District 1 Council Member· 2024-12-04 - 2028-11-01
Jose Luis Barajas
Salinas
No biography on file yet.
Voice
- Meetings spoken in
- 13
- Total speaking time
- 2:22:10
- Avg per meeting
- 10:56
- Segments
- 1534
Want every word Barajas has said?
The OpenCity MCP for Claude.ai answers questions like “what has Barajas said about housing this year” with one prompt — full speaking history, with YouTube timestamps.
Top issues during term (14)(Development)
Quick Quack Car Wash at Northridge Mall
About 18 jobs per store, mostly part-time, plus construction work; no direct city cost.
Homelessness and loss of Chinatown Navigation Center shelter beds
$200,000 in General Fund dollars, bringing the CNC contract to $3,288,278.
Soledad Street surplus land declaration
Any sale or transfer of the lots could affect city revenues and downtown parking supply; specifics are not yet known.
88 affordable housing units and daycare at 200 Casentini Street
State grant funds have already paid for pre-development and entitlement of the sites.
Affordable housing and housing cooperatives in the 2026-2027 budget
The proposed project carries an estimated $50 million cost, mostly covered by state, federal, and developer funding rather than the city alone.
Burlington store signage at Northridge Mall
District 1 representation and Councilmember Barajas' leave
Barajas continues to receive his council salary and insurance benefits during the leave, paid with taxpayer funds.
Future growth area subdivisions and housing pipeline
UniKool Partners mixed-use project time extension
The extension keeps a major hotel, retail, and housing project moving without forcing the developer to restart entitlements.
Santa Lucia Townhomes affordable housing conversion
No financial liability to the city — the debt is solely the borrower's.
Chinatown Revitalization — Soledad Street Affordable Housing and Museum
Roughly $750,000 per unit for the 88 apartments, funded through tax credits, grants, and the city's Chinatown capital improvement program.
Housing production pace and CEQA
The city awarded $2.1 million in CDBG and $2.7 million in HOME funds in 2025 for affordable housing.
Parking and housing density concerns
Insurance-driven roof replacement permitting burden
Decisions during term (5)
Recorded while Barajas was in office — not necessarily decisions they moved, spoke to, or voted on.
Planned Unit Development Permit 2025-002 — Quick Quack Car Wash at Northridge Mall (ID#26-446)
Planned Unit Development Permit 2025-002 — vehicle wash at Northridge Mall (ID#26-367)
Continuance of Planned Unit Development Permit 2025-002
Planned Unit Development Permit 2025-002 — Northridge Mall Car Wash
ID#26-056 — City Development Impact Fees Annual Adjustment
Voting record (7)(Development)
Oldest to newest — hover a bar for the item.