ELECTION CANDIDATES
MONTEREY COUNTY — The candidate filing period for elective offices in the June 2 Statewide Direct Primary Election opened Feb. 9. Candidate forms will be available only during the official filing period and must be completed and submitted by the deadline on Friday, March 6, at 5 p.m. Official nomination documents will be available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., during the filing period at the Monterey County Elections Department, 1441 Schilling Place – North Building, in Salinas. Interested candidates should schedule an appointment via email at Ca***************@**************ey.gov or by phone 831-796-1499. Monterey County Candidate Guidelines, detailing offices up for election and requirements, are available at CountyofMonterey.gov/Elections.
LAFCO MEMBERS
MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County residents with an interest in the operation and organization of local governments are invited to apply for two Public Member seats on the Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County. Appointments to represent the general public in the Regular Public Member seat and the Alternate Public Member seat will be made by County, City and Special District members of the Commission. For eligibility and application details, visit monterey.lafco.ca.gov or call 831-754-5838. The application deadline is Friday, Feb. 20, at 5 p.m. The Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County is an independent countywide body created by the State Legislature in 1963. The Commission regulates the boundaries of cities and special districts, establishes Spheres of Influence, and conducts studies of government services. LAFCO’s purposes are to encourage the orderly formation and development of local governments; preserve agricultural and open space lands; discourage urban sprawl, and ensure the efficient delivery of government services. The 11-member Commission is served by an Executive Officer and professional staff, and is funded by local governments. The terms of office for the Public Member seats begin May 2026 and expire May 2030.
TRAFFIC DATA GRANT
GREENFIELD — Greenfield Police Department has received a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety for a traffic records improvement project to report crash and citation data faster and more efficiently. The grant program runs through September 2026. “Thanks to this grant, we’re upgrading our traffic crash and citation reporting system,” Chief Guillermo Mixer said. “The new system creates a faster, more efficient way to report crash and citation data, which ultimately helps identify a variety of traffic safety needs where we conduct education and enforcement measures in the community.” Grant funds will pay for a new electronic crash and citation data reporting system. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
BONUS BRIEF: BLOOD DRIVE SUCCESS
CENTRAL COAST — Health partners across the Central Coast are celebrating the success of the second annual KSBW 8 Community Blood Drive. The four-day event held Jan. 23-26 collected 412 units of blood. Donation sites were hosted by Montage Health, Salinas Valley Health, Natividad Hospital and Dignity Health, and Mee Memorial Hospital in partnership with KSBW 8 and Vitalant, a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting blood from volunteer donors. Community members are still able to donate blood by visiting vitalant.org.
