Alex Padilla

Alejandro "Alex" Padilla (born March 22 1973) is a California State Senator. He was elected as the state senator for the 20th District of California in November 2006 and was inaugurated in early December. To take his senate seat, he had to resign as councilman for the 7th District on the Los Angeles City Council, a post he had held since 1999. He was council President from July 2001 through December 31, 2005. His predecessor on the city council, Richard Alarcón, won a special election on March 6, 2007, to succeed him.

Biography

Padilla grew up in the Pacoima section of Los Angeles and is a graduate of San Fernando High School in the northeast San Fernando Valley. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He has served as president of the League of California Cities and was both its youngest-ever president and the first Latino to lead the league. He currently serves as chair of the Los Angeles Leadership Council for the American Diabetes Association. Padilla previously was a staff member to United States Senator Dianne Feinstein and California State Assembly member Tony Cardenas.

Padilla was named one of America's "100 Most Influential Hispanics" by "Hispanic Business magazine".

City Council service

At 32, when his city council service ended, Padilla was not only its youngest member but also the longest serving at that time. As council president, he served as acting mayor of Los Angeles during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the days immediately afterward when the city of Los Angeles was on a heightened alert. He also led efforts to identify a site and funding for the new Mission Area Police Station, the first new police division for the Los Angeles Police Department in 27 years. As well, he spearheaded efforts to build the new $43 million Children's Museum of Los Angeles at Hansen Dam in the northeast San Fernando Valley.

External links

* [http://www.senate.ca.gov/padilla/ Official State Senate site]
* [http://www.padillaforsenate.com/ State Senate campaign website]
* [http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/6361 Padilla profile at JoinCalifornia.com]