FBI raids homes of San Diego Democratic consultant and union official; no charges filed

FBI agents conducted early-morning raids late last week on the homes of a San Diego political consultant with a prior felony record and a labor union official who previously ran for city council, according to La Prensa San Diego and confirmed by multiple sources.

Federal agents executed search warrants at the Chula Vista home of political consultant Jesus Cardenas and the residence of Kelvin Barrios, who until this week served as Policy and Community Engagement Director for the Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 89.

Agents seized electronic devices including phones and computers as part of a federal investigation related to campaigns the two men worked on together, sources told La Prensa. Neither the FBI nor the U.S. Attorney's Office has issued a public statement on the raids, and no charges have been filed in federal court.

Cardenas pleaded guilty to two felonies in 2024 as part of a plea deal with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. He has worked on numerous school board, city council, and county Board of Supervisors races in San Diego County.

Barrios, a former candidate for San Diego City Council, was placed on administrative leave by the San Diego County Democratic Party following the raids. "The Executive Board has placed Kelvin Barrios on an administrative leave of absence," the party said in a statement.

LiUNA Local 89 Vice President Valentine Macedo Jr. confirmed Barrios is no longer employed by the union. "Kevin Barrios is no longer employed at Laborers Local 89. We do not comment on confidential personnel matters," Macedo said.

LiUNA Local 89 has become a powerful political force in San Diego County in recent years, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to help elect members to the county Democratic Party's Central Committee in 2024 in an effort to expand its influence over candidate endorsements and party support.

Barrios, along with union leaders Valentine Macedo Sr. and Valentine Macedo Jr., were elected to party positions through that push.

A Chula Vista resident posted on the neighborhood platform NextDoor questioning why FBI agents were at Cardenas's home on J Street early Thursday morning, saying several agents were seen entering and leaving the house around 7:30 a.m.