Brent Bagley

“The escalating cost of living and the critical housing squeeze impacting our residents. Too many renters are being pushed to their financial limits, while the dream of new homeownership feels completely out of reach for the next generation of Salinas families. When our workforce cannot afford to live in the city they build, it creates an unstable economic foundation. We must aggressively tackle housing accessibility, support our tenant community, and build paths to equity. District 3 must become the epicenter of this economic growth and modernization, setting the standard as a blueprint that spreads through the rest of the city and the county beyond.”

“The incredible energy and ambition of our rising generations. The problem with our local economy does not lie in a lack of talent or drive; we have a young, inventive workforce graduating into adulthood with a massive desire to build, grow, and invest in their hometown. What the city is getting right is cultivating this raw potential, but it stems from necessity not a helping hand. Where we are failing them is in the execution. Our local entrepreneurs and young professionals have the passion to revolutionize our small business ecosystem—they just need city hall to clear the outdated bureaucratic roadblocks so they can actually run, stay, and build.”

“I would immediately modernize our local zoning laws and permitting processes to lower the barriers for our residents and local economy. For renters and young home buyers, this means clearing the bureaucratic roadblocks that stall the development of affordable, high-quality housing and entry-level properties, allowing the next generation to build equity right here in Salinas. Enough empty buildings and undeveloped lots. Simultaneously, I would cut the prohibitive red tape and excessive fees that strangle small businesses and startups. By transforming our city’s regulatory framework into an agile, supportive partner, we can make it faster and more affordable to open a shop, launch a venture, or buy a first home in District 3 tomorrow.”

“The greatest improvements start from more awareness, not raw effort. I am focused on introducing a baseline of pragmatic optimism into our local community, shifting the conversation away from standard bureaucratic complaints and toward what the future can and should be.

Many generations now have been plagued with a lack of hope for a very feasible future. The disease of addiction and poverty go hand-in-hand, and is unfortunately as easily overlooked as it has been to fall into for far too many. Increased education spending and a higher volume of minimum wage job opportunities supplied by big business interests do not and have not fixed this.

By delivering clear, actionable plans and working directly with local businesses, I have focused on inspiring an achievable, transparent sense of progress. True civic improvement is about demonstrating that structural goals can be hit efficiently and timely. When people see transparent execution, it builds the community momentum required to drive larger changes across the city and beyond.”

“I want to be remembered as the councilmember who delivered tangible upward mobility for District 3 and its neighboring districts and unincorporated areas. Success looks like measurable relief and protections for our renters, a clear increase in new ownership opportunities for local families, a booming small business corridor free from unnecessary red tape, and modern, safe infrastructure. I want my legacy to be an efficient, accountable local government that structurally improved the daily quality of life for every resident, not big business that has and would just as quickly abandon it for profit over people.”

“10 years should be a magnification of what we can achieve in 4. Salinas should be a thriving, balanced city where historic roots meet modern economic security. Ten years from now, District 3 should be a model neighborhood where renters are secure and supported, new homeowners are actively building generational wealth, and a diverse array of small businesses anchor our vibrant commercial corridors. Salinas should be the destination and its residents, and their children, proud and secure. All of this will be underpinned by modernized, resilient infrastructure that ensures our streets are safe, clean, and built to last for decades to come.”