Written by Shaina Hall
Alex Padilla has made history as being the first Latino senator in California, a state with the highest Latino population in the country. In addition to historic moments, he was sworn in by our newly elected Vice-President Kamala Harris, the second Black woman and first South Asian to serve in the Senate, on Inauguration Day.
Senator Padilla had a humble upbringing, and was raised by Mexican working-class parents who emigrated to the United States. Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, his childhood was surrounded by violence and gang activity. “Going to sleep to the sound of police helicopters was not uncommon,” said Senator Padilla in a brief online biography. “It was the conditions in my neighborhood growing up and the feeling that the Northeast San Fernando Valley wasn’t adequately served by government that awakened my interest in political activism.”
As a teenager, his spark for political activism shifted into environmental justice when he participated in protests calling for the closure of a nearby landfill. After completing his education with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at MIT, he was elected to the L.A. City Council at just 26 years old. He later became the youngest elected President of the organization. Continuing his political career, he served as acting LA Mayor during 9/11, and was later elected to become the president of the League of California Cities. He was later elected to State Senate in 2006, where he chaired the state Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications.
As a CA State Senator, Padilla had an 8-year EnviroVoters lifetime score of 92%, including a 100% score in 2013. Although not famously known for it, he was a reliable environmental voter and an effective leader in a number of key areas. He authored numerous bills, such as SB 405 and SB 270. The latter bill became California’s statewide plastic bag phase out bill. Additionally, he authored and passed SB 407, a bill that required all commercial and residential properties in California meet new high efficiency water standards. In turn, it was estimated to result in a 35% reduction per capita water usage by 2019. Moreover, he authored and passed SB 836. This legislation focused on requiring cost and cost savings transparency around renewable contracts that help reduce renewable energy costs for ratepayers.
A true climate champion, he was opposed to the expansion of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills, along with the Bradley Landfill and the Lopez Canyon Landfills. These landfills are known to have a disproportionately negative impact on lower-income communities of color. Coming from a lower-income community himself, Padilla has been known to prioritize them as such.
A man of “firsts,” he authored the motion that created the first-ever Environmental Justice Zone in the City of LA in Sun Valley. As an EJ Zone, Sun Valley was designated as an area with a high concentration of existing industrial solid waste and recycling facilities. As Council President, he created the first-ever Ad Hoc Committee on the LA River.
Senator Padilla was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom on December 22, 2020. “We couldn’t be happier with this pick,” said Mary Creasman, CEO of the California Environmental Voters. “The senator has a long history on leading around climate, environmental justice, climate justice, both on the city council in LA, as a state senator, and then as an organization who sees a full and powerful democracy as key to solving the climate crisis as our secretary of state,” Creasman told E&E News last week. “He’s really somebody who’s grown up in a community that is on the front lines of the climate crisis.”
With less than 10 years to solve our climate crisis, we feel a little more hopeful knowing Senator Padilla will fight hard to protect our future. He has big shoes to fill, and we look forward to him picking up right where VP Harris left off- pushing bold legislation to protect California’s land and waters. We hope Senator Padilla’s leadership in the Senate restores national faith in the possibility of a green and just future.
