California governor picks election chief Padilla to fill Kamala Harris’ Senate seat
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla will be the state s first Latino senator, giving a new level of representation to the demographic group that makes up nearly 40% of the state s population.
By KATHLEEN RONAYNEAssociated Press
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California Secretary of State Alex Padilla talks during a news conference in January 2019, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File
SACRAMENTO, Calif. California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Tuesday as the state’s next U.S. senator to fill the seat being vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
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Padilla will be California s first Latino senator, giving a new level of representation to the demographic group that makes up nearly 40 percent of the state s population.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Tuesday as the state s next U.S. senator to fill the seat being vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
The child of Mexican immigrants, Padilla will be California s first Latino senator, giving a new level of representation to the demographic group that makes up nearly 40 percent of the state s population. Through his tenacity, integrity, smarts and grit, California is gaining a tested fighter in their corner who will be a fierce ally in D.C., lifting up our state s values and making sure we secure the critical resources to emerge stronger from this pandemic, Newsom said in a statement.
Early life
He often said his upbringing there had a major influence on his life.
Engineer
Padilla was trained as an engineer at MIT and then returned home to write software for satellites at Hughes Aircraft. But politics beckoned at an early age.
City Council
At 22, he ran the successful Assembly campaign of Tony Cardenas, then a little-known owner of a real estate agency. Cardenas is now a congressman representing the San Fernando Valley. Padilla later managed the bare-knuckled 1998 campaign that propelled Richard Alarcon into a state Senate seat by a mere 29 votes.
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In 1999, Padilla jumped into the race for Alarcon’s former council seat. He was barely known outside political circles, but he put together a potent cadre of backers, including labor unions and then-L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan. Padilla won by a landslide.