Salinas Voters to Decide Fate of Four Tenant Rules in 2026
Salinas voters will decide Nov. 3, 2026, whether four tenant-protection and rental rules repealed by the City Council should remain out of effect or return to the city’s code.
The referendum concerns Ordinance 2687, a council measure that repealed Salinas’ residential rental registration, rent stabilization, tenant-protection and just-cause eviction, and tenant anti-harassment ordinances. The city will place the measure before voters during the Salinas municipal election.
The vote gives residents the final say on a major change to the city’s local rental framework. Until the election, the council’s repeal remains the action being challenged through the referendum.
What the council repealed
The Salinas City Council adopted Ordinance 2687 on June 3, 2025. The ordinance repealed four separate rent-related measures rather than changing only one provision of the city’s housing rules.
The repealed areas include residential rental registration, which concerns the city’s rules for rental properties; rent stabilization; tenant protections and just-cause eviction; and tenant anti-harassment protections.
The election will not be a vote on a new set of rental rules. It will determine whether the council’s repeal of those four ordinances stands. If voters overturn the repeal, the four measures could return to effect. If voters uphold Ordinance 2687, the repeal will remain in place.
How the referendum qualified
Protect Salinas Renters submitted its referendum petition to the city on July 3, 2026. After reviewing the petition, the City of Salinas determined that it contained enough valid signatures to send the measure to voters.
That determination moved the dispute from a council decision to a citywide election question. The council’s election action sets the vote for Nov. 3, 2026, as part of the municipal election.
The city’s referendum materials identify the Salinas City Council and City Clerk in the process and point voters to Monterey County election officials for the municipal election. The posted materials include the ordinance itself, a staff report, the election resolution and an impartial analysis.
Why the November vote matters
The outcome could affect the rules that apply to residential rentals and the protections available to tenants under Salinas law. The four ordinances cover registration, rent stabilization, eviction standards and anti-harassment protections, making the referendum broader than a dispute over a single rental requirement.
For renters and property owners, the practical question is whether the local framework repealed by Ordinance 2687 will stay repealed. The referendum does not restore the protections before the election, and voters have not yet decided the issue.
The city has not announced an election result because the vote is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026. In the meantime, residents can review the ordinance, staff report, election resolution and impartial analysis posted by the city before deciding how to vote.
The next major step is the municipal election. The result will determine whether Ordinance 2687 continues to repeal the four tenant and rental measures or whether the repeal is overturned.
Sources
- Referendum on Ordinance No. 2687, City of Salinas
- City of Salinas News, City of Salinas
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