Former Ojai teacher launches bid for Salud Carbajal’s SLO County Congress seat
A longtime peace activist and former teacher has announced her bid to challenge Democrat Salud Carbajal for his seat in Congress.
Helena Pasquarella, an Ojai resident, is running as a Peace and Freedom candidate for California’s 24th Congressional District, which extends from Cayucos through southern San Luis Obispo County and all of Santa Barbara County to the northern portion of Ventura County.
She previously ran as a Democrat for the same seat in 2024 but failed to make it to the general election after landing only 9% of the vote. The self-described Democratic Socialist and lifelong organizer said she launched her campaign to provide Central Coast residents with a candidate who stands for all constituents.
“I was not planning on running again, but with the surge of fascism and the Trump administration’s dismantling of our constitutional rights on a daily basis, I could not remain on the sidelines and decided I had to run, but as a Peace and Freedom candidate this time,” Pasquarella said in a Tuesday news release. “I want to offer voters a choice of a candidate who truly represents them, NOT just the richest 1%.”
In the past, she worked as a photojournalist covering Ventura County for the Los Angeles Times, taught at Santa Ana High School and Ojai Valley School, and owned a photography business for a decade, according to her website. She does not have any formal political experience.
Pasquarella is the third candidate to enter the congressional race. She joins Carbajal, the incumbent who’s held the seat since 2017, and Bob Smith, a retired Navy veteran and political newcomer, who’s running as a Republican in the race.
The midterm primary election is set to take place on June 2.
Former teacher challenges Cabajal’s seat in Congress
Paquarella is running on an anti-war platform centered around peace and economic justice.
The candidate said she endorses raising the federal minimum wage to $25 and enacting a universal single-payer health care system. She also said she would vote for divestment from the U.S. military and to defund Israel’s military operations.
In her campaign announcement, she attacked Carbajal for accepting campaign donations from a pro-Israel lobbying group, going on to say he had “ignored his constituents” by voting to fund security aid for Israel.
“Carbajal lacks the leadership and moral character to remain in office because he is beholden to the military weapons manufacturers on the Central Coast, and American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), among the many other PACs that contributed to his $2 million campaign fund in 2024,” she said in the release.
Even though Pasquarella captured less than 10% of the vote in her 2024 bid, she looked to New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, as an example of how a grassroots campaign could catapult lesser-known candidates to an electoral victory. She plans to campaign directly to apathetic voters who have previously turned their back to the political process.
“My goal is to WIN! And I believe it is possible,” she said. “If we can motivate the 35% of voters who do not participate in electoral politics to join us in this movement for social justice and change, we can show the rest of the country what power of the people actually is.”
According to her website, Pasquarella is committed to abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and supporting policies that fight fascism and protect people’s constitutional rights. She also pledged to take action against the country’s climate crisis by creating more green jobs and cutting back on fossil fuel-reliance in the United States.
“We must stop the destructive capitalist policies that put profits before people and the planet, only benefitting the oligarchs,” she said.
Pasquarella planned to officially announce her campaign during an in-person meet-and-greet event at Farmer and the Cook market and cafe in Ojai on Sunday, the release said.
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
