SB's Man in Washington

Salud Vows to "Fight Extremism," after "Sad and Disheartening" Ritual Trump Vote at Scene of 2021 Coup

On Jan. 6, 2021, a violent mob routed Rep. Salud Carbajal and hundreds of other members of Congress, as the elected officials tried to carry out the ceremonial certification of the vote electing President Joe Biden.

On Monday, exactly four years later, Salud joined his congressional colleagues in carrying out the certification ritual without drama or brutality, as they calmly, quickly -- and sardonically -- affirmed the election of Donald Trump, the man who had summoned the insurrectionists to obstruct the formal vote count last time.

“It was depressing going through the motions, the procedure to certify the votes for the individual who won,” Carbajal told Newsmakers, in describing Monday’s vote “But it was heartening to see that Vice President Kamala Harris, who presided over this process [and who lost the election to Trump], did what she had to do, which was her responsibility.

“It was important to participate in the peaceful transition of government, and lead by example, showing that even when we don’t like the outcome, make sure that democracy works and democracy is upheld,” Carbajal added.

On the agenda. Newly sworn in for a fifth term, the Santa Barbara Democrat starts the new Congress, and the new Administration, in a slight minority in the House. Republicans also control the Senate, along with the White House, and so are poised to attempt to enact a host of radical right-wing policies, from immigration, energy and the environment to taxes, tariffs and social welfare cuts.

As a practical matter, this means that Carbajal is preparing to play defense, to oppose the most regressive measures being teed up by Trump and his allies, even as he searches for trademark “bipartisan” opportunities, and still is enjoying the last gasp support of the Biden Administration for legislation he passed in the last Congress.

“It's sad and disheartening and again, demonstrates the downside of what this election resulted in, and I'm opposed to it,” he said of the Trump agenda. “It’s something we have to accept. Obviously the Constitution doesn't let us do otherwise (but) I'm going to fight it all the way through, fight his policies and extremism to the extent that I can.

Speaking from his Capitol office on Tuesday, after struggling through blizzard-like conditions and icy streets in D.C., Carbajal said he always tries to remain optimistic, regardless of the current political gloom.

“To be in Congress, you have to be optimistic and hopeful that there will be a better day,” he said. “And even when we're in the minority, I've been here before and again, despite being in the minority last Congress, six of my bills that I sponsored or co-sponsored, made it over the finish line.

“So I remain hopeful under the circumstances and will stand up to Donald Trump's extremism every day and speak out against it,” he added. “And yet, if there's opportunities to work together to temper those ridiculous actions and extremism, I will also work on those. I'm not going to shy away from working with anyone and everyone who's willing to work with me to get the things done or temper the extremism that no doubt is coming.”

Offshore and Sable Oil. Among the measures he’s had approved by the White House in recent weeks is a version of a measure that Carbajal worked on for many years that resulted in Biden last week declaring vast tracts offshore of the nation’s oceans closed to oil and gas development.

Trump has called for huge amounts of new carbon fuel development, but Carbajal said the offshore policy signed by Biden is written in a such a way that it will be difficult for Trump to undo without complex litigation.

“My first bill in Congress eight years ago was the California Clean Coast Act, which was to ban offshore drilling off of California. Then that expanded, the bill was later amended to expand the entire West Coast,” Carbajal said.

“And in November of last year, knowing that there was going to be a change in the administration, I wrote, with a few of my colleagues, to President Biden and I asked him to use his authority to permanently ban offshore drilling off our western coastline, including other coastlines.

“And he did, he actually used this authority of executive action that permanently bans offshore oil drilling from the Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf Coast, the West Coast, which includes all the western states, including California and parts of Alaska as well. And this is an action tha…is not one of those executive orders that can just easily be undone. So this is a big deal and it's not easily undoable by the incoming administration.”

Unfortunately, Carbajal acknowledged, the policy does not impede the current effort by Sable Offshore Corp. to restart pumping oil produced offshore through the controversial pipeline that ruptured and caused the massive Refugio Oil spill in 2015.

Carbajal said he is working urgently to try get a favorable ruling from the Department of Transportation in the final days before Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20 to prevent the pipeline being restarted.

“There’s limited time, so I’m not sure what the outcome will be, but I’m doing my best to try to impact that, at this point in time,” he said.

Check out our full start-of-session interview with Rep. Salud Carbajal via YouTube below, or by clicking through this link. The podcast may be found on Soundcloud here, and is also available on on Spotify, Apple and other platforms. TVSB, Channel 17, airs Newsmakers every weekday at 8 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.