Residents urge protection of petition signers' rights and call for transparency over DA inquiry

Several Salinas residents used the public‑comment period to raise civil‑liberties concerns about an investigation into referendum petition signers and to criticize council conduct.

A Protect Salinas Renters representative told the council that "government retaliation such as an investigation or intimidation of petition signers can violate these fundamental rights unless clear criminal conduct is demonstrated," and asked the council to provide records about any referral to the district attorney under the California Public Records Act (CPRA).

Other speakers urged the council to discontinue what they described as "abusive and retribution based DA investigation against the people of Salinas" and asked the city to publicly acknowledge the referendum petition drive as a protected political act. Commenters also said grassroots groups were excluded from housing‑summit planning and asked for more inclusion of renters and neighborhood leaders.

Council did not take immediate formal action on the requests during the meeting; speakers said they would pursue CPRA requests and urged council intervention or public disclosure. Several commenters framed the broader context as concerns about civic participation and potential chilling of speech; council members acknowledged the comments and said staff would follow up where appropriate.

No formal findings, referrals or policy changes were made on the council dais during the meeting; public speakers asked for records and transparency and framed the matter as a legal and constitutional concern.