Public Safety

Public safety is Carlos’s number one priority. As promised, he has supported increased staffing and patrols. He has also held community policing meetings to address the concerns of his constituents and give them direct access to top officials, including the police chief.

Committed to Serving Santa Maria

Housing

Carlos has stuck to his to principles in fighting for the right kind of housing in Santa Maria. He is the only Councilmember to vote against giveaways to large, out-of-town developers who build high-rent units and don’t contribute to the community. Their projects are easily approved by the City Council, and even amidst a nearly $20 million city budget shortfall, developers receive a 50% discount on the purchase of city land and building permits downtown. In 2023, one project received more than $1M of taxpayer-funded discounts.

These are typically high-density projects that do not offer additional affordable housing, a combination that adds traffic and other impacts without community benefits.Santa Maria needs to be smart about housing and cannot afford to continue giving the city away to developers.

Carlos was the only Councilmember to publicly support a program to house the north side’s homeless in an old hotel, with on-site services and security, all paid for by the County. Without it, the problem has continued to get worse. Undeterred, Carlos is working with San Luis Obispo County and Santa Barbara County to implement a plan to reduce the number of homeless people in the riverbed permanently. We must allocate the necessary resources to tackle this issue head-on and not dismiss the problem or blame other jurisdictions as some people want to.

Homelessness

Quality of life in Santa Maria

In addition to his day job helping at-risk students, Carlos is the organizer of Santa Maria Open Streets, a one-day event that draws 30,000 people to Main Street. He has supported the extension of the river levee trail to connect Santa Maria with Guadalupe, and has also championed a new sports complex slated to be built on the Westside, helping to secure $1.5M in funding from the County

Community Activities and Awards

• Santa Maria City Councilmember, District 1

• Program Associate, Transitional Youth Services, Santa Barbara County Education Office

• Chairman, Santa Maria Open Streets /¡Calle Vivas!

• Coordinator, Santa Maria Children’s Day Celebration

• President and Founder, Toastmasters Valle de Santa Maria

• Founder, Santa Maria in Action

• Fifth District Representative, Santa Barbara County Human Services Commission

• Volunteer, numerous non-profit organizations

Degrees

• Certificate, Business Executive Leadership, Allan Hancock College

• Certificate, Political Sciences, Mount Royal University

• Bachelor’s Degree, International Relations, University of Guadalajara

• Master’s Degree, Organizational Leadership, Brandman University

Awards

• 2019 - Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year

• 2020 - Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award

• 2021 - 40 Under 40 Leaders in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura Counties

• 2022 - Marquis Who’s Who in America Award

• 2024 - Santa Maria Times Citizen of the Year

Community Involvement

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