Alex Padilla | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Ranking Member of theSenate Rules Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Deb Fischer |
| United States Senator fromCalifornia | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2021 Serving with Adam Schiff | |
| Preceded by | Kamala Harris |
| 30thSecretary of State of California | |
| In office January 5, 2015 – January 20, 2021 | |
| Governor | Jerry Brown Gavin Newsom |
| Preceded by | Debra Bowen |
| Succeeded by | Shirley Weber |
| Member of theCalifornia State Senate from the20th district | |
| In office December 4, 2006 – November 30, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Alarcon |
| Succeeded by | Connie Leyva |
| President of the Los Angeles City Council | |
| In office July 4, 2001 – January 1, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | John Ferraro |
| Succeeded by | Eric Garcetti |
| Member of theLos Angeles City Council from the7th district | |
| In office July 1, 1999 – December 4, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Alarcon |
| Succeeded by | Richard Alarcon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alejandro Padilla (1973-03-22)March 22, 1973 (age 52) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
Alejandro "Alex"Padilla (born March 22, 1973) is an American politician serving as theseniorUnited States senator fromCalifornia, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of theDemocratic Party, Padilla served as the 30thsecretary of state of California from 2015 to 2021 and was a member of theCalifornia State Senate and theLos Angeles City Council.[1]
GovernorGavin Newsom appointed Padilla to theUnited States Senate after then-SenatorKamala Harris was electedvice 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 dualNovember 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 ofDianne Feinstein.
Padilla is one of three children of Santos and Lupe Padilla, both of whom moved fromMexico, specificallyJalisco andChihuahua, before meeting and marrying inLos Angeles, where he was born on March 22, 1973.[3][4][5] His parents were initially undocumented immigrants to the US, but later became citizens. His father worked as a short-order cook, and his mother as a housekeeper.[6] He grew up inPacoima, Los Angeles, and graduated fromSan Fernando High School in the northeastSan Fernando Valley.[7] He earned a degree inmechanical engineering fromMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1994.[8] He graduated from theCoro Fellows Southern California Program in 1995.[9]
After graduation, Padilla moved back to Pacoima and briefly worked as an engineer forHughes Aircraft, where he wrotesoftware forsatellite systems.[10][11][12]
Padilla is a former member of the governing board of MIT and president of theNational Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), which has a membership of more than 6,000 Latino U.S. officials.[13][14] He has chaired the Los Angeles Leadership Council for theAmerican Diabetes Association since 2005.[13][15]
Padilla began in politics as a member of the Democratic Party in 1995, in part due to his response toCalifornia Proposition 187 (1994), which excludedillegal immigrants from all non-emergency public services, including public education. The proposition was criticized as anativist backlash against Latin American immigrants, legal and illegal alike.[16] Padilla's first professional role was as a personal assistant to SenatorDianne Feinstein. He then served as a campaign manager for AssemblymanTony Cárdenas in 1996, AssemblymanGil Cedillo in 1997, and State SenatorRichard Alarcon in 1998, all Democrats. All won their elections.[13][17]
On July 1, 1999, at age 26, Padilla was sworn in as a member of theLos Angeles City Council, succeeding Alarcon.[18] 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 incumbentRuth Galanter.[13][19] On September 13, 2001, two days after the9/11 attacks, Padilla became the actingmayor of Los Angeles for a couple of days while MayorJames K. Hahn traveled out of the city.[20][19]Los Angeles Times wrote that Padilla's rise to the mayor's office raised his "political stock".[20]
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.[13]
After retiring as president of the Los Angeles City Council, Padilla was elected to theState Senate in 2006, defeatingLibertarian Pamela Brown and again succeeding Alarcon. He was reelected in 2010 with nearly 70% of the vote over Republican Kathleen Evans.[21] 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.[22]
In August 2012, Padilla was included in a list of 20 Latino political rising stars compiled by theSan Francisco Chronicle, citing his role in theNational Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.[23]
In September 2014, Padilla promoted what would later becomeProposition 67, a proposed ban on plastic bags.[24][better source needed] 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.[25] Padilla authored legislation that passed in 2008 requiring some restaurants to disclosecalorie information on menus.[26][27]
On April 11, 2013,[28] Padilla announced his intention to run for California secretary of state in 2014, to succeed the term-limited incumbentDebra Bowen. He was expected to face an intraparty battle with fellow DemocratLeland Yee, but Yee's arrest for felony racketeering caused Yee to abandon the race.[29] Padilla won the election on November 4, 2014, with 53.6% of the vote, defeating Republican Pete Peterson.[30] He was officially sworn into office specifically on January 5, 2015, concurrently duringJerry Brown's fourth term.
On June 29, 2017, thePresidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which PresidentDonald Trump created on May 11, requested data on enrolled voters from every state, dating back to 2006. Padilla said that California would not supply the data.[31][32]
On November 6, 2018, Padilla was reelected with 64.5% of the vote, defeating Republican Mark P. Meuser.[33]
On October 16, 2020, Padilla was involved in a controversy between the state and theCalifornia Republican Party, as the party deployed unofficial ballot boxes for voters to submit their ballots at select locations, including churches and gun stores in competitive California districts.[34][35][36][37] Padilla issued a cease-and-desist order, arguing that the ballot boxes were illegal and failed to ensure ballot security.[35][36][34][38] Local Republican leadership refused to follow the order and said the boxes were a form of legalballot harvesting that had been enabled by recent Democratic legislation (which lacked achain of custody requirement),[34] and were a way to increase voter turnout.[39][34] Accusing Democrats of hypocrisy given their widespread door-to-door ballot harvesting in the2018 United States elections,[40][35][34] the state Republican Party later agreed to a set of collection procedures and said a volunteer's mistake of affixing a sign denoting the ballot box as "official" had contributed to the political standoff; Padilla's office said it was continuing to investigate whether ballots were being handled correctly and that the "ineptitude or unlawfulness of a political operative or campaign volunteer" could nonetheless lead to "serious legal consequences".[34][35]
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In early 2020, Padilla announced a $35 million no-bid contract for a statewide voter education ad campaign with partisan public relations firmSKDK (then known as "SKDKnickerbocker") called "Vote Safe California", butState ControllerBetty Yee blocked the funding because Padilla's office did not have the authority to use federal money that was allocated to county governments; the campaign proceeded anyway.[41] The group had marketed itself as being on "Team Biden", and the awarding of the no-bid contract under supposed "emergency powers" despite the group's ties with theDemocratic Party and work for Democratic politicians running for office in California received bipartisan criticism.[42][43][44] Amid ongoing litigation by theHoward Jarvis Taxpayers Association, who contend that the contract bypassed fair competition rules and misappropriated federal election funding for local elections operations, and was therefore illegal, Governor Newsom signed legislation that provided state funding to reimburse SKDK in February 2021.[42]
Upon Padilla's appointment to the U.S. Senate, Newsom appointed AssemblywomanShirley Weber to succeed him.[45]
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In August 2020, Democratic presidential nomineeJoe Biden selected California SenatorKamala Harris as his running mate. After they wonthe general election, Padilla was mentioned as a possible choice as Harris's successor in the Senate. Governor Newsom had the power to appoint her successor.[46][47][48][49] In December 2020, Newsom announced that he would appoint Padilla to the seat, making him California's firstHispanic senator[4] and the first male U.S. senator from California sinceAlan Cranston retired in 1993. During the speculation about whom Newsom would appoint, the seniorsenator from California,Dianne Feinstein, supported Padilla.[50][51] To replace Padilla as California's secretary of state, Newsom appointed state assemblywomanShirley Weber. Padilla was sworn in on January 20, 2021, by Harris along with newly elected SenatorsJon Ossoff andRaphael Warnock of Georgia. He was escorted by SenatorDianne Feinstein.[52]
Most Latinos, who are 40% of California's population, supported Padilla's appointment,[53] but some black leaders, who wanted another black woman to replace Harris, criticized it.San Francisco MayorLondon Breed called Padilla's appointment "a real blow to the African American community".[53]
Padilla announced that he would seek a full term in 2022. He appeared on two ballots: one for the special election to fill the remainder of his term in the117th Congress, and the other for the new term beginning with the118th Congress.[54] The special election was due to a recent change in California law that ended Padilla's appointment in November 2022. He was on the ballot in two separate races in theNovember 2022 election—a special election for the final two months of Harris's Senate term, and a regular election for a full six-year term beginning in January 2023.[54][55]
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On January 20, 2021, Padilla was sworn into theUnited States Senate in the117th Congress by Vice PresidentKamala Harris, his predecessor, becoming the first Latino to representCalifornia in the U.S. Senate. He was sworn in by Vice President Harris on her first day, at the same time as newGeorgia senatorsJon Ossoff andRaphael Warnock. He served the final two years of Harris's term.[54][56] He filed the necessary paperwork with theFEC to run for a full term and an unexpired term in the2022 elections[55] which he won in November 2022.
While in office, Padilla introduced legislation to add more legal protections for various public lands in California, including parts of theSan Gabriel Mountains,Los Padres National Forest, andCarrizo Plain National Monument.[57][58] Padilla also introduced legislation to help coastal communities adapt shorelines to increasedflooding anderosion fromsea level rise andextreme weather.[59]
As of the end of 2023, Padilla had voted with Biden 100% of the time.[60]
On June 12, 2025, Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference held in theWilshire Federal Building byDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) SecretaryKristi Noem,[61][62] addressing theLos Angeles protests in response toICE operations. Padilla was in the building for a scheduled 10:30 briefing by representatives of Northern Command, including GeneralGregory Guillot, about the administration's plan to use theGuantanamo Bay detention camp to hold undocumented migrants. When informed that the briefing was delayed due to the press conference in a nearby room, he asked to attend, was escorted in, and stood behind the press reporters and cameras.[63][64][65]
Noem repeatedly blamed California state governorGavin Newsom and L.A. MayorKaren Bass, then, about six minutes into her statement, said the Republican administration was going to "liberate the city from the socialist and burdensome leadership that this mayor and this governor have placed on this country".[63][64] At that point, Padilla interrupted the press conference by walking toward the podium while saying "Madame Secretary, I want to know why you insist on exaggerating and embellishing", but he was blocked by security and forcibly removed bySecret Service agents. While he was being pushed to the back of the room, he said, "I am Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary" and told security "Hands off, hands off!" Security pushed him out of the room and into a hallway, where several agents held him face-down on the floor and he was handcuffed byFBI Police.[66] Padilla was briefly detained, and said he was released only afterCorey Lewandowski, an adviser to Noem, ran over, yelling "Let him go! Let him go!"[67]
Noem said she had a "great" conversation with Padilla after the incident, but that his approach was "something that I don't think was appropriate at all".[68][69] Padilla said she gave "the same old company line that they're targeting the dangerous criminals".[6] Later, Noem andWhite House press secretaryKaroline Leavitt alleged that Padilla had lunged at Noem.[66] A post from the official DHS account onX said that Padilla "chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem." The post also claimed that Padilla was repeatedly told to back away by officers but did not comply.[61]
When he left the building, Padilla told reporters that his question was about ICE detaining immigrants without criminal records.[70] He later said he and hisJudiciary Subcommittee colleagues had repeatedly asked Homeland Security about its "increasingly extreme immigration enforcement actions" without getting a response. A number of Democratic senators condemned Padilla's treatment; Republican senatorsLisa Murkowski andSusan Collins also voiced concern.[67]Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on theHouse Judiciary Committee, wroteFBI directorKash Patel, asking for the incident to be investigated and to get a briefing.[6]
The Wall Street Journal says that Padilla had "a reputation [in the State Senate] as a business-friendly moderate".[77]FiveThirtyEight defined him as atechnocrat, not identified with either the progressive or the moderate wing of the party.[78] TheAmerican Conservative Union gave Padilla a 0% rating in 2012.[79] On January 18, 2021, Padilla released a statement in support of theGreen New Deal andMedicare For All legislation, among other progressive policies.[80]
Padilla favorsabortion rights, saying in 2018 that abortion rights are "not negotiable".[81] In 2008, Padilla sponsored the bill SB 1770, which would require the Commission on Peace Officer Standards Training (POST) to prepare relevant guidelines and mechanisms for the investigation and reporting of "cases involving anti-reproductive-rights crimes".[82][83] In 2018, after winning the primary for secretary of state to seek a second term, he received support fromNARAL Pro-Choice America.[84]
WhenRoe v. Wade wasoverturned in June 2022, Padilla condemned the decision.[85]
Padilla supportsclimate action and said during budgetary discussions in October 2021 that "[c]limate cannot be on the chopping block in this or any budget."[86] He supports theGreen New Deal and has said that it "offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity."[80][87] Padilla received a 100% score from theLeague of Conservation Voters in 2021.[88]
In April 2025, Padilla introduced theFix Our Forests Act alongside SenatorsJohn Hickenlooper,John Curtis, andTim Sheehy. The bill aims to improve forest management for wildfire risk reduction.[89]
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Padilla supports ending the Senatefilibuster.[17]
Padilla supports immigrants' rights.[90][91] On January 15, 2021, he said that he supports legislation sponsored by representativeJoaquin Castro to speed up the citizenship process forundocumented immigrants in essential jobs, declaring that because of the work they do, "they deserve stability".[90][91]
Padilla has been known for efforts to expand voting access.[92] When he was appointed to the Senate in 2021, Newsom called him "a national defender of voting rights".[93] As California Secretary of State in 2020, he sent a cease-and-desist order to the California Republican Party to remove unofficial ballot drop boxes in at least three counties.[94] Republican officials later admitted they had placed more than 50 misleading ballot boxes in Los Angeles, Orange, and Fresno Counties.[95]
In November 2023, Padilla introduced legislation in the Senate to authorize a binding federally sponsored referendum, known as a plebiscite, to resolvePuerto Rico's political status. The legislation details the transition and implementation of non-territorial status for Puerto Rico: statehood, independence, or sovereignty in free association with the U.S.[96]
In April 2024, Padilla voted in favor of the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act to reauthorize theForeign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for five years including changes to certain restrictions on surveillance under Section 702.[97]
Padilla married Angela Monzon in 2012.[98] They have three sons and live in theSan Fernando Valley'sPorter Ranch neighborhood.[99] In late 2015 and early 2016, theAliso Canyon gas leak temporarily displaced the Padillas from their home.[99]
| Year | Office | Party | Primary | General | Result | Swing | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | Total | % | ±% | P. | ||||||||
| 1999 | Los Angeles City Council | Non-partisan | 6,932 | 47.9% | 1st | 9,188 | 66.8% | N/A | 1st | Won | N/A | [100] | ||
| 2001 | Non-partisan | 18,593 | 100.0% | 1st | N/A[a] | Won | N/A | [101] | ||||||
| 2005 | Non-partisan | 13,482 | 100.0% | 1st | N/A[a] | Won | N/A | [102] | ||||||
| 2006 | State Senator | Democratic | 24,303 | 55.8% | 1st | 84,459 | 74.85% | –25.15% | 1st | Won | Hold | [103] | ||
| 2010 | Democratic | 26,431 | 100.0% | 1st | 94,356 | 68.34% | –6.51% | 1st | Won | Hold | [104] | |||
| 2014 | Secretary of State | Democratic | 1,217,371 | 30.24% | 1st | 3,799,711 | 53.63% | +0.45% | 1st | Won | Hold | [105] | ||
| 2018 | Democratic | 3,475,643 | 52.56% | 1st | 7,909,521 | 64.45% | +10.82% | 1st | Won | Hold | [106] | |||
| 2022 | U.S. Senator (short term) | Democratic | 3,740,582 | 54.98% | 1st | 6,559,303 | 60.89% | N/A[b] | 1st | Won | Hold | [107] | ||
| U.S. Senator (full term) | Democratic | 3,725,544 | 54.12% | 1st | 6,621,616 | 61.06% | N/A[b] | 1st | Won | Hold | ||||
weeknights 6pm ET
00.41 BST, CBS video of Padilla interrupting Noem with a question appears to undermine her claim that he lunged at her, "02.06 BST, Padilla calls Noem's claim that he lunged at her 'a lie' in MSNBC interview".
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Los Angeles City Council 2001–2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of California 2015–2021 | Succeeded by James Schwab Acting |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by Kamala Harris | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from California 2021–present Served alongside:Dianne Feinstein,Laphonza Butler,Adam Schiff | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Rules Committee 2025–present | |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromCalifornia (Class 3) 2022 | Most recent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 77th | Succeeded by |
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| Class 1 | | |
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| Class 3 | ||
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| People | |
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| Other | |
