Simón Salinas is a former Salinas City councilmember, Monterey County supervisor representing Salinas and South County and a former state assemblymember. Before his public service career, he was a professor at Hartnell College and a sixth-grade teacher. In 1989, Salinas was elected as the first Mexican American to serve on the Salinas City Council. During his tenure, he served as mayor pro tem and was elected to represent District One on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, where he became the first Mexican American to serve on the board in over 100 years.
In 2000, he was elected to the California State Assembly as the representative of the 28th District. His impressive record in the Assembly included passing legislation that addressed public safety, affordable housing, agriculture, healthcare, government transparency, education, transportation and local government. Raised on the Central Coast, Salinas understands the unique challenges the agricultural community members face. Salinas has one son, and advocates for all children to have access to first-class public education from kindergarten through college.
