In an historic political appointment by California Governor Gavin Newsom, Alex Padilla has been selected as California’s First Latino U.S. Senator-designate, taking Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris’ Congressional seat. The 47-year-old Padilla is the son of Mexican immigrants who came to the United States and worked as a cook and a housekeeper.
Padilla began his political career and activism as a member of the Democratic party in response to California’s Proposition 187, which excluded illegal immigrants from all non-emergency public services, including public education. After graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, Padilla climbed the political ladder as Los Angeles city councilmember, State Senator, and most recently, Secretary of State. He was also the President of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed (NALEO), which has a membership of more than 6,000 Latino officials in the United States.
The Shulman Law Group congratulates Padilla on his momentous appointment as it provides a critically important level of representation to Latinos, who make up California’s single largest demographic group, accounting for approximately 40% of the population. Immigration Law Firm founder Edward Shulman states “Padilla’s background history of working for and representing the immigrant community will be particularly helpful in Congress and, as Immigration advocates, we look forward to his support of necessary pro-immigrant legislation.”