As early voting opens ahead of the June 2 primary, Salinas voters are weighing in on some key local races.
Two seats on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, Districts 2 and 3, are up for election, with incumbents Glenn Church and Chris Lopez both seeking reelection. Lopez is running unopposed. As of July 2024, a supervisor’s salary is $167,040 annually or $13,920 monthly, according to the county website.
The Monterey County Superintendent of Schools is also up for grabs after Deneen Guss announced last year that she would not run for re-election. Guss will retire after 40 years in education when her term ends in January 2027.
Vying for the seat is former Superintendent of Salinas Union High School District Dan Burns and Monterey County Deputy Superintendent Ralph Porras. As of 2023, the base salary of the superintendent of schools is $273,020.04 annually or $22,751.67 monthly.
Two people are running for Monterey County-Auditor Controller, the position that ensures the county manages its finances lawfully and as intended, Assistant Auditor-Controller Enedina Garcia and former Assistant Auditor-Controller Burcu Mousa. As of 2021, the auditor-controller salary is $230,916 or $19,243 monthly, according to the county website.
For these races, the candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary election wins the race outright. If no candidate cracks the 50%-plus-one-vote threshold, there will be a runoff election between the top two vote-getters in November. Local races are considered nonpartisan and the candidate’s party preference will not be on the ballot.
Board of Supervisors – District 2
Glenn Church
Ramon Gomez
Board of Supervisors – District 3
Chris Lopez
Monterey County Superintendent of Schools
Dan Burns
Ralph Porras
Monterey County-Auditor Controller
Enedina Garcia
Burcu Mousa
For more information on elections visit countyofmonterey.gov.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Salinas Voter Guide 2026: Key local races in Monterey County
Reporting by Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian / The Record
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