Democratic incumbent Sim
ón Salinas was leading in the 28th District Assembly seat race
with 63 percent of the vote at press time. Should he prevail, it
will be his third term as assemblyman for this district, which
encompasses all of San Benito County and parts of Monterey, Santa
Clara and Santa Cruz counties.
Democratic incumbent Simón Salinas was leading in the 28th District Assembly seat race with 63 percent of the vote at press time. Should he prevail, it will be his third term as assemblyman for this district, which encompasses all of San Benito County and parts of Monterey, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.
Salinas was running against Republican challenger Bob Perkins, who received 37 percent of the vote. This was Perkins’ first sought elected office.
Salinas’ primary objectives are to balance the state budget through long-term solutions, to get more minorities into California’s higher education system by making sure outreach efforts are not hurt by budget cuts, and continuing to work on affordable housing issues, especially for farmworkers.
He also wants to preserve health care programs, especially for children, working families and people who take prescription drugs.
Salinas has written a number of bills addressing issues such as public safety and transportation. He currently serves on several legislative committees including Housing and Community Development, Agriculture and Veterans’ Affairs. He also chairs the Local Government Committee and the Select Committee on Rural Economic Development.
Earlier this year, the League of Cities, the American Planning Association and the California Transit Association named Salinas as Legislator of the Year.
Salinas became the first Mexican-American to be elected to the Salinas City Council in 1989.
He served on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in 1993 – the first Mexican-American to serve on the board in more than 100 years – and became chair of the board in 1997.
