With the November 3 general election approaching, voters across California’s 24th Congressional District will decide who will represent the Central Coast in Washington, D.C.
The district includes all of Santa Barbara County and portions of San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, representing communities including Santa Maria, Lompoc, Guadalupe, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura.
Incumbent Democratic Congressman Salud Carbajal is seeking another term in office, while challenger Bob Smith, a retired Navy commander, is campaigning on a platform of new leadership and addressing longstanding challenges facing the region.
KSBY News Community Reporter Crystal Bermudez spoke one-on-one with both candidates about their priorities, including the rising cost of living, immigration enforcement, housing affordability and the future of Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Both candidates identified affordability as one of the most pressing challenges facing Central Coast residents, but offered different approaches to addressing it.
Carbajal said his conversations with constituents have consistently centered on the financial pressures facing families.
“The most important issue and concern for Central Coast residents that I have heard is the cost of living,” Carbajal said. “People are struggling. Families are struggling with the cost of groceries, housing, gas, utilities, childcare and also health care.”
Carbajal pointed to federal housing legislation and his proposed American Dream for All Act, which he said would help first-time homebuyers with down payments.
He also emphasized the need to lower energy, childcare and healthcare costs.
Smith similarly identified the cost of living as a central issue but argued that California’s energy costs and regulations are contributing to the financial burden.
“I think, obviously, cost of living is really hurting everyone in California,” Smith said. “We’ve got to get that down.”
Smith believes housing development should be approached regionally rather than leaving individual cities to meet housing goals independently.
He said the Central Coast needs a greater variety of housing options, from starter homes to properties for growing families and older residents looking to downsize.
“When a starter home does not exist, it doesn’t exist, right? Middle-class homes are starting to not exist anymore,” Smith said.
Smith also suggested examining opportunities to use federal land for housing development, including land near Lompoc and Vandenberg Space Force Base, where he said additional housing could support an expanding workforce.
Immigration is another major issue facing the district, particularly in northern Santa Barbara County, where agricultural workers and immigrant families have expressed concerns about federal immigration enforcement.
Carbajal criticized current Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and called for changes to federal immigration policy.
“First and foremost, we need to stop the behavior of ICE, the terror that they’re bringing on our community, separating families, deporting hard-working individuals that are contributing to our economy,” Carbajal said.
He said Congress should pursue comprehensive immigration reform, including pathways to citizenship for Dreamers and legalization opportunities for agricultural workers.
“We need to bring about policy reforms that address and provide a path to citizenship for the Dreamers, for example, and to pass immigration reform that would help provide a legalization pathway for those that work on our farms,” Carbajal said.
Smith also expressed support for establishing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
Smith said he has already drafted legislation he would seek to introduce if elected.
“The only ethical path is to put those people onto an expedited green card and let them earn citizenship,” Smith said.
He argued that Dreamers who grew up in the United States, graduated from American schools and have no criminal record should have an opportunity to obtain permanent legal status.
Smith also proposed reforming agricultural worker visa programs, arguing that the current process is too bureaucratic and creates challenges for the agricultural industry.
While Smith supports stronger border security, he said lawmakers must also address the circumstances of undocumented immigrants who have lived and worked in American communities for decades.
“We have people integrated in our community here that have grandkids here, that have been here for 40 years, and we need to figure out how to move smartly forward with those people,” Smith said.
Both candidates also recognized Vandenberg Space Force Base as a significant contributor to national security and the Central Coast economy.
However, they placed different emphasis on balancing the base’s growing operations with concerns from surrounding communities.
Carbajal said he supports continued investment in the base while ensuring that residents and the environment are protected from potential impacts of increased rocket launches.
“The goal is to create a balance, to reach a balance where we are doing what we need to do for our national security and to have launches that help us achieve those goals, but balance that with protecting impacts to local residents,” Carbajal said.
He pointed to policies he helped advance through the National Defense Authorization Act that address studying launch noise and identifying ways to mitigate its effects.
Smith, who spent more than 26 years serving in the Navy, said his military background provides him with experience relevant to Vandenberg’s operations.
He sees the base as an opportunity for future economic expansion, particularly through commercial space operations and emerging industries.
Smith argued that growing the space industry could create jobs and bring additional visitors and business to communities across the Central Coast.
He acknowledged residents’ concerns about sonic booms but expressed confidence that technological advancements will eventually help reduce their impacts.
“So in my opinion, this is kind of a small price to pay right now for the future of our economy here, for the future of what could be on the Central Coast,” Smith said.
Both candidates also discussed the need for bipartisan cooperation amid recurring federal budget disputes and government shutdowns.
Carbajal said government shutdowns should be avoided because of their impacts on federal services and the economy.
“We should work together in a collaborative, bipartisan process to achieve bipartisan solutions through our appropriations,” Carbajal said.
Smith also opposed government shutdowns and argued that Congress needs to improve how it passes federal budgets.
He said his experience managing military programs has shown him how delayed federal funding can disrupt projects and increase costs.
Smith also discussed his decision to change his voter registration to No Party Preference, saying he wants to prioritize the interests of Central Coast residents over political affiliation.
“I’m willing to make compromises and work with anybody as long as we can get to some kind of common vector that we agree that we’re moving forward,” Smith said.
Voters will decide between the two candidates during the November 3 general election, with the winner serving a two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
