Alejandro “Alex” Padilla is an American politician of Mexican descent. He is the first Latino person to represent California in the United States senate.
Padilla and his wife Angela Padilla have three children. Here are 13 more things about him:
- He was born in Los Angeles, California in 1973 to Santos Padilla and Lupe Padilla, who are both from Mexico.
- He grew up in Pacoima, Los Angeles and attended San Fernando High School in Pacoima.
- In 1994, he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
- After graduating from the MIT, he worked as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft in Southern California and received leadership and public affairs training in the Coro Fellows Program.
- In 1995, he became a member of the Democratic Party. He served as a personal assistant to Democrats Tony Cardenas in 1996, Gil Cedillo in 1997 and Richard Alarcon in 1998.
- From July 1, 1999 to December 4, 2006, he was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from the seventh district.
- On July 4, 2001, he was elected Los Angeles City Council president, making him the first Latino and youngest person to hold the position. He also became the first Latino president of the California League of Cities.
- On September 11, 2001, he was the acting mayor of Los Angeles.
- From December 4, 2006 to November 30, 2014, he was a member of the California State Senate from the 20th district.
- From 2010 to 2015, he was a member of the MIT Corporation board of trustees.
- On January 5, 2015, he was sworn in as the 32nd California secretary of state.
- On December 22, 2020, 40th California governor Gavin Newsom selected him as the replacement of Kamala Harris in the U.S. senate after she assumes office as the 49th U.S. vice president on January 20, 2021.
- He is a former president of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
