While five seats on the Salinas City Council are on the ballot Nov. 5, there is also attention on the two councilmembers who are not up for reelection this year.
A new PAC called Protect Salinas has raised over $165,000, mostly focused on contested seats. But it also reports spending nearly $5,800 each against Tony Barrera and Andrew Sandoval, whose terms are up in 2026.
On Sept. 27, opponents of Sandoval’s leadership took it a step further and formed a committee called Citizens Supporting the Recall of Andrew Sandoval. The founding paperwork names three people, including Salinas resident (and appointed Planning Commissioner) Tyler Burrola, as well as two attorneys from the firm Rutan Tucker LLP: James Sutton, based in San Francisco, and Thai Viet Phan, based in Irvine. They did not respond to requests for comment.
Sandoval has represented North Salinas’ District 5 since 2022, when he won by a 14-percent margin against incumbent Christie Cromeenes.
His leadership, both in substance and style, has been controversial since day one. His inquiries about a potential conflict-of-interest by his former colleague Steve McShane led to a pending investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission and McShane’s resignation.
Candidates for other districts have criticized Sandoval’s governance style, including Aurelio Salazar, who is running in District 6 and describes Sandoval as a bully.
“If there is an elected [official] that makes a decision based on their personal feelings toward me and not serving the people, then they shouldn’t be in office,” Sandoval says.
He worries that the Nov. 5 election could lead to a shift in the dynamic on council, potentially overturning rent stabilization.
It is unclear if the recall committee has started collecting signatures. The group needs 2,275 signatures to get a recall election; District 5 has 11,376 registered voters.