Salinas city attorney taking legal action to stop a special election

Wednesday the Salinas city attorney said the city is taking legal action to stop a special election. The election was meant to raise money for public safety.

One grassroots group got enough signatures to require the city council to hold a special election in March. The city attorney said he’ll file a writ of mandate, something the city council authorized at its meeting Tuesday night.

“A writ of mandate is a request of the superior court asking them to order the registrar of voters of Monterey County to not put the special tax initiative on the ballot in March of 2015,” said city attorney Chris Callihan.

Why not put it on the ballot? In November, Measure G, passed making the sales tax 1.5 percent.

Councilwoman, Kim Craig said if the special election were to pass, the sales tax percentage would be 2.5 percent -that’s over the legal limit of 2.

“So essentially this special tax would make it illegal so we had to ask the courts, Hey we’re required to put this on a ballot but we’re doing it illegally can you relieve us of that requirement?” said Craig.

Amit Pandya has led the Salinas Committee of Public Safety since 2013. He collected more than 13,000 signatures to get this special election because he believes Salinas residents want and need more public safety funding.

Pandya said, “If I am the council why would I look the other way, why would I file a lawsuit to squash the voices of 13,000 people? I should open my arms.”

Callihan says Pandya is specifically named in the city’s legal action.

“He is a real party in interests his name will be on the petition for writ of mandate,” said Callihan.

Pandya says he won’t back down.

“Give the people the choice on whether they want their $20 million of hard earned money every year to be focused in the general fund without any restriction, to be used any way they want,” said Pandya.