Salinas committee approves monthly 2026 meeting schedule, citing efficiency and regulatory alignment

The City of Salinas Housing and Land Use Committee on Tuesday approved a 2026 calendar that moves the panel from biweekly meetings to a monthly schedule, with meetings set for Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m.

Chair Barajas moved to adopt the calendar and Council member Salazar seconded; the clerk called the roll and members voted to approve the schedule. The calendar change was presented to the committee by Vincent Montgomery, Planning Manager, Housing & Community Development, who said staff proposed the change to allow more time for preparation of complex agenda items and to align meeting dates with state and federal reporting deadlines.

Montgomery told the committee the recommendation rests on three considerations: efficiency and alignment with workload, regulatory alignment, and flexibility to add or reschedule meetings as needed under the Brown Act. He asked the committee to test the schedule and to allow staff to add meetings if urgent issues arise.

Committee members asked whether the calendar would create opportunities to share dashboard and production updates with full City Council beyond the committee level; Montgomery said staff will prepare briefings and present the dashboard to the council in December 2025. No public commenters spoke on the item. The motion to adopt the calendar carried.