Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) was sworn in to represent California in the U.S. Senate for the 118th Congress.
He is the first Latino from California to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
"I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve the people of California in the United States Senate," Padilla said in a press release. "The promise of the American Dream is alive today as the first-generation son of a housekeeper and a short-order cook is sworn in to represent the largest state in the Union. For working families, for small business owners, for underserved communities, and for Californians of every race and creed from the most diverse state in the nation — I will continue fighting to keep that dream alive."
Padilla grew up in the San Fernando Valley and studied mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Padilla was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1999 and the California State Senate in 2006. As California’s Secretary of State, he oversaw a historic expansion of voting rights and voter participation.
Padilla lives in the San Fernando Valley with his wife, Angela, and their three sons.
