Peter Szalai
2026 filings: data as of 2026-10-17
2026 Filings
Data as of 2026-10-17. From the campaign statements committees filed with the City of Salinas; coverage differs by committee.
Committee: Szalai for Salinas Mayor 2026 · ID 1488922 · Statement coverage: 2026-01-01 to 2026-10-17
- Monetary contributions
- $5,646
- Later reported receipts
- $0
- Payments
- $27,345
- Ending cash
- $2,380
- New loans received (gross)
- $24,291
- In-kind
- $0
- Itemized unpaid bills
- $0
- Outstanding debt
- $24,000
Each measure is reported separately and never added to another. Ending cash, unpaid bills and outstanding debt are balances at the end of the coverage period; later receipts were reported after the committee’s latest full statement.
2026 Contributors and Payees
Data as of 2026-10-17. Names and amounts are copied from the campaign statements this candidate’s committee filed with the City of Salinas. Each table is its own measure and is never added to another.
| Reported party | Amount |
|---|---|
| Other individual contributors/lenders (names withheld) | $1,550 |
| Kathy Seltzer | $1,000 |
| Brad Seltzer | $1,000 |
| Peter Szalai | $846 |
| Mary Heck | $600 |
| Reported party | Amount |
|---|---|
| Frank Stewart | $6,354 |
| I Heart Media | $3,000 |
| MATV Billboards | $2,095 |
| SMG Monterey | $2,000 |
| KSBW | $2,000 |
Tables list reported parties in the order the source tables use. Individual contributors below the disclosure threshold are pooled into one row, names withheld.
| Funding breakdown | Amount | Share of itemized monetary contributions |
|---|---|---|
| Reported individual contributors | $5,496 | 100.00% |
| Reported organizations / committees | $0 | 0.00% |
| Salinas postal codes | $1,846 | 33.59% |
| Other postal codes | $3,650 | 66.41% |
| Unknown postal codes | $0 | 0.00% |
| Largest five matched contributor groups | $3,946 | 71.80% |
Shares are the source table’s own percentages. Geographic categories use reported postal codes (Salinas vs. outside Salinas), not residency verification.
Reported separately from contributions
Monetary contributions exclude new loans and in-kind support; later reported receipts remain separate. These tables are never added to the contributions above.
| Reported party / pooled group | Amount | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Szalai | $24,291 | 10 |
The race
Data as of 2026-10-17. Monetary contributions each committee reported in its 2026 campaign statements. Coverage differs by committee.
Candidates appear in the order of the source table. Each figure is one measure, reported separately and never added to another; loans, in-kind support and later receipts are not included in these figures. “Unavailable” means no committee in the City’s e-filed exports used here was matched to that candidate; it is not zero.
Salinas should be the jewel of Monterey County
On what Salinas should look like in 10 years
Key Issues
About
Peter Szalai has deep roots in Salinas, having lived here at several points since 1960, from childhood during his father’s military service to returning in 2019 to care for his mother. He now lives on his family’s North Salinas property, supporting her ability to age in place.
Peter spent nearly 40 years in public education as a middle school teacher and later as an administrator of teaching and learning. He was highly active in teacher union leadership, including 11 years as a local president, where he led negotiations, advocacy efforts, and represented educators at state and national levels.
In retirement, Peter has become a citizen-advocate, working with local officials to improve public services. He has served on the Measure E and Measure G Sales Tax Oversight Committees. His run for mayor reflects his long-standing commitment to making local government more effective and responsive.
Biography and issue labels summarize the candidate’s questionnaire response, published March 31, 2026. The complete answers appear below with their substance retained; any formatting or safety change is marked.
At a Glance
In Their Own Words 3 min read
Transparent Salinas uses the same six-question form for candidates it contacts in a covered race; outreach dates can differ and are listed in each profile. Responses retain their substance; any formatting or safety redaction is marked.
1. What’s one thing about Salinas that keeps you up at night?
“Insolvency. The budget now has a structural deficit for the foreseeable future, which means we spend more than we have. This is unsustainable.”
2. What’s something you think the city is getting right that people don’t see?
“The city is improving in how it communicates with the public. There are multiple citizen oversight commissions, almost all public meetings are recorded and available on YouTube, and the city’s website and publications are professional and easy to access.”
3. If you could fix one thing in your district tomorrow, what would it be?
“The tendency to confuse wants with needs. Our city has a long history of neglecting critical needs, such as infrastructure, in favor of politically-beneficial desires of often small constituencies. When you’re running yearly deficits and your streets, sidewalks, sewer system, streetlights, etc. are in poor repair, you need to set priorities-which sometimes means saying ‘no’ to popular wishes.”
4. What is an improvement you’ve made in your district or the city that you’re proud of? Or plan on making if elected?
“As a citizen-advocate, I’m proud of frequently engaging with city leaders and staff to provide considered advice and feedback on a wide variety of issues, in the hope that better decisions will result.”
5. What do you want to be remembered for when your term ends?
“That I was a fair arbiter, worked with any and everyone, had no narrow agenda, served no cabal of wealthy donors or master other than the good people of Salinas.”
6. What should Salinas look like in 10 years?
“Salinas should be the jewel of Monterey County, the county’s seat, the largest city. Salinas should be clean, safe, welcoming, economically-vibrant, a city that provides services equitably throughout the six districts and cares about its neighborhoods. A city where any and everyone is proud to live there.”
Timeline
Questionnaire responses retain their substance; clearly marked formatting or safety redactions may be made. Candidates the project contacts in the same covered race receive the same questions, but not necessarily on the same date; the invitation and response status above reflects the project’s outreach log. Unless submitted in Spanish, text on Spanish pages is a Transparent Salinas translation; if it differs, the original-language response controls. Compare this full 2026 field.
Terms on this page
Plain-language meanings from the site glossary. The official labels stay as filed.
- Monetary contributions
- Money a committee reported receiving as contributions: the Schedule A total, itemized plus unitemized amounts (Summary line 1). New loans and in-kind contributions are not included. It can include loan forgiveness, so it is not always all new cash.
- Later reported receipts
- Contributions reported on Form 497 that are dated after a committee’s latest full statement. They are counted separately and are not added to that statement’s totals.
- Payments
- Money a committee reported paying out (Summary line 6): itemized and unitemized payments plus loan interest (Schedule E). Subvendor details are informational and are not added to payments again.
- Ending cash
- The cash a committee reported at the end of the coverage of its latest full statement (Summary line 16). It is a balance on one date, not a total over time.
- Itemized unpaid bills
- Bills a committee listed as still unpaid on Schedule F, as of the end of its statement coverage. It can omit smaller unitemized obligations, and it is not added to outstanding debt.
- Outstanding debt
- The total debt a committee reported owing at the end of its statement coverage (Summary line 19). It includes loans and unpaid bills, so it is never added to them.
About these numbers
- Each 2026 figure is its own measure. The 2026 figures are not added together, within a committee or across committees.
- Unavailable (not zero): Shown when a figure could not be established from the filings used here, such as when no committee was matched to a candidate or a committee has no 2026 full statement. It does not mean zero dollars.
- Names withheld: individual contributors below the disclosure threshold are pooled into one row. Pooled amounts remain in funding totals.
- Loans, in-kind support and contributions reported after a committee’s last full statement are shown separately from monetary contributions.
- Reports filed after the export date may be missing. Check the City’s NetFile portal for newer filings.
- Positions of ballot-measure committees are as their filings or the City’s portal state them. They are not endorsements by Transparent Salinas.