Yes on H outraises tenant side more than 9-to-1 in Salinas Measure H fight
Campaign filings show $809,161 raised for and against the Nov. 3 referendum on Salinas' renter protections, with Colorado-based UDR Inc. the largest donor at at least $273,975.
At least $809,161 has been raised for and against Salinas' Measure H as of Oct. 6, according to campaign finance reporting published Oct. 9 by Salinas Valley Now. On Nov. 3, voters will decide whether to keep or eliminate four housing-related ordinances, including an annual cap of 2.75 percent on rent increases for multi-family residences built before Feb. 1, 1995, and a rental registry.
The money split is lopsided. Protect Salinas Residents, the Yes on H group seeking to overturn the ordinances, has raised $729,228 since 2025. Protect Salinas Renters, the No on H group that wants to keep the ordinances in place, has been outfundraised more than 9-to-1, reporting $79,933 raised since 2025, Salinas Valley Now reported.
Most of the Yes on H money comes from investment trust funds and large apartment operators. The largest donor is UDR Inc., which has contributed at least $273,975, according to Salinas Valley Now. UDR is a publicly traded real estate investment trust based in Colorado that owns, develops and manages apartments nationwide, and its portfolio includes seven communities in the Monterey Peninsula area with 1,567 apartments at a carrying value of nearly $209 million.
A separate account of the campaign, published Oct. 2 by DISA, independently identifies United Dominion Realty, UDR's full name, and the California Association of Realtors Issues Mobilization PAC as the top two funders of Protect Salinas Residents, and reports that UDR manages more than 1,500 apartments in Salinas and more than 60,000 nationwide, according to the company's website.
Measure H asks voters to keep or repeal four ordinances adopted by the Salinas City Council in September 2024: the Residential Rental Registration Ordinance, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, the Tenant Protection and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance, and the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance. A "yes" vote repeals those ordinances; a "no" vote keeps them in force, including the 2.75 percent annual rent increase cap for rental units built before Feb. 1, 1995.
The ordinances go further than state law, Salinas Valley Now noted: Salinas caps annual increases at 2.75 percent compared with 10 percent under the state, and requires three months' rent for tenant relocation assistance after no-fault evictions, compared with one month under state rules.
The campaign has also turned into a fight over the facts. Members of Protect Salinas Renters gathered outside Salinas City Hall last week to demand that Councilmembers Margaret D'Arrigo, Gloria De La Rosa and Aurelio Salazar correct what they called misinformation in Yes on H campaign materials claiming that a "yes" vote would deliver affordable housing and emergency rental assistance, DISA reported. The ads were paid for by Protect Salinas Residents, the Yes committee, a group distinct from the similarly named Protect Salinas Renters.
"Salinas needs housing and rental assistance that works for the people who live here. I'm voting Yes on Measure H because it delivers both," D'Arrigo said on a campaign flyer, according to DISA. Former Salinas city councilman Jesus Valenzuela called the claim deceptive: "That 'yes' on H is for affordable housing is a blatant lie and plays on the hopes of some of our most affected community members that desperately need affordable housing."
According to the County of Monterey's nonpartisan election information, the text of Measure H contains no affordable housing or emergency rental assistance provisions. Those exist only in the Yes campaign's promises, not in the measure itself, DISA reported.
Ballots were mailed to all active registered voters starting Oct. 5, and ballot drop-off locations opened the same day, according to The Californian's Salinas voter guide. The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 3 general election is Oct. 19.
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