Leaders from across the Central Coast gathered at the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education to welcome the new ambassador to the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard, Consul Ricardo Santana Velázquez.
“My goal at the first time is to talk with the locals in the three counties that we have in our jurisdiction as a consulate — the counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo — because I need to know the needs that the Mexican community have here to assist them,” said Consul Santana Velázquez.
The organization Latino Outreach Council invited a wide range of community voices, which included representatives from Congressman Salud Carbajal's office, the San Luis Obispo Police Department, the City of San Luis Obispo's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, UndocuSupport, and SLO County Office of Education's Programa Migrante.
Some of the top issues discussed were the need for Mixteco translators and the hope for more pop-up consulate events.
“We do have a really big need for the mobile consulate services, and I work with the undocumented immigrant population in our community and you know, they have a lot of barriers,” said Chelsea Ruiz, Program Manager of San Luis Obispo County UndocuSupport. “But being able to obtain those identifying documents is a really important first step for them to getting housing and to accessing services. ”
A trip to the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard from San Luis Obispo takes more than two hours and that location usually takes 135 appointments per day.
Plus, there are only a handful of pop-up consulates in our area each year and appointments usually fill up within hours.
“We are going to be prepared to include more places, San Luis Obispo, in our budget,” said Consul Santana Velázquez.
San Luis Obispo Police Chief Rick Scott said he looks forward to collaborating with the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard.
“We think it's important to be reflective of our community, of our complete community, and so to continue to recruit and diversify our membership,” said Chief Scott. “For law enforcement, I think it's very important to take that step […] to continue our outreach, especially with our Mexican community, and to build trust and to understand that we can be trusted.”
Consul Santana Velázquez was appointed on July 1, 2023, and the term for his position ranges from three to five years.
“The passports, for the matricula, or the voter registration card and other services that we give are health, education, financial systems and the attention of the indigenous,” explained Consul Santana Velázquez.
A pop-up consulate will take place in Santa Maria this weekend but there are no appointments left.
KSBY News was told there is another event in the works for San Luis Obispo County later this year.
To make an appointment online, click here.
You can also make one through WhatsApp or by calling (805) 330-3060.
As part of their dual citizenship services, the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard also offers naturalization services to those who were born in the U.S. but have a Mexican parent. In Oxnard, they will be supporting U.S. residents applying for U.S. citizenship with exam preparation and English classes.
