Local Politics · King City, CA
Voters in King City and southern Monterey County will decide city council seats, school board positions, Hartnell Community College District trustee races, and Measure J on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Measure J proposes dissolving three existing school districts—King City Union, Greenfield Union, and South Monterey County Joint Union High School District—and replacing them with two unified K-12 districts serving the King City and Greenfield areas. In King City, newcomer Jonas Lalehzadeh challenges incumbent Oscar Avalos for City Council District 1, while Mayor Mike LeBarre runs unopposed in District 2. Hartnell College trustee races in Areas 6 and 7 feature open seats as incumbents Cesar Iracheta and Candi DePauw are not seeking reelection. Voters can find local ballot information at MontereyCountyElections.us.
Community News · Bakersfield, CA
Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union with Cesar Chavez and coined the rallying cry "Sí, se puede," died Thursday at her home in Bakersfield, California, at age 96. Her family announced the death via Instagram without listing a cause. Born in 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, Huerta spent decades fighting for farmworker wages, pesticide protections, and immigration reform. Tributes came from UFW President Teresa Romero and several California elected officials representing agricultural communities in the Salinas and Pajaro Valleys.
Local Politics · King City, CA
A retired educator urges King City residents to vote "Yes" on Measure P in the November 3 election, arguing it is essential for preserving the town's future. The measure proposes a half-cent increase in the local sales tax to fund gang prevention programs, police staffing, volunteer fire department resources, and street repairs. The author notes that King City currently has a lower sales tax rate than neighboring cities and cites past financial distress as a reason to secure long-term municipal stability.
