As soon as polls closed on the night of June 7, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) emerged as the lead candidate for the 24th Congressional District election.
According to the June 10 ballot count, the incumbent congressman had won 62.7 percent of the votes counted so far in southern San Luis Obispo County and 61.9 percent of the votes from the district’s section of Ventura County. Santa Barbara County hadn’t updated its numbers by the Sun’s press time, but preliminary election night counts showed Carbajal had 61.9 percent of the votes.
Initial polls showed low voter turnout for the primary election, with only 25 percent, 26 percent, and 21 percent of registered voters casting votes in SLO, Ventura, and Santa Barbara County, respectively. Carbajal will face Republican Brad Allen in the November general election.
Results for the primary elections won’t be certified until July 15. But the morning after election night, Carbajal was already tackling his next issue: safer gun laws at the federal level.
“This week the House [of Representatives] is going to vote on two separate gun bills. One of them is my bill that has been enjoined with a similar bill. Together, it’s called the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act [ERPO],” Carbajal told the Sun on June 7, ahead of the polls closing.
Carbajal’s specific bill—HR 34AD—is a grant program that would make funds available for states to develop red flag laws that allow family members or law enforcement to petition a court to prevent a person from acquiring firearms if it’s proven that they pose a threat to themself or others. Currently, 19 states including California have their own red flag laws. But Carbajal hopes his bill will incentivize more states to join. The bills passed the House on June 9 and moved on to the Senate.
“Gun violence laws have regrettably become too polarized politically, and it’s unfortunate. Now, after this mass shooting [in Uvalde, Texas], I think it finally seems like my bill can make it over the finish line, get bipartisan support, and get to the president’s desk, and be signed into law,” Carbajal told the Sun on June 7.
But the Central Coast is still on his mind too. He told the Sun that he’s gearing up for November’s general election, and hopes to boost economic opportunities for residents.
“I represent the values of the Central Coast. I’ve been working to reduce the costs that families are experiencing right now, when it comes to gas, baby formula, housing, child care, health care. I’m moving legislation forward to address those issues,” he said on June 7.
This article appears in Jun 16-23, 2022.