ICYMI: Padilla Joins LA Times’ Making LA Podcast: “From Pacoima to Power”
What happens when a Pacoima kid turned MIT-trained engineer brings a wonk’s brain — and a line cook’s work ethic — into the halls of power?
Listen to the full podcast here
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) recently sat down for the inaugural episode of the LA Times’ Making LA Podcast to discuss his journey from growing up in Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley as the proud son of immigrants from Mexico to rising through Los Angeles and California politics to become the state’s senior U.S. Senator. The interview took place at the Discovery Cube in the San Fernando Valley, a hands-on children’s science museum Senator Padilla helped found.
Padilla walked through his family’s history, sharing that his dad spent 40 years as a short order cook while his mom cleaned houses to provide for their family. His parents emphasized the importance of a good education, and he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Padilla discussed his political rise beginning with serving as former Representative Tony Cárdenas’ campaign manager for his longshot State Assembly campaign in 1996, then becoming a member of the Los Angeles City Council in 1999, and serving as the youngest person ever elected as City Council President just two years later. As City Council President, Padilla was acting Mayor of Los Angeles during the September 11, 2001 attacks, reassuring the city as residents feared Los Angeles could be targeted next. Padilla also detailed his work in the State Senate — including successful bills to require restaurant chains to display nutrition and caloric information for their menu items and to transform the transfer process from community colleges to four-year universities — as well as expanding voting access and resisting Republicans’ attacks on the right to vote during his tenure as California’s Secretary of State.
Now serving as California’s senior U.S. Senator, Padilla reflected on being sworn in just two weeks after the January 6 insurrection. He emphasized that he continues to fight on behalf of his 40 million constituents and is working to convince others to join him to fight for climate resilience, voting rights, infrastructure investments, wildfire prevention and response, and comprehensive immigration reform. Padilla shared that behind closed doors, his Republican colleagues agree on the need to reform our outdated immigration system, and committed to keep fighting to pass his Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, his first bill introduced in Congress.
Listen to the full podcast here.
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