The Monterey County Democrats vacated their office in Seaside, and Progressives moved in.

When a political party loses a major national election, they go into the so-called wilderness, a place to recalibrate and assess what went right, and more importantly, what went wrong. The hope is to emerge with a better understanding of the electorate and how to reach them, correct for the missteps and come up with a plan to win the next one.

On a local level, that dynamic has less salience – about two-thirds of county voters swing Democratic and one-third swing Republican.

But nonetheless, the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee has pulled up its stakes at its office at 1238 Fremont Blvd. in Seaside. Taped inside the front door is now a paper sign for “The People’s Center for Progressive Change,” and a phone number for the Monterey area chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America.

Ian Oglesby, the central committee president, says the board decided in January not to extend its lease at the property, and that it’s “taking a break” from having a physical location and is “really trying to make sure we’re dispersing our advocacy throughout the county.” That’s already started, he says – the board’s last meeting was held in Salinas – and the plan is to also reach into South and North County so that the party is “getting close to all of our constituents.”

Alan Haffa, president of the local Progressives’ chapter, says the group hopes to stay for at least a year so that there can continue to be a place for Democrats to gather. “That function is really important, and given what’s going on in the country right now, it feels more important,” Haffa says. “People are experiencing a lot of fear and uncertainty.”