While Donald Trump has largely stolen the national stage in the 2016 presidential election, there are dozens of races closer to home that will matter to your life in many immediate ways.
Your next City Council members will be deciding on the future of your water supply and your neighborhood; your next representative to the U.S. Congress will be your voice in Washington.
You might be voting on the future funding stream for local roads, the July 4 tradition of Salinas fireworks and oil industry activity in South County.
Here, we bring you the Weekly's news coverage of 2016 elections (both the June 7 primary and the Nov. 8 general election) concerning candidates and ballot measures. Happy voting.
On this historic morning Jimmy Panetta got up and paired a coffee with a Fiber 1 peanut butter breakfast bar.
Just before 8pm, when the Yes on Z party is scheduled to begin at La Casa Del Sazón in Oldtown Salinas, the Mexican restaurant is almost entir…
At Monterey City Council candidate Dan Albert Jr.’s home near Via Paraiso Park in the hills of Monterey, nearly two dozen supporters gather fo…
Just before the first results come in after 8pm, Seaside Mayor Ralph Rubio is calm, if a bit uneasy.
The night of the Nov. 8 general election was a somber one in the city of Salinas, where predominantly Latino residents and City Council candid…
Of six candidates vying for three open seats on the Pacific Grove City Council, five gathered for a collective election party at the Masonic L…
With Donald Trump posed to clinch the presidency with a few close states yet to be counted, the mood was subdued Tuesday night even at victori…
HALF-BAKED… Squid enjoys a good party. Squid’s colleagues share that joie de vivre, which is partly why they all reached out to local politica…
Before you snap a civically-inspired selfie with your ballot in your hand, take note: On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled denied a request to …
Lyle Toole is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. In 1967, he trained as an air traffic controller and was stationed at Hamilton A…
Roman Barba works at a car dealership and owns three rental homes in Gonzales. He considers his life to be an uncontroversial one – until it g…
Everything is Rigged…Ever since Donald Trump told Squid—and the entire American public—he would hold them in suspense until after Election Day…
Three weeks before the Nov. 8 election, lawns in Salinas are flecked with campaign signs, an indicator that money is flowing into four open se…
A homeless man who sued to get on the Nov. 8 ballot for Salinas City Council lost his case. In a decision released Oct. 17, Monterey County Su…
To read our full analysis and endorsements for ballot measures, check out our Oct. 6 cover story; for the candidates, read our Oct. 13 cover story.
Follow the Money…Three weeks and one day until the Nov. 8 general election—Squid can’t wait. While election rules don’t give voting rights to …
With the Nov. 8 election just three weeks away, three candidates vying for two Monterey City Council are hitting the pavement and knocking on …
Members of the marijuana industry have donated more than $50,000 in the past two weeks to support the Yes on Measure Y campaign, a countywide …
The election-season ritual at the Weekly goes something like this: We invite dozens of candidates to our office in Seaside to tell our editori…
Let’s go back in time and do a quick inventory of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump’s ills as we knew them…
The United Farm Workers co-founder talks politics and negotiating strategy.
Corner Office…Squid can barely turn Squid’s eyes away from the spectacle that is Donald Trump and the imploding Republican party, but Squid tu…
After careful consideration, I will be voting yes on Measure Z, to “Protect Our Water: Ban Fracking and Limit Risky Oil Operations.” I strongly encourage your yes vote as well…
In a representative government like ours, you get to elect people who will represent you at various levels of government. And California is on…
Many probably suspected that the oil industry would spend big to defeat Measure Z—if the measure passes, it will negatively impact the industr…
It’s June 1, just after 10am, in the tiny town of Spreckels, when then-presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders strides down Fifth Street.
#DebateGate…Squid has been rubbing Squid’s tentacles together all weekend in anticipation of tonight’s first presidential debate between Hilla…
I’ve found that newspaper readers generally fall into two categories.
More Better…Squid has occasionally been accused of hoarding stuff in Squid’s lair, but Squid prefers to think of it as a tendency to collect t…
During a city tour of Marina in a dusty Prius, Mayor Bruce Delgado points from the backseat to his beloved cafe, Coffee Mia, and Michael’s Taq…
In the midst of a Facebook debate about the so-called anti-fracking ballot initiative...
While Monterey Mayor Clyde Roberson is yet again running unopposed, Dan Albert Jr. is looking to unseat either City Councilmember Libby Downey…
Prepare for the election signs to start popping up in lawns and every bare patch of ground.
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…
Seaside’s City Council has long been dominated by men. Three candidates aim to change that.
With the filing period for those interested in running for Monterey City Council opening on July 18, three incumbents and one challenger have …
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ message about taking money and influence out of politics has resonated mightily with voters across the country an…
Dave Potter, who has held the 5th District seat on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors since 1996, woke up on Election Day and had coffee…
Fernando Armenta stepped out of his campaign office in the Creekbridge Village shopping center on election night to get some fresh air.
In order to get into Dennis Donohue’s election night party, you had to ring the doorbell.
Early election returns show two long-time incumbents on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors—Fernando Armenta and Dave Potter—losing their…
For the Weekly's full endorsement analysis, read our May 5 story, here.
The Monterey County Weekly’s editorial board meets with candidates so you don’t have to. Here’s what we recommend in local 2016 primary elections.
As the sun set behind Colton Hall in Monterey, temperatures dropped, but the cold evening did not hinder the 7,800 people who gathered to hear…
With a field of romaine lettuce just steps behind him, presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders swooped into Spreckels this morning to give a press…
The night after Bernie Sanders watched the Golden State Warriors come from behind in Oakland to take out the Oklahoma City Thunder in game sev…
Longtime Salinas community volunteer Brian Contreras announced this week he will challenge City Councilman Jose Castañeda for his District 1 seat.
Many familiar Democratic faces made the rounds at Hartnell College in Salinas Wednesday afternoon, shaking hands with supporters and courting …
UPDATE: Hillary Clinton will speak at 2pm Wednesday at Hartnell College. Doors open at noon. Members of the public can RSVP here.
When five candidates ran for two open seats on Carmel City Council, which held elections April 12, it seemed like a competitive race.
To call the recent behavior of former Salinas Mayor and radicchio salesman Dennis Donohue “disappointing” would be a vastly insipid understatement, like calling the Kardashians self-obsessed…
Monning Smash!…Squid spent a cold and drizzly Friday night snuggled deep into a movie theater seat, jamming shrimp-flavored popcorn into Squid…
In the beginning, it wasn’t clear if Donald Trump would even make it inside.
Pacific Grove Mayor Bill Kampe announced this morning he will seek a third consecutive term as mayor of America's Last Hometown.
For a town with a reputation for sleepiness, Carmel was very much awake Tuesday night, when victorious City Council candidates and their suppo…
JUSTICE FOR SOME… Squid loves a good word game, partially because Squid’s outsized brain gives Squid a leg up when playing Words With Friends …
Forget the drama of hanging chads and malfunctioning electronic voting machines. Members of the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee v…
The rezoning measure is just the first in a long line of steps toward a luxury hotel development.
The Weekly endorses Steve Dallas for mayor, Bobby Richards and Richard Kreitman for council.
This June, County Supervisor Fernando Armenta celebrates his 25th anniversary as an elected official. He served for a decade on Salinas City C…
Horse Trading…Squid has a thing for elimination-based reality TV shows that leave one last survivor standing. The Republican presidential prim…
While Monterey Mayor Clyde Roberson and councilmembers Alan Haffa and Libby Downey all plan to run for re-election in November, one person wit…
DOUBLE VISION… Squid has spent the past few days scratching Squid’s head trying to make sense of the latest round of campaign finance reports.…
Behind a Salinas ballot measure that seeks to restore the sale of “safe and sane” fireworks are thousands of dollars in contributions from fir…
Former Salinas Mayor and radicchio mogul Dennis Donohue officially announced just last month that he was taking on two-term County Supervisor …
While Bernie Sanders' fundraising strategy—not taking gifts from the big banks or pharma execs he opposes—worked well in Iowa, money is still …
Five candidates are vying for two open seats in the April 12 Carmel City Council election, and one of those open seats belongs to Councilman K…
For a small town, Carmel has been through a lot recently. Jason Stilwell, the controversial former city administrator, departed in September 2…
Mayors did most of the talking Tuesday when former Salinas mayor Dennis Donohue officially launched his campaign for county supervisor.
What a difference a week makes. The Weekly's cover story today focuses on two 2016 elections (Assembly District 30 and Monterey County supervi…
Voters agreed to change California’s term-limit system in 2012. Here’s what it means for the upcoming election.
When Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, and his wife, Watsonville City Councilwoman Karina Cervantez Alejo, arrive at the Weekly’s office …
It's become cliche to say politics is a blood sport, and maybe that's because it's proven time and time again, at a local and national level.
RINGY DINGY… Squid guzzled a third glass of Champagne, burped robustly and loaded a fountain pen with fresh ink. With just a few hours to go b…
Up and Away…Squid asked Santa for a few things this Christmas, with limited success. A seasonal jingle-bell collar for Squid’s bulldog, Rosco …
SAND DOLLARS… While humans might be a more highly evolved species, the primitive nature of cephalopods means that Squid is less needy. Food, c…
Merry Squidmas…At about this time every year, just before Christmas, Squid hits the panic button: Yet again, Squid has barely begun Squid’s ho…
Pacific Grove
Team Player…Squid has been around long enough to be cynical about a lot of things: Imitation shrimp-meat just isn’t as flavorful as the real t…
Salinas City Clerk Patricia Barajas only made it through three of the five banker boxes of signatures delivered to her desk Monday, but had al…
As Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, wraps up his third term—and his last as an assemblyman, per California's old system of term limits—h…
Two weeks ago, Jimmy Panetta demonstrated his ambitions and announced what was the worst-kept secret in the world…
At first glance, the biggest news today from State Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, is what he isn't doing in 2016.
The Central Coast's open congressional seat has stolen the show in recent days, after Congressman Sam Farr announced he would retire after 23 …
Jimmy Panetta hit all the right notes during his announcement that he’s going to run for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Sam Farr…
Check the Silver…Squid had one hell of a political hangover on Sunday morning and decided to ooze over to First Awakenings in Salinas for a la…
After 20 years in Congress, Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, announced Thursday he was retiring and would not seek re-election in 2016. That started t…
It came down to this: Shary Farr told her husband it was time to come home and so Congressman Sam Farr, D-Carmel, is coming home for good.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 705 Wednesday, paving the way for some major repaving projects in Monterey and San Mateo counties.
Featured
In one way, Mary Adams is a total newcomer to politics: She’s never run for elected office before. In another, she’s an old-timer: She ran Con…
Featured
Game Time…Squid loves competitive athletics so long as Squid does not need to compete Squidself.
Most people agree Monterey County’s roads could be in better shape. They disagree on how to pay for upgrades.
Tonight at 6pm, members of Salinas City Council and reps from fireworks companies welcome the public to a town hall discussion about the futur…
There is no hydraulic fracturing, known as "fracking," happening in Monterey County.
TURTLE TIME… Squid was cleaning out the lair and came across an overdue library book – The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Canoeing and Kayaking. Sq…
Monterey County’s roads are crumbling. That’s according to the numbers: On a pavement condition scale of 0 to 100, an average system of reason…
On April 30, 2014, the county Planning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend the county Board of Supervisors issue a two-year moratorium on fracki…
A rumor that's been circulating for months has just been confirmed: In a statement sent out this morning, Pacific Grove City Councilwoman Case…
Pollsters have already started gathering intel for 2016 campaigns to unseat County Supervisor Jane Parker, and they’ve been calling prospectiv…
Hillary and Bill are not the only power couple out there looking to establish a political dynasty.
It’s early for this. It’s so early for this. The election isn’t until 2016 and the shenanigans have already started.
DREAM SEQUENCE… If Squid had a warm and fuzzy side, it would come out on election night, when all the political types gather to celebrate, wal…
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