Alex Padilla to replace Vice President-elect
Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate, which will leave the chamber without a single Black woman as a member.
During a COVID-19 briefing Tuesday, Mayor Breed took questions following her update, and was asked about Governor
Gavin Newsom’sselection of Secretary Padilla, and specifically its effect on representation.
“What was your initial reaction to the governor appointing Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ US Senate seat?” asked
Stephanie Sierra of ABC7, adding “How do you feel about the fact that there are no Black women represented in the US Senate? Was this a missed opportunity?”
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I m honored and I m humbled, Padilla said. Can t tell you how many pancakes my dad flipped or eggs he scrambled trying to provide for us, or the many, many years of my mom cleaning houses, doing the same thing. That s why I try so hard to make sure that our democracy is as inclusive in California as we ve built.
Leaders from the Latino Community Foundation who rallied hard for a Latino or Latina pick, say Padilla s story is their story. He s going to take those experiences to Washington and make sure we get more than 600 bucks, in terms of a relief check and he s going to make sure when the vaccine is rolled out, it s rolled out with equity, said Christian Arana, a policy director at the foundation. We re just so glad Gov. Newsom made a historic pick because one of our own is going to the senate to fight not just for the Latino community but for all of us.
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Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | Sacramento, CA
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla responds to a question at a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Sacramento, Calif.
Rich Pedroncelli / AP Photo
Updated 5:31 p.m.
Gov. Gavin Newsom made two major appointments Tuesday, promoting diverse elected officials and reshaping state politics for years to come.
First, after months of speculation and fierce lobbying, he named Secretary of State Alex Padilla to the U.S. Senate seat soon to be vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Hours later, Newsom announced Assemblywoman Shirley Weber would, if approved by the Legislature, fill Padilla’s post as Secretary of State and become the first African-American in the job.