane. We are not in the business of separating families.”

Pandya held his election night party just a block away at Fox Theater, along with John “Tony” Villegas, who according to early election returns was losing by a razor-thin margin to unseat Councilwoman Jyl Lutes. As of midnight, Villegas was leading by seven votes.

Lutes, who has been an elementary school teach in Salinas for 20 years, says that earlier in the week her students asked her if their parents would be deported if Trump won.

“I told them, ‘Your parents are going to be fine,’” she says. “Your parents are going to be fine because they are the backbone of our community. They will be fine.”

Lutes celebrated with Brian Contreras, a challenger for the East Salinas District 1, and fellow councilmember Gloria de la Rosa at a joint election night party at Piperdilly Bistro in the Creekbridge Shopping Village. They mingled with supporters over pork and chicken tacos and Corona beers.

Across from their party, at El Kiosko Taqueria, Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Davis celebrated what looked like a win to represent District 1 with a mariachi band, tacos and beer.

As of midnight, Davis led the four-way contest for District 1 with 548 votes, just a 22-vote lead over Contreras, executive director of the Second Chance Youth Program. They were well ahead of Juan Sandoval, who came in third, and the incumbent, Councilman Jose Castañeda, trailed in fourth place with just 17 percent of the vote.

Both Davis and Contreras agree that District 1 could be greatly affected by a Trump presidency, beginning with morale. Contreras says it could devastate the city, while Davis vows to protect his constituents.

“I will represent the people that elected me,” Davis says. “I do not see a difference between documented or undocumented, if they live there, they are part of the community I will represent.”