Press Releases

U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) announced he secured significant federal funding for a series of public projects in Santa Barbara County. Projects include improvements to local infrastructure, emergency response services, and criminal justice programs.  

“Delivering these federal investments is about strengthening the public resources that Santa Barbara County residents rely on every day,” said Rep. Carbajal. “From safer roads and modernized emergency response facilities to compassionate animal care and survivor‑centered support services, this funding will strengthen the essential services and shared spaces that make Santa Barbara County a healthier, safer, and more connected place to live.”

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments has been awarded $1,500,000 to fund the Cabrillo Project. The Cabrillo Project will replace two railroad bridges and improve the U.S. 101 highway underpass in the City of Santa Barbara and as a result improve safety for a number of users that travel through this area to access destinations along the Santa Barbara waterfront while providing a key connection across U.S. 101. The Project will replace bridges at two locations: Cabrillo Boulevard and at Los Patos Way, each of which are over 100-years old and have exceeded their design life. At Cabrillo Boulevard, the existing 29’ span will be widened and lengthened.

“Congressman Carbajal’s support helps keep the City of Santa Barbara’s Cabrillo project on track as construction begins on the final segment of Highway 101 Carpinteria to Santa Barbara corridor,” said SBCAG Executive Director Marjie KIRN. “Improvements at Cabrillo are what will allow residents and visitors to safely and efficiently access the waterfront and surrounding neighborhoods—delivering the full benefit of the highway investments to the public.”

The City of Santa Maria has been awarded $1,200,000 to expand the space at the downtown fire station to accommodate a third fire vehicle and associated fire personnel. The downtown station was built in 2002, at the time serving a population of 79,000. Since then, the population of Santa Maria has grown almost 40 percent to approximately 110,000. The City of Santa Maria anticipates the population to grow by another 30 percent, or an additional 34,000 people by 2050.

“On behalf of the City of Santa Maria and our 110,000 residents, I want to extend our deepest thanks to Representative Carbajal for securing $1.2 million for the Fire Station 1 Expansion Project. This funding brings us significantly closer to completing a project that will strengthen emergency response in our downtown core and serve our community for the next 25 years. We appreciate that we have such a dedicated partner in Washington,” said Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino. 

“We are incredibly grateful to Representative Carbajal for securing $1.2 million for the expansion of Fire Station 1. This funding is a critical investment in the safety of our community. Station 1 is our busiest station, and this project will allow us to house a third fire vehicle and additional personnel needed to serve Santa Maria's growing population. Representative Carbajal's commitment to our city is making a real difference,” said Fire Chief Bradley J. Dandridge.

Santa Barbara County has been awarded $850,000 for the rebuilding of the Lompoc Animal Shelter. The shelter needs facility improvements in order to continue to supply the community with quality Animal Services support, and to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the animals in the region.

“This $850,000 secured by Congressman Carabajal is transformational for our shelter. Modernized kennels mean healthier, less stressed animals, improved conditions for our staff and volunteers, and a facility that truly reflects the compassion of the Lompoc community. From families in Lompoc to the service members at Vandenberg Space Force Base, so many people rely on the work of the shelter — and now we have the resources to do it even better,” said Supervisor Joan Hartmann, Third District Santa Barbara County.

The City of Santa Barbara has been awarded $850,000 for the Eastside Library Improvements Project to upgrade interior spaces to better serve community members and to the two outdoor patios with outside reading spaces and play and sensory areas for children.

“The City of Santa Barbara greatly appreciates Congressman Carbajal’s advocacy to help fund a community asset as important as our Eastside Library. The improvements at that facility are critical as it is more than just a branch of our library system, but it is a highly-used educational facility and community meeting location. My colleagues and I use that location frequently for neighborhood gatherings and outreach, as well as community celebrations. The Congressman clearly recognizes the role that the Eastside Library plays in forming and maintaining the social fabric of the Santa Barbara community,” said Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse. 

The City of Carpinteria has been awarded $850,000 to establish a community center. Carpinteria is currently the only incorporated city in Santa Barbara County that does not have a dedicated community center to host programming for senior citizens and other community groups.

“The City of Carpinteria is extremely grateful to Congressman Carbajal for helping bring this funding to Carpinteria. These funds will allow us to remain focused on critical infrastructure without sacrificing support for the programs and spaces that serve our residents,” said Michael Ramirez, City Manager for City of Carpinteria.

The Santa Barbara District Attorney has been awarded $236,375 to renovate commercial office space at 235 W. Pueblo Street. This construction project is designed to meet the current needs of the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Program/Exam site and more adequately serve sexual assault survivors and child victims of crime in Santa Barbara County.

“The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office is immensely grateful to Congressman Salud Carbajal for his advocacy in securing a $236,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help complete our new Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and Child Advocacy Center (CAC) site in Santa Barbara and update our SART/CAC with advanced forensic and recording technology enhancing the quality of our services and strengthening the pursuit of justice,” said Megan Rheinschild, Victim-Witness Assistance Program Director at the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.

The funding, which Carbajal championed over the course of the past year’s federal budget negotiations, was signed into law as part of the annual government appropriations process. 

In the spring of 2025, Rep. Carbajal began to push for funding for these projects through formal requests to the House Appropriations Committee for Fiscal Year 2026.

The funding was secured through the Community Project Funding (CPF) initiative first launched in 2022. Projects must be in the public interest, be good uses of taxpayer dollars, and be certified to not conflict with the representative’s personal financial interests.