Press Releases

On Friday October 16, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) hosted former Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and California State Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón in Santa Barbara for his annual “Cafecito Con El Congresista” event. The event featured remarks from Becerra, Limón, and Carbajal followed by a Q&A session with attendees. 

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Carbajal’s “Cafecito” is an annual gathering that brings together the Central Coast Latino community to create an open forum for discussing local and national issues directly with elected officials. Carbajal has hosted the annual “Cafecito” event since 2017.

“Coming right on the heels of Hispanic Heritage Month, our Cafecito is an annual opportunity for our community to continue celebrating our heritage and the many contributions Latinos make to our country and the Central Coast,” said Rep. Carbajal. “I thank our special guests — Secretary Xavier Becerra and California State Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón — for joining us today and sharing the stories of their incredible public service journeys. I also would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who participated in today’s discussion and made this yet another successful Cafecito.”

“I've had the privilege to experience leadership in California, in Washington, D.C., and I've learned that Californians must continue to be the leaders of this nation. To me, Latino Heritage Month is not just one day or one month — we must live and follow our values every day. And I believe that as difficult as things are, California still has the best days ahead of it. I want to thank leaders like Rep. Salud Carbajal for hosting constituent events like this Cafecito and state Senate Pro Tem Monique Limón, we are going to work closely with our leaders to make sure we make a difference in the lives of every Californian,” said Secretary Becerra. 

“I was honored to close out Hispanic Heritage Month alongside Congressman Carbajal, Secretary Becerra, and community leaders at the annual Cafecito event. It was great to be able to share the work of the State Senate, how we are working to protect all Californians, and utilizing all branches of government to better the state. Thank you to Congressman Carbajal for hosting this event and thank you to former Secretary Xavier Becerra for the inspiring conversation,” said State Senate Leader Monique Limón.

Other attendees included members of the community along with representatives from the California State Assembly, City of Santa Barbara, City of Goleta, City of Santa Maria, City of Carpinteria, City of Guadalupe, City of Oxnard, City of Ventura, Ventura County Board of Supervisors, Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara Unified School District, U.C. Santa Barbara, U.C. Merced, California State University Channel Islands, and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.