Salud Carbajal
DI toured the Vitalant processing center with Executive Director Susan Noone and her team to learn how blood donation and collection works. Their services support more than 26 Central Coast hospitals — made possible by the generosity of local blood donors. I'll keep fighting for our healthcare system and the hardworking people who keep it running.
The Trump economy only works for the President’s inner circle, and leaves everyone else behind. That’s just wrong. I’m fighting for an economy where hard work actually pays off and everyone has a chance to build a better life for their family.
I joined Santa Barbara County Supervisor Roy Lee and retired Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Pat McElroy for a hike in the Los Padres National Forest to talk about the need to protect our public lands. I'm fighting in Congress to protect spaces like Los Padres so that every Central Coast resident has access to beautiful wilderness areas.
On Indigenous Peoples' Day, we honor and celebrate the history, contributions, and culture of the communities that have called the Americas home for thousands of years. https://t.co/3ZFcmdU3bd
Thank you Alliance for Retired Americans for your endorsement! Seniors shouldn’t be forced to choose between paying for groceries, gas, or life-saving medication. That’s why I pushed to cap out-of-pocket prescription costs at $2,000. https://t.co/HeyaSdo39W
More must be done to bring down costs, and I will keep fighting to make life affordable for Central Coast retirees.
Turning a military execution into a public spectacle is deeply disturbing and raises serious questions about the judgment and restraint expected of our nation’s military leadership. Hegseth needs to go.
Over the past few days, we’ve seen an increase in ICE activity across the Central Coast. I unequivocally condemn the unlawful detention and warrantless arrests of our neighbors. Everyone, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to due process and constitutional protections. As we see an increase in their presence across our communities, it is important to know your constitutional rights. See my Know Your Rights resource page for more: https://t.co/zXNW963Mn9
En los últimos días, hemos visto un aumento en la actividad de ICE en nuestras comunidades. Estoy totalmente en contra de que detengan a nuestros vecinos sin una razón legal y sin una orden judicial. Todas las personas, sin importar su estatus migratorio, tienen derecho al debido proceso y a las protecciones constitucionales. A medida que vemos más actividad presente de ICE en nuestras comunidades, es importante conocer tus derechos constitucionales. Consulta mi página de recursos Conoce tus Derechos para más información: https://t.co/zXNW963Mn9
As vote by mail ballots begin arriving this week, I wanted to take a moment to remind our community that mail-in voting is safe and secure. California has standards and procedures in place to ensure your vote is safe, private, and protected. Remember, your vote is your voice. To track your mail-in ballot visit: https://t.co/VZT7edntts
Today marks three years since Hamas' horrific attack on Israeli civilians, communities, and families. My heart is with the loved ones of the 1,200 people who lost their lives that day, and the many hostages who later died in captivity. As we honor the lives lost on this day, it is crucial to recognize the disproportionate response of Netanyahu's government and the subsequent devastation and loss of life faced by Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. Tens of thousands of Palestinians — including over 20,000 children — have died as a result of this war, and it is beyond time for the U.S. to work with our allies and partners to implement a lasting ceasefire. I am committed to an outcome in which both Israelis and Palestinians are free and secure. We must build a future that guarantees lasting peace in the region.
For a sitting U.S. president to openly invite a foreign adversary to attack our nation is heinous and further evidence of Trump's mental decline.
U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), and House Natural Resources Committee top Democrat Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), led 30 of their colleagues in calling on House and Senate Armed Services Committee leaders to reject the Hunt Amendment’s provision (Section 2835) in the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would grant unprecedented eminent domain authority to the federal government to benefit Sable Offshore Corporation. “The NDAA has long served as a bipartisan vehicle to strengthen our national security and support our servicemembers. However, we are deeply concerned by the inclusion of Section 2835, which would grant extraordinary eminent domain authority to the federal government to circumvent established environmental protections for the benefit of a single private company. Given the sweeping implications of this provision, we believe this policy rider does not belong in the NDAA and, therefore, should be removed from the final conference agreement,” wrote the lawmakers. The lawmakers explain how this provision would jeopardize the California coastal economy and do little to strengthen our nation’s energy security. “California’s coastal economy supports roughly 511,000 jobs and generates over $51.3 billion in GDP from marine-economy activities — largely in tourism and recreation. Another oil spill from a corrosion-prone pipeline that has spilled before would jeopardize the economic security of everyday Americans that rely on our coastal economy for their livelihoods,” the lawmakers continued. “In addition, there is no evidence that this provision would meaningfully advance our nation's energy security. Recent spikes in gasoline prices driven by market uncertainty surrounding the war in Iran underscore that global oil markets—not a single offshore project—continue to dictate prices at the pump.” The letter goes on to highlight the unprecedented nature of Section 2835, which would grant the federal government extraordinary powers to seize property for the sole benefit of a single private organization. “The NDAA should not be used to circumvent established permitting processes or create special authorities for individual projects that have failed to secure the approvals required under existing law. The federal government's power of eminent domain is among its most significant authorities and should be exercised only when there is a clear and compelling public purpose—not to resolve private infrastructure disputes or increase the profitability of a single company—at the expense of communities who have to live with the consequences of an oil spill,” said the lawmakers. The full letter is available HERE. Joining Carbajal, Padilla, Schiff, and Huffman the letter is co-signed by U.S. Representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), Dave Min (D-CA-47), Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Lou Correa (D-CA-46), Mike Thompson (D-CA-04), Brad Sherman (D-CA-32), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11), John Garamendi (D-CA-08), Gil Cisneros (D-CA-31), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), Derek Tran (D-CA-45), Mike Levin (D-CA-49), Juan Vargas (D-CA-52), Judy Chu (D-CA-28), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), Laura Friedman (D-CA-30), Robert Garcia (D-CA-42), Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12), Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), Mark Takano (D-CA-39), Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA-06), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Scott Peters (D-CA-50), Doris Matsui (D-CA-07), Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), George Whitesides (D-CA-27), Luz Rivas (D-CA-29), and Sara Jacobs (D-CA-51). Background Sable Offshore acquired the Santa Ynez Unit from ExxonMobil in 2024. The pipeline had been out of service since the 2015 Refugio oil spill. In March 2026, Energy Secretary Chris Wright invoked the Defense Production Act and ordered Sable to restore pipeline operations. Carbajal has been a leader in opposing the Sable pipeline’s forced restart. In September 2026, Carbajal led a bicameral group of colleagues in filing an amicus brief in California v. Wright to challenge the Trump Administration’s use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to facilitate the restart of the Sable Offshore oil pipeline system along the California Central Coast. The brief argues that the Administration has failed to identify a legitimate national defense need for Sable’s crude oil and that the DPA order does not satisfy the statutory requirements for invoking this extraordinary authority. In July 2026, Carbajal spoke on the House floor against the NDAA’s Hunt amendment, which would grant the federal government unprecedented access to California-owned public lands associated with the Santa Ynez Unit and Las Flores Pipeline System.
One of my first jobs was with Head Start where I saw firsthand how impactful these programs were in the lives of students, families, and entire communities. Across the Central Coast, these programs provide low-income students and families with the support they need — through educational, health, nutrition, and family support services. The Administration wants to strip these programs of funding and critical services. From the start, we have known the President's priorities are out of wack — coming after children and families in need is just plain wrong. Public comment for this proposed plan ends today. Make you voice heard here: https://t.co/P1Z839WJEb https://t.co/sqwL0Qbdar
Californians have been clear: no oil drilling on our public lands. Despite this, the Administration is moving forward with a December sale of approximately 35,000 acres of lands, including some in SLO County. This is another move to help Big Oil at our expense. I remain strongly opposed to these lease sales and will be working with local and state partners to push back. Through November 2nd, there is a 30-day period for the public to formally object to this sale, and I encourage anyone who is passionate about this issue to speak up: https://t.co/hv3ForNIIi
I am appalled by ICE’s activities at Allan Hancock College today. College campuses and schools must remain safe places where students, faculty, and families can be free from fear and intimidation. I will be working to uncover exactly what transpired during this operation and will demand full accountability to keep ICE’s brutal and disruptive tactics off our campuses. I stand with the Allan Hancock College community and everyone who has been impacted by ICE’s terrorizing raids.
Hey Central Coast, my office is accepting Military Academy Applications until Wednesday, October 7th! Each year, it is an honor to nominate 10 outstanding individuals from our community to attend one of our nation's service academies. These applications are an important investment in our future and empower the next generation of leaders dedicated to serving our nation. For more information on Military Academy Nominations, please visit https://t.co/IqM6wBAJs7
The Central Coast understands how clean energy can create good jobs, improve our air quality, and strengthen our energy security — it’s the definition of a win-win-win. California needs a leader like Xavier Becerra who will continue to champion these promising energy projects.
The President took taxpayer money meant to fight drug trafficking, strengthen border security, and honor fallen law enforcement — and instead spent it on campaign ads. This administration's corruption has no ceiling.
Even Trump's AI chatbot knows the truth about his disastrous One Big Ugly Bill. Thanks, https://t.co/Azfjv5YvVL! https://t.co/nvmLBKoUnd
U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Ocean Protection and DDT Reduction Act, new legislation aimed at addressing the toxic industrial waste and pesticide pollution dumped off the Southern California coast. For decades, industrial waste — including the pesticide DDT — was disposed of in ocean dump sites off California’s coast, particularly in the San Pedro Basin. The Ocean Protection and DDT Reduction Act establishes a structured federal study to assess the damage to the local marine ecosystem and develop comprehensive solutions to clean up the waste. “The San Pedro Basin has long been the site of an underwater toxic waste dump. This toxic waste – which includes the pesticide DDT – has been very harmful to the health of local marine life and poses a risk to people who live and work near these waters,” said Rep. Carbajal. “As the representative of California’s Central Coast, I know firsthand how much our communities depend on a healthy ocean – from our fishermen and maritime workers to our tourism and coastal economies. We have a responsibility to protect these waters. I thank Senator Alex Padilla for joining me in introducing this bill as a first step in fixing this environmental tragedy.” “Our communities deserve to know what's in the water off of the coast of San Pedro and what it means for our health, our fisheries, and our future. By putting NOAA's scientists and our leading research institutions to work mapping the contamination, tracking how it moves, and exploring cleanup through bioremediation, we can finally address this problem head-on,” said Sen. Padilla. “For decades we used the ocean as a dumping ground for all manner of wastes including deeply-concerning industrial byproducts from DDT manufacturing. This proposed legislation takes an important step to address fundamental issues around the disposition, impacts and remediation options for those wastes. While California may be ground zero for this issue, the legislation provides a needed path to take lessons learned off California's coast and apply them to waste disposal sites that occur along all our Nation's coastlines,” said David Valentine, Norris Chair and Distinguished Professor of Earth and Marine Science, UCSB. Specifically, the Ocean Protection and DDT Reduction Act would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to monitor waste sites in the San Pedro Basin, study how toxic chemicals like DDT spread into the ocean food web, and build scientific tools to track ocean dumping. NOAA, in coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Defense, may award grants to academic and research institutions to study: Spatial mapping of contamination Co-contaminants and chemical mixtures Movement, fate, and breakdown processes Bioaccumulation and biomagnification in ecosystems The bill authorizes $6 million annually from Fiscal Year 2026 through Fiscal Year 2032 to carry out these critical activities. Read the full bill text here. Background:
The San Pedro Basin has long been the site of an underwater toxic waste dump. I was proud to partner with @SenAlexPadilla on this bill to confront DDT contamination off our coast. Read more about it here: https://t.co/pY84nWsAj1 https://t.co/2CCh3mVBLp
An incompetent move by an incompetent Secretary of Defense. In what world does cutting experienced leaders from the Pentagon benefit our military preparedness, national security, or the chain of command?
In many cases, shootings are preceded by clear warning signs, but communities have lacked the tools to step in before it’s too late. My Extreme Risk Protection Order Expansion Act allows law enforcement to intervene early and help save lives.
Proud to have earned @Everytown for Gun Safety’s endorsement for my work to introduce commonsense gun safety laws. https://t.co/gFgDnkAYNx