Editorials
The Tribune endorses Salud Carbajal for Congress
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal, the Democratic nominee for Congress, is the clear choice to succeed Rep. Lois Capps.
Carbajal’s political career is well-known: He’s served 12 years on the county Board of Supervisors and before that was chief of staff for Supervisor Naomi Schwartz.
His early career is equally impressive. Carbajal, the son of farmworkers, was the first in his family to graduate from college. After earning a degree from UC Santa Barbara, he worked as a family services advocate for Head Start, a counselor in group homes and was program manager for Santa Barbara County’s Drug and Alcohol Division.
He also served eight years in the Marine Corps Reserves and was assigned to active duty in the 1991 Gulf War. His military service and his background in counseling have made him keenly aware of the challenges facing veterans, especially when it comes to medical care.
“Our latest war has created a new generation of veterans in need of our support; too many fall victim to depression and suicide and do not have the appropriate medical services available to them,” he told us.
On the Board of Supervisors, Carbajal developed a reputation for his ability to work with his conservative colleagues to pass programs such as a climate change action plan, health insurance for uninsured children and increased funding for mental health and homeless services. That speaks well of his ability to forge bipartisan relationships.
Carbajal’s goals include raising the federal minimum wage; improving infrastructure; preserving the coastline — he’s opposed to continued oil drilling off the coast — and advocating for what he describes as sensible gun laws, such as preventing those on the no-fly list from buying a gun, banning high-capacity ammunition purchases, and putting background checks in place to keep guns away from criminals and the mentally ill.
Another plus: Though he’s from Santa Barbara, Carbajal is extremely knowledgeable about issues unique to San Luis Obispo County, such as the proposed closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
He’s committed to helping San Luis Obispo County recover from the economic losses that will occur when Diablo shuts down.
“I will advocate that the federal government partner with San Luis Obispo County to invest in renewable energy resources and job training to mitigate the economic impacts resulting from the closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant,” he told us.
His Republican opponent, Justin Fareed, has offered only vague statements about helping San Luis Obispo County’s post-Diablo economy by working on a long-range water policy, encouraging innovation, creating a good business environment and reducing the cost of living.
Yes, Carbajal is human. He was overheard calling Lompoc “the armpit of Santa Barbara County,” a gaffe Fareed has used against him. Carbajal should not have said it — he acknowledged as much in an apology — and we expect he’ll be far more circumspect in the future. It was a mistake. Elevating it into a scandal is absurd.
As for Fareed, he’s running a campaign that stresses his youth and fresh ideas, yet we’ve found him to be alarmingly short on substance and is inflating his limited experience.
For example, Fareed claims he “saw all that was wrong with politics during my time in Washington.” He served as a Congressional aide for 15 months. That’s hardly enough time to become an expert in all that’s wrong in Washington.
Fareed is now vice president of his family’s business, which designs and manufactures sports medical devices; serves on the boards of a couple of nonprofit groups; and according to his campaign website, continues to be an avid athlete. (Fareed played Division I football at UCLA, as one of his campaign commercials points out.)
As for fresh ideas, we’ve heard far more boilerplate platitudes than innovative policy suggestions.
As we said during the primary campaign, Fareed is capable of running an impressive PR campaign, but we’re not convinced he’s ready for Congress. We’re even less convinced today.
The Tribune strongly endorses Salud Carbajal for Congress.
Election: U.S. House of Representatives, 24th District
Term: Two years
Candidates: Justin Fareed, businessman; Salud Carbajal, Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors
The Tribune endorses: Salud Carbajal
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