San Luis Obispo County

Rep. Lofgren was born and raised in the Bay Area, and attending Stanford and Santa Clara Law School. Lofgren is the incumbent, having served in the House of Representatives since 1995. According to campaign materials she is running for re-election to protect dreamers, end gun violence, protect the free and open internet, and getting dirty money out of politics.

In Congress, she helped pass the DREAM Act of 2019 (and 2010), and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in the House. She has opposed the Trump administration's immigration policies, and has called for an end to the detention centers, and for foreign aid to end the instability in Central America that leads to people fleeing their homes. As the representative for the heart of Silicon Valley, she has been active on Internet and technology issues. She fought the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), NSA surveillance of Americans, and recently introduced the Online Privacy Act. Lofrgen has been a strong supporter of women’s rights, abortion protections, LGBTQ equity and has led the implementation of the House of Representatives' mandatory anti-harassment and anti-discrimination trainings.

Prior to her role as Congresswoman, she was an immigration lawyer, taught at Santa Clara Law School, and served as Staff Assistant to Congressman Don Edwards.

Lofgren is being challenged by Ivan Torres (D), Justin Aguilera (R), Ignacio Cruz (R), and Jason Mallory (NPP).

According to our analysis, Lofgren is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Representative Salud Carbajal, a veteran, was born in Mexico and emigrated as a child with his family to Arizona and later Oxnard, CA. After high school, Carbajal attended the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) and went on to obtain his Master's Degree in Organizational Management from the Fielding University. Carbajal spent eight years in the United States Marine Corps, including active duty during the 1991 Gulf War.

Carbajal was elected to the 24th District in 2017 after serving on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for 12 years. According to campaign materials, he is running for reelection on a platform that promotes a robust Central Coast through investments in infrastructure and housing, renewable energy and environmental protections, and workforce development.

Salud serves on the House Committee on Armed Services, the House Committee on Agriculture, and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he was elected to serve as the Vice Chair. As part of his commitment to renewable energy, Salud’s first act in Congress was to introduce the California Clean Coast Act, which would ban future offshore oil and gas drilling on California’s coast. He also secured $1 million for the Santa Barbara Veterans Treatment Courts and has introduced legislation to combat veteran homelessness.

Representative Carbajal is being challenged by Andy Caldwell (R), a conservative radio host, and Kenneth Young (NPP). Based on our analysis, Rep. Salud Carbajal has consistently demonstrated a commitment to progressive issues, from protecting the environment to ensuring DACA protections remain in place.

According to our analysis, Rep. Carbajal is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in this district.
 

Rober Rivas is from Paicines and moved to has lived in Hollister for most of his life. He is the incumbent, having served in this position since 2018. According to campaign material, he is running for re-election to continue to fight for the “resources local communities need and deserve.”

In the State Assembly, he authored the landmark Farmworker Housing Act, which would allow surplus agricultural land to be rezoned for farmworker housing. He also co-authored the bill to fund the Golden State Teacher Grant Program. The program provides $20,000 in scholarship grants for recent college graduates that acquire a teaching credential in high-need fields, such as STEM or special education, and teach for four years in select schools. Rep. Rivas currently serves as Chair of the Joint Committee on Fair Allocation and Classification. Prior to his election to the State Assembly, he served on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors.

Robert Rivas is running against Gregory Swett (R). He scored a 90 out of 100 on Courage Score, our annual analysis of a legislator’s progressive voting record. Based on our Courage Score analysis, Rivas has consistently advocated for the needs of constituents and faced down corporate lobbyists and interest groups that exploit Californians.

According to our analysis, Robert Rivas is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Kipp Mueller is from Sacramento and moved to Santa Clarita, CA, in 2019. According to campaign materials, he is running for State Senate to represent the needs of the working and middle class families over special interests.

Mueller is a workers’ rights and immigration attorney, representing workers and unions in legal disputes with large corporations. As a workers’ rights and immigration attorney, Mueller has successfully represented union workers who have experienced fatal work accidents, and worked as a pro-bono asylum attorney at an ICE detention center in Adelanto.

Mueller is running against Warren Heaton, Jr. (D), Dana LaMon (D), Steve Hill (D), and incumbent Scott Wilk (R). According to recent election results, this is a tough race for Democrats. Mueller is the best progressive choice because of his track record of defending workers’ rights, his commitment to defend our values, and to fight for a better future.

According to our analysis, Mueller is the strongest choice for progressive leadership in office.
 

Ellen Beraud is challenging incumbent Debbie Arnold for District 5 Supervisor in San Luis Obispo County. Beraud is running on a platform to address the housing crisis--particularly addressing the needs for workforce housing--as well as the promotion of renewable energy, sustainable groundwater management, sensible cannabis regulation, improving infrastructure, and job growth. She has resided in San Luis Obispo County for 20 years. 

Beraud has been critical of the board’s inaction on a variety of issues. She is calling for a transparent groundwater use plan as communities have been negatively impacted by drought. She wants the county to provide more funding to address the homeless crisis, including providing mental health and addiction services. 

While campaigning, Beraud has expressed concerns about potential local job losses with the closure of Diablo Canyon. She supports sensible cannabis regulation to provide stable jobs for the county, as well as investments in renewable energy and infrastructure, including off-shore wind farms and exploring the use of Diablo Canyon for renewable energy generation. 

Beraud has a long history of public service. She is a former Atascadero mayor and City Council member. Prior to her election to the city council in 2006, she served on the Atascadero Planning Commission. She is also a registered dietician, working at local hospitals, and she and her husband own a small electrical contracting business. As a council member and mayor, she opposed the expansion of a Walmart Supercenter, citing the harm it could cause to local businesses. 

District 5 includes Atascadero, Creston, Pozo, and Santa Margarita, as well as portions of Templeton and San Luis Obispo. While this is a non-partisan race, this seat has been referred to as the “swing seat” on the board, as this district is the most evenly split in the county, with roughly 1,100 more registered Republicans than Democrats. Beraud is a registered Democrat and the incumbent, Arnold, is a registered Republican. 

Based on her track record of public service, commitment to address the housing and homeless crisis, and progressive stances on a range of issues, Beraud is the strongest choice for this office.