Salinas voters are being asked to make an important decision—one that will shape the future of housing, affordability, privacy, and safety in our city for years to come.

On November 3, 2026, voters will decide whether to permanently repeal a set of deeply flawed rent control ordinances that were rushed into law by a prior City Council without adequate safeguards, transparency, or consideration of long-term consequences.

How These Ordinances Hurt Renters

While these ordinances were presented as renter protections, the evidence shows they’ve had the opposite effect—especially for the renters they claimed to help.

If you’re a renter in Salinas, here’s what you need to know:

Fewer homes are being built. Developers have pulled back from Salinas because of these extreme restrictions—restrictions that most California cities don’t have. That means fewer new apartments and rental properties coming to market.

Fewer rentals available. When supply drops, competition increases. Renters face longer waitlists, fewer choices, and landlords who can afford to be more selective.

Rents go up, not down. Basic economics: when there are fewer homes available and more people looking, prices rise. Salinas’ strict rules have tightened supply and driven costs higher—the exact opposite of what renters need.

Your privacy is at risk. Under these ordinances, your personal rental information is collected annually and made available in city documents accessible to people or groups you may not want to have it—from marketers and federal government agencies to people with criminal backgrounds or anyone filing a public records request.

Safety concerns ignored. When privacy protections are stripped away and housing options shrink, vulnerable renters—including families fleeing domestic situations or those needing confidentiality—are put at greater risk.

The reality is clear: policies that reduce housing supply inevitably drive prices higher and make it harder—not easier—for families to find stable, affordable places to live.

A YES Vote Protects Renters

A YES vote on the repeal is a vote to:

• Protect renter privacy and keep your personal information out of public city documents
• Encourage new housing development so there are more rental options and stable prices
• Increase housing supply to help bring rents down over time through normal market forces
• Ensure renters have strong protections under existing state and federal laws—without Salinas’ harmful overreach

This position is supported not by ideology, but by facts and by the public record. In June 2025, Mayor Donohue—who voted in favor of repeal—explained that the ordinances “tighten supply and raise prices,” noting that while “well intended,” they ultimately “directly attacked the housing stock.” He emphasized that existing state and federal renter protections already provide strong safeguards, and that the local package represented an unnecessary and harmful overreach.

The City Council formally adopted the repeal ordinance on June 3, 2025, by a 5–2 vote, reflecting a clear majority consensus that these policies were not serving Salinas residents—especially renters—as promised.

The Bottom Line for Renters

Voting NO keeps failed policies in place:

• Fewer homes built
• Fewer rentals available
• Higher rents
• Lost privacy

Voting YES means:

• More housing options
• Protected privacy
• A healthier rental market
• Real solutions, not failed experiments

Take Action Now

The stakes are too high to sit this one out. Renters deserve policies that actually work—not political promises that make the problem worse.

Vote YES on [Ballot Measure Letter] to protect privacy, safety, and housing opportunities in Salinas.