Goodbye Kamala Harris, hello Alex Padilla
By Auden Koetters, Copy Editor
On Jan. 18, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed former Secretary of State Alex Padilla to serve as the Junior U.S. Senator from California. As he joins the Senate, Padilla replaces Kamala Harris who resigned from her senate seat in order to become Vice President. Whether it be a new senator or stock market explosion, 2021 has been a year filled with changes. Despite size, national or personal, these shifts ripple throughout the country developing a new era.
Padilla’s parents both immigrated from Mexico to California, where Padilla grew up in the working class community of Pacoima and graduated from San Fernando Senior High School. After this, Padilla attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he studied mechanical engineering. Such a field of study is not often associated with a Democratic Party member, and until 1994 Padilla himself had no intention of becoming involved in politics. During the 1994 general elections Proposition 187, a measure to exclude undocumented immigrants from all non-emergency public services, was on the ballot. Padilla said the naked nativism of such a campaign drew him to Democratic Party activism.
“I had to get involved so that families like mine, communities like mine, would not continue to be scapegoated or targeted” Padilla said in an interview with CalMatters in 2018.
Padilla began his political career outside of the spotlight, he befriended up-and-coming legislators and served as an aide to Sen. Dianne Feinstein. In 1998, Padilla was elected to the Los Angeles City Council and two years later, at the age of 28, became the youngest City Council President in Los Angeles History. Padilla was elected to the state senate in 2006 and ran successfully for Secretary of State in 2014.
As Secretary of State, Padilla played an incremental role in increasing voting access. He automatically registered eligible adults to vote when they apply for a driver’s license, and allowed 16 and 17 year olds to pre-register to vote. The president of Youth and Government Santa Monica delegation, Anya Bardach (’21), reflects on Padilla’s efforts to increase voting access.
“When you take into account that lack of access to voting, voting education and voting registration is especially low in minority communities, you can start to see why Padilla’s work is so important. He and others’ work to pre-register youth will also hopefully ensure our generation is aware of the importance of voting and becomes one of regular voters” Bardach said.
According to Padilla, there is no time to waste with the COVID-19 response. As senator he hopes to ensure a safe and equitable distribution of vaccines, as well as help repair the economic damage caused by the virus. In the past, Padilla’s actions, such as outlawing single use plastic bags and expressing favour of universal healthcare, have aligned with many Democratic Party goals; although, he has not yet released an official statement outlining the things he will work towards in office.
On Feb. 14, Padilla announced that he would serve as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety. As chairman, Padilla wants to restore humanity, dignity and respect to the immigration process through reform. He aims to address the needs of immigrant communities not only in California, but across the country. Padilla plans to achieve this goal by reunifying families, fixing the U.S. asylum system, streamlining the process for legal immigration and building a viable route to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who live in America. Principal Antonio Shelton speaks to the importance of Padilla’s appointment.
“With the Latino, Latina, or Latinx, or Hispanic population that exists here in California, it warrants having representation at the federal level. For this state, it's obviously necessary, it's time” Shelton said.
Shelton further conveyed the integral role Latinx students played as part of the Samo community, noting they made up between 30 and 40 percent of Samo students. He feels as though, despite making up the largest racial/ethinc group in California, 38.1 percent of the population, Latinx have lacked proper representation in government. Some students feel Padilla’s appointment reflects a major shift in the U.S. and hope Sen. Padilla will not only serve as a role model for the Latinx community at Samo, but will also provide hope to all Samo students that a better future is to come.
