Alex Padilla

Alex Padilla was first elected to serve in the California Senate in 2006. On December 6th, 2010, Padilla was sworn in to serve a second four-year term representing the 20th Senate District. Alex Padilla’s work as a Senator represents the logical next chapter in an already impressive story as a public official in California. Born to immigrant parents from Mexico he was raised in the San Fernando Valley community of Pacoima where he excelled in local public schools. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After a stint working for Hughes Aircraft and completing the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs, Padilla went to work for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and later, then-Assemblymember Tony Cardenas before running for public office. Alex Padilla was first elected to public office in 1999, when at the age of 26 he ran for Los Angeles City Council. Just two years later, in July of 2001, his council colleagues elected him council president. Padilla was not only the first Latino, but the youngest person ever elected city council president. He was unanimously re-elected twice and served as council president of America’s second largest city for 4 ½ years. He stepped down as council president on January 1, 2006 when he launched his campaign for the State Senate. Today he serves as a member of the board of trustees for the M.I.T. Corporation, the Institute’s governing body. Padilla also serves as President of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). From 2005 – 2006 he led California’s 478 cities as the first Latino President of the League of California Cities. His service with the League of California Cities provided him unique opportunities to participate in negotiations on statewide issues. He served as Chair of the Los Angeles Leadership Council of the American Diabetes Association from 2006-2007. A member of the Democratic Party, from Pacoima.