Salinas Fire Chief resigning a year after joining department

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Chief Pablo Barreto with the Salinas Fire Department says he will be resigning from his position as Chief at the end of the month.

Barreto told KION that the decision is not related to COVID-19, but that he decided it was time to pay attention to family and be there to support them in person after a 25 year career.

Barreto was the Watsonville Fire Chief before moving to Salinas in April 2019. His predecessor at the department, Jeff Johnson, left the position after 8 months, and Johnson was the 9th Chief in a span of 17 years.

Baretto has been in Watsonville for the past 22 years. He has served as division chief, fire captain, marshall, and eventually fire chief in 2014.