Jose Luis Barajas

José Luis Barajas was born in Mexico and arrived in the U.S. when he was 2 months old. His parents came to the Salinas Valley and worked as farmworkers before opening their own small business selling refreshing agua frescas at local farmers markets and the Mercado Popular in Watsonville. His parents gave him the opportunity to work hard and achieve the American Dream. This experience has motivated him to get involved in his community and driven him to look out for those who need a helping hand to succeed. José Luis graduated from Salinas High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Oral Roberts University. After college he worked for a variety of firms as a paralegal and a field coordinator for campaigns. For the last two years, he has taken his life lessons from working at his parents’ small business to work for the Salinas United Business Association/Monterey County Business Council. Today, as a Business Support Specialist, he helps businesses access the organization’s services, creates marketing material, handles the organization’s digital presence and does policy analysis. José Luis has also been very active in the community as a volunteer and working to make our government more efficient and more effective. He serves on the Monterey County Housing Advisory Commission addressing affordability issues in Salinas. He serves on the Boards of Directors of Salinas Valley Pride Celebrations and the Salinas Valley Young Professionals Organization. His Salinas City government experience includes serving on the Salinas General Plan Update Steering Committee as a voice for the business and entrepreneurial community and advocating for increased economic development opportunities for all residents. José Luis also serves on the Measure E Oversight Committee analyzing budget reports and helping the committee work with the City Council to make sure the funds are spent wisely. He advocates for investments in quality of life improvements for residents city-wide and promotes fiscal responsibility with taxpayer dollars. As a City Councilmember, he will bring an understanding of how business works combined with an institutional knowledge of how government works, allowing him to fight to improve our community by promoting job creation.