WASHINGTON, DC—The California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, announced today their endorsement of Salud Carbajal (CA-24). Carbajal is a long-time advocate for climate action, growing California’s clean energy economy and protecting the Central Coast.

“Salud Carbajal has been an outstanding leader in Santa Barbara County on protecting our environment and combatting the climate crisis,” said LCV Action Fund President Gene Karpinski. “Congresswoman Capps is leaving big shoes to fill, but we are confident that Supervisor Carbajal is ready to build on her impressive legacy of preserving California’s central coast, building our clean energy future and taking action to address climate change.”

“The Central Coast is one of the most beautiful – and threatened – parts of our state. We must protect our families and environment from the threat of climate change,” said Sarah Rose, CEO of the California League of Conservation Voters. “Salud Carbajal has an outstanding record of working to protect our coasts, land, water and air at the local and national level, and will always put Californians first.”   

“There is no question that climate change is real and we, as a nation, must do everything we can to protect our environment now through mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting and preparing for the future,” said Supervisor Carbajal. “In Congress, I will fight to protect our Central Coast’s environment including our unique coastal ecosystems and renew our investments in clean energy sources and technology, so that future generations have clean air, clean water and the opportunity to enjoy these open spaces in our region and throughout our country.”

Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal was born in Mexico, and he and his family moved to Arizona and then Oxnard, California, where his father worked in the agricultural fields. Carbajal enlisted in the Marines and served eight years in the Marine Corps Reserve, including being called to active duty service during the 1991 Gulf War. In 2004, Carbajal was elected to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, where he has built a strong environmental record. He led efforts to pass a climate action plan that would reduce carbon pollution countywide by 15 percent from 2007 levels by 2020.

Carbajal has worked to promote renewable energy by supporting the first large scale solar project in Santa Barbara County and by making solar an accessible option for homeowners. He has strongly opposed offshore drilling on the central California coast and has been an opponent of fracking.  Carbajal has also led efforts to incentivize energy efficiency retrofitting and to protect open spaces. He is a member of President Obama’s State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience and the U.S. EPA Local Government Advisory Committee.

Carbajal is featured on LCV Action Fund’s GiveGreen website, the only bundling website devoted exclusively to raising money for environmental champions for federal office.

About LCV Action Fund

The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund (LCVAF), the connected federal political action committee (PAC) of the League of Conservation Voters, works to elect candidates who will implement sound environmental laws and policies, and defeat those who stand in the way of progress. Since the 1994 election cycle, LCVAF has helped elect and re-elect 69 U.S. Senators and 306 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.  In the 2013-2014 election cycle, LCVAF endorsed over 70 candidates and raised and donated almost $6 million dollars via GiveGreen. Over the last several years, our efforts have also helped elevate climate change and clean energy as critical issues in key elections.

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Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and California League of Conservation Voters and authorized by Salud Carbajal for Congress.