Padilla, Alex, 1973-

Alex Padilla (born March 22, 1973) is an American politician and engineer serving as the junior United States senator from California since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Padilla served as the 32nd secretary of state of California from 2015 to 2021.

Born in Los Angeles, California and raised in the Pacoima neighborhood there, he graduated from San Fernando High School in the northeast San Fernando Valley before earning a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following graduation, Padilla returned to Pacoima and briefly worked as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft, where he wrote software for satellite systems. He entered politics as an aide to California Senator Dianne Feinstein before serving as a campaign manager for Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, and State Senator Richard Alarcon. On July 1, 1999, at age 26, Padilla was sworn in as a member of the Los Angeles City Council. Two years later, his colleagues elected him council president. Padilla was the first Latino and the youngest person elected president of the Los Angeles City Council. After retiring as president of the Los Angeles City Council, Padilla was elected to the State Senate in 2006.

Padilla served as California’s first Latino Secretary of State starting on January 5, 2015 and was re-elected in 2018, receiving the most votes of any Latino elected official in the United States. As Secretary of State, Padilla worked to make elections more accessible and inclusive, while fighting to protect the integrity of voting systems. In December 2020, following the election of California Senator Kamala Harris as Vice President, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he would appoint Padilla to her seat, making him California's first Hispanic senator; Harris swore Padilla into office on January 20, 2021. As California's junior U.S. Senator, Padilla serves as Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety. He also serves as a member of the Senate Committees on Budget, Environment and Public Works, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Judiciary, and Rules.