Candidate cites her legal background in council race
Magda Padilla is seeking election in District 4
Woodland resident Magda Padilla is making her first foray into local politics in seeking the 4th District position on the City Council.
Padilla is a legal analyst for the state Personnel Board, who reviews appeals, complaints and other documents to ensure compliancy with board regulations as well as legal research.
She is running against Victoria Fernandez, the mother of current Councilman Enrique Fernandez, who announced earlier that he is not seeking reelection after serv
ing four years.
The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3. Other council positions up for election include those in districts 2 and 5.
Padilla is a Woodland native, graduating from Woodland High and earning her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Sacramento State, she reports. Her parents immigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico to Yolo County in 1979, and worked in the fields as farmworkers.
“They established in me the value of hard work and dedication,” she reported. “This has propelled me to serve families, children, and our community.”
Padilla came in for criticism earlier this month from former Yolo County Superintendent of Schools Jesse Ortiz for not being
a resident of District until just before she filed to run for the council.
However, Padilla countered that she has lived in the District with her parents since 1990, when she was 7 years old, then moved to District 1 in 2015 when she bought her a townhome.
She moved into her new home on Molly Avenue — located in District 4 — only a few days before the filing period closed simply because it wasn’t finished due to construction delays.
Regardless, Padilla notes she has a background that covers law and criminal justice, which gives her experience of knowing the legal side of the council.
She reported working for the law offices of Steven Sabbadini in Woodland from 2013 to 2020 — when she joined the Personnel Board — a criminal defense, personal injury, probate and civil law firm. At Sabbadini she drafted
legal documents including correspondence, motions and dispositions as well as discovery documents and legal memoranda.
She also managed the firm’s website, filed documents and worked with clients, as well as providing bilingual services when need.
Before working for Sabbadini, Padilla worked from 2010 to 2013 for the Yolo County Probation Department as a detention officer, supervising and maintaining order for the juvenile population such as managing hostile and aggressive behavior and watching for changes in moods or attitudes.
She also has a background working for the Yolo County Libraries as a library assistant and kindergarten specialist, has served as president, treasurer and secretary for the Chandler Square Townehouses Homeowner’s Association, state Department
of Health and Human Services as a business analyst, and even as an office manager and funeral counselor for Kraft Bros. Funeral Directors.
Locally, Padilla was also served as treasurer during the political campaign of Deborah Bautista Zavala, when she ran for the Woodland School Board in 2018.
Additionally, Padilla served in 2019 as a member of the Woodland Community Service Awards, selecting individuals from the public for the Community Service Awards.
Padilla says if elected to the council, among her priorities will be dealing with health and housing during the coronavirus pandemic, addressing public safety, expanding services for the youth and elderly, looking for solutions to homelessness, and promoting social justice and equity.