SALINAS VALLEY — Voters in Greenfield, Soledad and Gonzales will decide several city and school board races in the Nov. 3 general election, along with contests for Hartnell Community College District trustees.
Here is a brief look at the candidates running for office.
City Council
In Gonzales, three candidates are running for mayor: Andrew Castillo, Henry Laizure McDowell and Mayor Pro Tem Elizabeth Silva. Current Mayor Jose Rios is not seeking reelection.
Maria Orozco, the incumbent City Council member for District 1, is running against Delia Gutierrez. Orozco previously served as mayor for 12 years before returning to the council in 2022. Adrian Paco is running unopposed for District 3. The District 4 seat, which has a two-year term, is contested by Constance “Connie” Arellano and Henry Martinez Sr.
In Greenfield, incumbent Mayor Robert “Bob” White is running unopposed, while current Councilmember Belen Garcia is the only candidate listed for District 1. However, District 3 is being contested, with incumbent Rachel Ortiz facing David Godoy.
For Soledad voters, only the District 2 City Council race will be contested, with newcomers Don Bolin and Eugene Ivey facing off. Current Councilmember Fernando Cabrera is running unopposed for mayor after Anna Velazquez decided not to seek reelection. Fernando Ansaldo-Sánchez, the incumbent District 1 councilmember, is also running unopposed.
School Boards
Local school board races will also affect students and families across the valley.
In addition, the ballot includes Measure J, which would reorganize three South Monterey County school districts into two unified K-12 districts. If approved, the proposal would create Greenfield Unified School District and King City Joint Unified School District and dissolve Greenfield Union School District, King City Union School District and South Monterey County Joint Union High School District, which includes King City and Greenfield high schools.
For the proposed Greenfield Unified School District five-member governing board, candidates are Lucila Ayala, Lorena Chavez, Paul Dake, Sonia Heredia, Denise Jaime, David Kong, Jose Madrid, Gabriela Mora, Josefina Silva and Juergen Smith. Heredia, Jaime, Kong and Smith currently serve on the Greenfield Union board, while Dake serves on the SMCJUHSD board. The proposed board would take office only if Measure J is approved.
The existing Greenfield Union School District has three trustee-area contests. In Area 1, incumbent Kong is running against Josefina Silva; in Area 2, incumbent Smith faces Ayala; and in Area 3, incumbent Jaime is running against Mora. The existing district would be dissolved if Measure J passes.
Gonzales Unified School District also has three trustee-area races. In Area 2, Erin Askew, Joe Sanchez and Marvelia Valdez are competing for the seat; in Area 3, incumbent Maria Cuevas is running against Gerardo Villegas; and Area 4 candidates are Abraham Flores Avila and Rubycela Valdez.
Hartnell College
Hartnell Community College District has two trustee races relevant to the Salinas Valley.
In Area 6, Rosalie Sanchez and Sofia Ramirez are running to succeed incumbent Cesar Iracheta, who is not seeking reelection. In Area 7, John Huerta Jr. and Nancy Reyes are competing to replace incumbent Candi DePauw, who also is not seeking reelection. Area 6 covers roughly Chualar to Soledad, while Area 7 includes Greenfield and the lower portion of South County.
Some other school and special district positions will not appear as contested races because candidates were appointed in lieu of election or because too few candidates filed. The county may appoint qualified residents to fill seats that remain vacant under state election law.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Monterey County voters can find local ballot information, including candidate lists and measures, at MontereyCountyElections.us. For information on statewide candidates and ballot measures, visit sos.ca.gov/elections.
