5 things to know about California’s new Senator Padilla.
Newsom’s selection to fill Harris’s Senate seat must deal with COVID-19 pandemic, unstable economy
As Vice President-elect Kamala Harris resigned from her Senate seat Monday ahead of Wednesday’s inauguration, California’s next senator headed to Capitol Hill during one of the most tumultuous transitions in U.S history.
Outgoing Secretary of State Alex Padilla, 47, will become California’s first Latinx senator. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him to fill the rest of Harris’s term, and Padilla has said he plans to run for a full term in 2022.
Here are five things to know about the man set to represent the Golden State in the upper chamber of Congress:
Immigrant son
Padilla’s parents immigrated to California from Mexico, ultimately settling in Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley north of downtown Los Angeles. His father worked as a cook while his mother cleaned houses. Padilla, who attended public schools growing up, graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering before returning to California and taking a job with Hughes Aircraft. A short time later, he made the move to politics.
Padilla, who is fluent in Spanish, spoke when he was chosen to be the next senator about how the coronavirus has laid bare the gaps between families who have the ability to maintain financial stability by working remotely and those who do not.
“All of that is not lost on me, because I can relate,” he said, adding that he will draw on his upbringing as a senator.
“As I prepare to enter the
United States Senate, I will carry on the mission of building a more inclusive democracy and economy for all,” Padilla said in a statement Monday.
Public service career
Padilla’s first job in politics actually came from the woman he will serve with: Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Padilla worked as an aide to the senior senator from California after leaving aerospace engineering.
Beginning in 1999 at just 26 years of age, Padilla won a seat on the Los Angeles City Council, where he served as the youngest and first Latinx council president. In 2005, he became president of the League of California Cities, which works to influence policy decisions in
Sacramento and Washington, D.C., that affect cities.
He has served as California’s secretary of state since 2015. In 2020, he oversaw a massive expansion of mail-in voting amid the ongoing pandemic. Before his current role, Padilla served in the state Senate from 2006-2014, where he authored legislation to make the process of transferring from community college to the California State University system easier and pushed for policies to reduce climate change and pollution.
But being a senator from the most populous state in the union will be his biggest job yet.
“It’s an enormous transition for him,” said Bill Carrick, a longtime Feinstein strategist, adding that in addition to getting an office up and running at such a busy time, he’ll have to secure committee assignments, which will shape
the work he’s able to do as a lawmaker.
COVID-19 priority
Padilla is certain to carve out his own agenda — one that is distinct from Harris’s and Feinstein’s. But he has repeatedly said that his first order of business will be to help get the coronavirus pandemic under control from both a health and economic standpoint. What he focuses on after that remains to be seen, but he is widely considered to be a moderate, establishment choice.
“I think he’ll focus on economics and health, and obviously there’s going to be a lot of clean up on immigration that’s going to have to go on,” Carrick said.
But, the longtime Democratic strategist cautioned, Padilla will have to be ready to pivot as soon as another wildfire or major disaster strikes the state,
which has happened increasingly frequently and with more ferocity in recent years.
Pick was scrutinized
When President-elect Joe Biden announced Harris as his choice to become vice president, speculation immediately began swirling about who would become California’s next senator. Within days, Newsom was facing intense pressure from various groups — to pick a woman, to pick a Black person, to pick a Latinx senator.
Since Harris was just the second Black woman elected to the Senate, some advocacy groups said it was incumbent upon Newsom to pick another Black woman.
Rep. Karen Bass’s name surfaced, along with Rep. Barbara Lee. In the end, Newsom chose Padilla, who, critics argue, has not been as vocal or progressive
on issues like criminal justice reform. To win a full term in 2022, Padilla will likely need to win over some of his skeptics.
“It’s so unbelievably complex,” Carrick said, of winning re-election and fighting off hungry challengers. “We have a lot of pent up ambition in this state.”
It’s too early to tell whether Padilla can hold onto the seat, Carrick said. But one thing is certain: “He’s going to have to raise a hell of a lot of money fast.”
More appointments
Padilla is just one of Newsom’s appointments. The governor appointed state Assemblymember Shirley Weber to fill the secretary of state position Padilla leaves vacant. And with Attorney General Xavier Becerra set to leave his position to become the head of the Department of Health and Human Services
under Biden, Newsom has an opportunity to appoint someone to be California’s top cop. The governor hasn’t announced his choice yet, but several people with Bay Area ties — including Reps. Eric Swalwell and Ro Khanna — have surfaced as possibilities.
Newsom said Monday it was fitting that Padilla and Weber took their new offices on the day we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“These appointments are only possible because of the trailblazing leadership of my dear friend and California’s own Kamala Harris, who will move on from the Senate to make history by becoming the first African American and woman to serve as Vice President of the United States,” he said. “This is a proud day for California.”