Alex Padilla
Alejandro "Alex" Padilla (born March 22, 1973) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from California, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Padilla served as the 30th secretary of state of California from 2015 to 2021 and was a member of the California State Senate and the Los Angeles City Council.[1]
This article is about the California politician. For other people with the same name, see Alex Padilla (disambiguation).
Alex Padilla
Richard Alarcon
Richard Alarcon
March 22, 1973
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
3
Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Padilla to the United States Senate after then-Senator Kamala Harris was elected Vice President of the United States; Harris, as the newly elected vice president and president of the Senate, swore Padilla in on January 20, 2021. In dual November 2022 elections, Padilla won a special election to complete Harris's term as well as election to a full Senate term, defeating Republican nominee Mark Meuser in both.[2]
Padilla became California's senior senator on September 29, 2023, upon the death of Dianne Feinstein.
Early life and education[edit]
Padilla is one of three children of Santos and Lupe Padilla, both of whom immigrated from Mexico, specifically Jalisco and Chihuahua, before meeting and marrying in Los Angeles, where he was born.[3][4] He grew up in Pacoima, Los Angeles, and graduated from San Fernando High School in the northeast San Fernando Valley.[5] He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1994.[6] He graduated from the Coro Fellows Southern California Program in 1995.
Early career[edit]
Los Angeles[edit]
After graduation, Padilla moved back to Pacoima and briefly worked as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft, where he wrote software for satellite systems.[7][8][9]
Padilla is a former member of the governing board of MIT and president of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), which has a membership of more than 6,000 Latino U.S. officials.[10][11] He has chaired the Los Angeles Leadership Council for the American Diabetes Association since 2005.[10][12]
Padilla began in politics as a member of the Democratic Party in 1995, in substantial part in response to California Proposition 187, which excluded illegal immigrants from all non-emergency public services, including public education, but which he felt was motivated by a broader nativism that demonized legal and illegal immigrants alike.[13] His first professional role was as a personal assistant to Senator Dianne Feinstein. He then served as a campaign manager for Assemblyman Tony Cárdenas in 1996, Assemblyman Gil Cedillo in 1997, and State Senator Richard Alarcon in 1998, all Democrats. All won their respective elections.[10][14]
Los Angeles City Council[edit]
On July 1, 1999, at age 26, Padilla was sworn in as a member of the Los Angeles City Council.[15] Two years later, his colleagues elected him council president. Padilla was the first Latino and the youngest person elected president of the Los Angeles City Council, defeating incumbent Ruth Galanter.[10][16] On September 13, 2001, two days after the 9/11 attacks, Padilla became the acting mayor of Los Angeles for a couple of days while Mayor James K. Hahn traveled out of the city.[17][16] Los Angeles Times wrote that Padilla's rise to the mayor's office raised his "political stock".[17]
During his term as City Council president, Padilla also was elected president of the California League of Cities, the first Latino to serve in that position.[10]
California State Senate[edit]
After retiring as president of the Los Angeles City Council, Padilla was elected to the State Senate in 2006, defeating Libertarian Pamela Brown. He was reelected in 2010 with nearly 70% of the vote over Republican Kathleen Evans.[18] Padilla served as a member of the Appropriations Committee, Business and Professions and Economic Development Committee, Governmental Organization Committee, Labor and Industrial Relations Committee, and chaired the Select Committee on Science, Innovation and Public Policy. He left office on November 30, 2014, after two terms.[19]
In August 2012, Padilla was included in a list of 20 Latino political rising stars compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle, citing his role in the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.[20]
In September 2014, Padilla promoted what would later become Proposition 67, a proposed ban on plastic bags.[21] On November 8, 2016, when Padilla was Secretary of State, the proposal was voted on in a referendum, and the option in favor of the ban on plastic bags received 53% of the vote.[22] Padilla authored legislation that passed in 2008 requiring some restaurants to disclose calorie information on menus.[23][24]
Personal life[edit]
Padilla married Angela Monzon in 2012.[84] They have three sons and live in the San Fernando Valley's Porter Ranch neighborhood.[85] In late 2015 and early 2016, the Aliso Canyon gas leak temporarily displaced the Padillas from their home.[85]