Salinas Underground

Our candidate interview series brought to you with our friends at Voices of Monterey Bay comes to an end with a candidate for Salinas City Council in the fourth district. Ray Montemayor has worked for Salinas and has some ideas about how his district can be better represented. He talks about those ideas and answers other questions as he sits on the hot seat.

Election Day is right around the corner, and our series brought to you with Voices of Monterey Bay is almost done, but we still have a couple more to go. In this episode, we talked to Mike Lipe, a multi-generation Salinas resident running for Mayor. Why did he decide to run, and what are his plans for city hall? Listen to get those answers and more.

As we get closer to election day, our series with Voices of Monterey Bay carries on. This time on the hot seat is Ernesto Gonzalez, candidate for Salinas mayor. After being involved in local politics for years, Mr. Gonzalez throws his hat in the ring to be the next mayor of Salinas. Why did he do it, and what are his plans if he wins? Listen to get those answers and more.

Oz and Claudia Melendez Salinas are back with another episode of the hot seat brought to you with our friends from Voices of Monterey Bay. A lot of candidates have mentioned homelessness as a major issue in Salinas and Wes White has been in the middle of that fight for years. Now he is looking to be the next mayor of Salinas. What are his plans for the city if elected? Those answers and more on this episode.

Next up on our candidate interview series brought to you with our friends at Voices of Monterey Bay is Mars Rocamora Jr, candidate for City Council in the 6th district. What would make a small business owner involved in community organizations for years decide to run for city office? Listen to find that answer plus many more.

Our candidate series brought to you with Voices of Monterey Bay carries on with Orlando Osornio running for Salinas city council in the 4th district. Can a small business owner take on the task of being a councilmember while still giving 100%? Listen to this episode and find out.

The next installment of our candidate series brought to you in conjunction with our friends at Voices of Monterey Bay features Vanessa Robinson, candidate for Salinas City Council in the 6th district. A lifelong Salinas resident with deep roots in the city decided it was time for her to run and represent her neighborhood. What drove her to that decision, and what inspires her to keep going? All that and more on this episode.

Our election special presented in conjunction with Voices of Monterey Bay rolls on with another candidate for Salinas Mayor, Kimbley Craig. After a stint on the city council, she thought she was done with politics but what made her throw the hat in the ring? All that and more on this episode.

Our series with Voices of Monterey Bay continues with Chris Barrera, candidate for Salinas Mayor. The real estate agent and community activist tells us why he feels like he's the right person to lead Salinas through the problems it currently faces, and ones that will be created because of COVID.

The next episode of our local election special done in collaboration with Voices of Monterey Bay features the other candidate for Monterey County Supervisor District 4 Steve McShane. In his turn in the hot seat, he talks about his plan if he is elected and why his previous history on the Salinas city council prepared him for the issues on the county level. 

Our candidate interview series done in conjunction with Voices of Monterey Bay continues with Wendy Root Askew, who is looking to take over her boss's place on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. She lays out some of her ideas and why she thinks the voters of South Salinas should elect her to represent them at the county level. 

Our candidate interview series done in partnership with Voices of Monterey Bay continues with Carla Gonzalez, who is running for city council in the 1st district. What pushes a lifelong resident into politics, and what do they expect to get done? All that and more as the latest candidate sits in our hot seat!

In the first installment of our series of candidate interviews done with the help of our friends at Voices of Monterey Bay, we talk to Anthony Rocha, candidate for City Council in the 6th district of Salinas. He may be young, but he already has a lot of political experience and feels ready to take the next step. Listen as he answers questions from Oz and his co-host for the series Claudia Melendez.

Alisal. Riker. Sherwood. If you grew up in Salinas, you are probably familiar with these names, but have you ever wondered the story behind them? We go back over 200 years of Salinas history to uncover some of the stories that have been forgotten over the years but tell the tale of our beloved little city. From Mexico to Mexicans and a lot of stuff in between, this story is a wild ride! This episode is sponsored by our old friends XL Publichouse. They are open from Wednesday - Saturday from 2 - 8:30 and have curbside and home delivery available.

Over the last year, the network that produces the podcast has come out with several new shows, and this week we talk to the hosts of one of the latest shows on the Salad Bytes Media Network. Sal and Cruz host the Nakama Podcast, which will be a weekly review of the anime world, and we are excited to have them on the network! They listen in as Oz gives us some construction updates around Salinas then they tell us all about themselves and their plan for their podcast. 

Politics are often a polarizing subject, but the recent loss of longtime Salinas Mayor Joe Gunther broke that divide and brought the community together for a moment. We talk about the mayor and the future of our beloved city in the only way we know with whiskey, coffee, and some laughs.

This episode is not as political as the title may imply Oz just thinks he's talented at coming up with titles. As businesses around Salinas get ready to re-open after months of being shut down, we talk about what we look forward to visiting again. We also bring up the recent social uprising around the country that has now been adopted by most of the world. We solve as many solutions as three people with beer and herbage in their system can, which is not many.

Electro from the Electro and Banno Movie Power Hour podcast is back to help us through this shelter-in-place order that is pushing our social limits. We give a quick update on the Oldtown project that is all of a sudden on unstable ground and talk about a couple of housing projects that are in the works in Salinas. Keeping up the topic of instability, we also discuss the racist actions of one of Salinas councilmember and what it says about our leadership not only locally but also on a national level.

Most of Salinas is still sheltering in place, but Electro from the Electro and Banno Movie Power Hour is back to keep Oz company for another episode. Oz talks about his backyard that he is turning into a COVID oasis with trees, trails, a garden, and a pond. They also talk about a couple of projects that are about to get going around town, including a new sidewalk on Laurel that will finally connect the soccer fields with the Eastside.

It looks like this shelter in place will keep going till at least the end of May but don't worry we got a cure for your "stay at home blues." This episode is dedicated to introducing everyone to the other shows on the Salad Bytes Media network. Together we will get through the madness so go check them out. Don't forget to subscribe to all of them so you never miss an episode. Here's a quick rundown: The Electro and Banno Movie Powe Hour (@theelectroandbannomph) A movie review podcast not for the faint of heart. If you want to know which movies are worth watching and which you should skip the Power Hour has your back! This is a show best enjoyed after a couple of brews and joints. 831 Comadres (@831 Comadres) Frenchy and Samantha are the two powerful women behind 831 Comadres. They talk about a variety of different issues relating to going through life as a Latina woman. If you have been sitting around wondering what your next step in life is then this podcast is for you! Dizzy Nerds Podcast (@dizzynerds) Crue