Salud Carbajal

Salud Carbajal is a Democratic politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for California's 24th congressional district since 2017. Born in Moroleón, Mexico, in 1964, Carbajal immigrated to the United States as a child, eventually settling in Oxnard, California. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later a Master’s degree in Organizational Management from Fielding Graduate University. Before entering public office, he served eight years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, including being mobilized to active duty during the 1992 Gulf War. Carbajal's career in local government began as a staff member for Santa Barbara County Supervisor Naomi Schwartz, after which he was elected to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in 2004, serving three terms. In 2016, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to succeed retiring incumbent Lois Capps. In Congress, he has been a member of the House Committee on Armed Services, the House Committee on Agriculture, and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. He played a significant role in the passage of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and has advocated for environmental protections, such as the designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

Carbajal's policy positions focus on economic relief, environmental sustainability, and social safety nets. He supports making healthcare more affordable by lowering the costs of prescription drugs and expanding access to health services. On the economy, he advocates for middle-class tax relief, job creation through infrastructure investment, and increasing the availability of affordable housing. An advocate for environmental protection, he has introduced legislation to ban future offshore oil and gas drilling along the California coast and supports a transition to renewable energy sources. Regarding immigration, Carbajal supports comprehensive reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented individuals and protections for DACA recipients. On foreign policy, he has expressed support for Israel's security while also advocating for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is a proponent of stricter gun control measures, including 'red flag' laws and universal background checks, and supports federal protections for reproductive rights following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.