Israel–Palestine Conflict the Hot Topic of Rep. Salud Carbajal’s ‘Telephone Town Hall’

Congressmember Salud Carbajal held a “telephone Town Hall” on Thursday night, where community members in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties could call in to ask questions in real time. The hot topic of the evening was the Israel–Palestine conflict, in which Carbajal dug his roots deeper on the Israel-supporting side of the spectrum.

Fielding questions and statements calling him a liar, uneducated, and immoral, Carbajal remained strong in his stance that “Israel has a right to defend itself,” but that they “need to be more surgical” in their attacks to avoid killing innocent civilians. He answered all of the Israel–Palestine questions similarly, emphasizing the need for increased humanitarian aid, a sustained cease-fire, and a two-state solution.

At the end of the day, “Hamas needs to be dismantled,” Carbajal said, expressing hope that the Biden administration’s support in that arena will help achieve the main goal – taking down a terrorist organization and reducing civilian deaths.

Callers also asked about homelessness solutions, aging infrastructure, and rent increases, their questions always ending with, “Are you doing anything about this?” 

The answer was almost exclusively President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The bill has provided $800 million to California’s Central Coast to date, according to Carbajal, who was in Goleta last week to see some of the funding’s impacts on our community.

Second only to the moderator’s constant reminders to dial *3 to ask a question and *6 to subscribe to the congressmember’s newsletter, the phrase most commonly heard was Carbajal’s “More can always be done.”

“I want to deliver on the priorities that you want me to focus on,” he concluded. Carbajal encourages his constituents to contact his Santa Barbara office at (805) 730-1710 with questions or concerns.