Standing Up for
Our Salinas Community
"We are not the problem. We are the community. We deserve policies that reward hard work — not ones that punish us for achieving the very dream our parents sacrificed everything to give us."
Ignacio Fregoso
Campaign Committee Chair
Protect Salinas Residents 2026
El control de rentas no protege a los inquilinos — los perjudica al reducir la oferta de vivienda. Vote Sí por la derogación el 3 de noviembre de 2026. Protejamos Salinas juntos.
We Are Not the Problem —
We Are the Community.
Dear Fellow Salinas Resident,
When my family arrived in Salinas, we had nothing but determination. Through years of hard work and sacrifice, we were able to build something modest yet meaningful here. That is who is speaking to you today.
I graduated from North Salinas High School and earned a degree in Crop Science from California State University, Fresno, where I was recognized on the Honor Roll and Dean's List in December 2018. Today, I work as a Plant Operations Manager for a family-owned farming company here in the Salinas Valley. That's the American Dream. That's what my parents worked so hard for.
Over time, my family saved what we could and made careful investments in a few small rental properties — not to become wealthy, but to build something stable and to provide decent housing to others in our community. Our story is not unique. Across Salinas, you will find Latino families — immigrants or the children of immigrants — who did the same. They own a duplex or a few small homes. They are our neighbors, our family members, and our community.
This website exists for one reason: to give you the facts — without political spin.
The Hispanic community has been the heart of Salinas for generations. We deserve policies that reward hard work and responsibility — not ones that punish us for achieving the very dream our parents sacrificed everything to give us.
This website exists for one reason: to give you the facts — not the political spin. On November 3, 2026, Salinas voters will be asked to weigh in on rent control and a public rental registry — the same ordinances that were passed in 2024, widely criticized, and then repealed by a 5–2 Council vote in May 2025. These are not new ideas with new solutions. They are the same poorly written regulations brought back through a political referendum. You deserve to know exactly what they say, what the evidence shows, and what is really at stake for our community.
What concerns me most is not the politics — it is the impact on real families. These ordinances freeze rental income while every expense keeps rising: insurance, property taxes, water bills, maintenance, and mandatory registry compliance. When the math stops working for small, local housing providers, those properties do not stay in the hands of working families. They go to the large management companies and private equity funds that have entire legal departments built for exactly this. That is not protecting renters. That is replacing us.
It is also important to know that California already has AB 1482 — a statewide law that provides real, meaningful tenant protections, including annual rent caps and just-cause eviction requirements. These local ordinances go far beyond that, adding layers of bureaucracy, public registry requirements, and financial burdens that serve politics far more than they serve people. We believe in protecting renters. We also believe that protecting renters and protecting housing providers are not opposites — they are the same goal, and bad policy hurts both.
We are not the problem. We are the community. We are part of the solution. Let us stand together — and win this.
With deep commitment to our community,
Ignacio Fregoso
Campaign Committee Chair, Protect Salinas Residents 2026
P.S. When small housing providers leave this market — when regulation, costs, and politics drive us out — it is not the corporate landlord who suffers. It is the young Latino farmworker, the service industry family, the person just trying to find a decent home in the community they love. Our community built this valley. We should not be the ones pushed out of it. That is what we are protecting. And that is why we cannot afford to lose this fight.
Estimated Breakdown of Rental Housing Ownership in Salinas, California
These are your neighbors — not Wall Street.
| Category | Share | Estimated Units |
|---|---|---|
| Small Landlords (1–4 units) Mom-and-pop owners | 60–70% | ≈ 13,800 – 16,100 |
| Mid-size Landlords (5–50 units) Regional property managers | 20–30% | ≈ 4,600 – 6,900 |
| Large Corporate (50+ units) Institutional investors | 10–15% | ≈ 2,300 – 3,450 |
Sources: City of Salinas Housing Element & Rent Stabilization Analysis; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); National Rental Housing Finance Survey; California Housing Partnership.
Salinas Residents, Side by Side
Protect Salinas Residents 2026 is you, your friends, your family, and your neighbors — the people who call this valley home. We are not funded by corporate interests or outside political groups. We are your neighbors.
Working Families
Families who have built their lives here and want to protect housing opportunities for the next generation.
Small Housing Providers
Local landlords — often Latino immigrants — who own one or two properties and provide affordable housing to their neighbors.
Longtime Renters
Renters who understand that fewer homes means higher prices, and want policies that actually expand housing supply.
Our goal is straightforward: educate every voter in Salinas about what these ordinances actually do, arm our community with the facts, and protect the housing market that families depend on. We believe both renters and property owners deserve honest representation — not political theater designed to divide us.
What Rent Control Actually Does to Our Community
While rent control is viewed as the politically expedient "solution," the evidence tells a different story.
Stifles Community Development
Rent control laws lead to a reduction in the available supply of rental housing — fewer homes for the families who need them most.
Worsens Housing Affordability
Without adequate supply, renters face fewer and more expensive options in the communities where they want to live and raise their families.
Creates Inequitable Outcomes
Rent control does a poor job of targeting benefits — resulting in a "lucky few" receiving help rather than the renters who truly need it most.
Limits Upward Mobility
Rent control traps renters in units that no longer fit their needs, restricting the economic mobility and autonomy that lead to real, lasting stability.
Undermines Quality Housing
When owners cannot collect enough to keep up with repairs, buildings deteriorate — putting residents in the unfair position of choosing cost over quality.
Put plainly: Rent Control Hurts Renters. Proven solutions like rental deposit assistance, emergency rental assistance, and new housing construction create real opportunity. These ordinances do the opposite.
