Rep. Salud Carbajal greets Kenneth Wolf, left, during the opening of his newest district office at the Newlove Community Building, at 1619 Thornburg St., in Santa Maria.
Open house participants gather at Rep. Salud Carbajal's newest district office, at the Newlove Community Building, 1619 Thornburg St., in Santa Maria.
Rep. Salud Carbajal thanks Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino during the opening of his newest district office, at the Newlove Community Building, 1619 Thornburg St., in Santa Maria.
Rep. Salud Carbajal greets Suzanne Allen De Sanchez during the opening of his newest district office at the Newlove Community Building, 1619 Thornburg St., in Santa Maria.
Rep. Salud Carbajal greets guest during the opening of his newest District office Newlove Community Building, at 1619 Thornburg St., in Santa Maria.
A crowded house greeted Congressman Salud Carbajal in celebration of the opening of his Santa Maria office on Monday afternoon.
Located at 1619 S. Thornburg St., Carbajal’s office, which is leased from the city, is accessible to all his constituents, he said.
“We want to make sure that we are providing constituents service, and be accessible through the entire district," he said.
Carbajal, who represents the 24th Congressional District, already has offices in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara.
“So we’ve been ramping up and this was the last office we needed to get off the ground,” he said. “It’s just a great space. It’s very welcoming, and I like that, because I think it will make Santa Maria residents and other residents from this region feel welcomed and know that we are here to serve them, to represent them, to listen to them, and to be accessible, so that we can help them with constituent issues and take any input they have regarding legislation or issues that are on their mind or concerns that I should be working on,” Carbajal said.
He said he’s heard from constituents concerned about topics like immigration, agricultural issues like labor shortages, and he said that one constituent he talked to on Monday brought him a veterans issue that he will go back to his offices in Washington, D.C., to work on.
During the meeting Monday, Santa Maria resident Ed Smith asked Carbajal about an issue that’s been on the mind of many Americans — the Affordable Care Act (ACA) implemented during the Obama administration.
“You are working to support the continuation of ACA, otherwise known as About to Collapse Any day. Now why can we not move toward Medicare for all rather than trying to resuscitate a dying critter known as Obamacare?” Smith asked.
Carbajal said he respectfully disagreed and listed several good aspects of the ACA.
“While it has some challenges, I think nobody can deny many good things have happened. Let me just list a few,” he said.
He said that people with pre-existing illnesses no longer have to live in fear of not having medical care, and that now 20 million Americans have health insurance. He also noted that children can now stay on their parents' health insurance until the age of 26.
“But, look, I will be the first to tell you there are a number of things that need to be worked on to make our healthcare delivery system better. ACA is not perfect,” he said.
He suggested a bi-partisan effort like the one he currently participates in called the Problem Solvers Caucus, could make a difference. He said the group will soon put forth a proposal outlining everything both groups already agree upon, and called the proposal a “good start.”
Others in attendance Monday lauded Carbajal for the office’s location within the city.
Joyce Howerton, representing Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), said that the location was a perfect fit.
“You could not be in a better location in Santa Maria to address and meet all the constituents,” Howerton said.
Ron Jacka, who attended representing the group One Community Action, said he was glad the location was so accessible to some of the lower-income neighborhoods.
“They need to get their voices heard,” he said.
Carbajal’s office will be open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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