The first Latino to represent California in the US Senate, Alex Padilla, says he is “a progressive problem solver”. In January 2021, he was named a senator to take over from then Vice President Kamala Harris.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Padilla “gave up a career in aerospace to enter politics at an early age”.

“Alex Padilla is a lifelong Californian. He was born and raised in the proud, working-class community of Pacoima, in the San Fernando Valley. Alex’s parents immigrated to Los Angeles from different parts of Mexico in the 1960s. Once in California, they met, fell in love, and applied for green cards”, according to official biography.

Padilla has studied Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and, after graduating, even though he was eager to start working in his chosen career, he ended up changing his plans. “A rising tide of anti-immigrant sentiment in California at the time drew Alex towards politics”. He knew he had to take a stand against cynical rhetoric demonizing people like his parents, friends, and neighbors. In 1994, Alex joined protests against California’s Proposition 187, “a ballot initiative proposed by anti-immigrant organizations, which restricted undocumented immigrants from the state’s public services, including access to public education and healthcare. In addition, the proposition directed teachers and healthcare professionals to report any individuals suspected of being undocumented to the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) or the California Attorney General”, according to Library of Congress.

According to his official biography, “in 1999, at the age of 26, Alex was elected to the Los Angeles City Council to represent the district where he grew up. In 2001, just two years later, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as President of the City Council—the youngest person in the city history and the first Latino in over 100 years to hold the position. Alex served as acting Mayor of Los Angeles during the aftermath of 9/11, leading the city through a time of heightened security and tensions. As a council member, he worked to create economic opportunity zones in his district and reduce crime through improved community-police relations”.

“In 2006, Alex was elected to California’s State Senate where, over the course of two terms, he became known as one of California’s most effective state legislators. […] For six years, he served as Chair of the State Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications. […] In 2014, Alex was elected California Secretary of State, the first Latino in the state history to serve in the office. As Secretary of State, he worked to make elections more accessible and inclusive while protecting the integrity of voting systems. Alex helped establish automatic and same-day voter registration, secured $500 million to upgrade California’s voting […]. Under Alex’s leadership, the state reached a record high number of more than 22 million Californians registered to vote and the highest percentage of eligible citizens registered to vote in 80 years”.

In 2017, Padilla rejected California voters' requests to have access to in-depth information by the Election fraud commission, created by Donald Trump, claiming breach of privacy.

“His first bill, the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, seeks to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who served as government-recognized essential workers in key sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also a member of the Senate Committees on Budget; Environment and Public Works; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Judiciary; and Rules”, according to his official biography.