Alejandro Padilla
Born: March 22, 1973 (25)
District Director for State Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, D-Panorama City; Candidate for 7th Council District, City of Los Angeles
It’s a true Horatio Alger story, from son of poor immigrants to a rising political star, by way of MIT.
Padilla’s father, Santos, is a cook; his mother, Lupe, a housekeeper who cleans houses on the Westside. One of three children, Padilla left the Pacoima barrio where he was raised to study mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With degree in hand, Padilla went to work for Hughes Aircraft in Canoga Park, but wound up switching to a career in public service.
“When I was at Hughes, I remember driving to work and not feeling happy. I didn’t get the rewarding feeling I felt when I was tutoring high school kids or cleaning up graffiti-covered walls,” Padilla said. “Those are the things that really get my blood going.”
Padilla became a Coro Foundation fellow and interned for local politicos like former state Sen. Art Torres, who is now state Democratic Party chair. Perhaps seeing some of himself in the young Padilla (Torres first campaigned for office at age 25 and won his first election at 27), Torres appointed Padilla regional director for the successful statewide Democratic campaign effort last year.
“He doesn’t take himself too seriously,” Torres said. “He’s not arrogant and full of himself, like so many people with degrees from schools like MIT can be.”
After a brief stint with the San Fernando Valley regional office of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Padilla signed on as district director for state Assemblyman Tony Cardenas. He also helped run campaigns for Cardenas, L.A. City Councilman Richard Alarcon and Gilbert Cedillo.
When Cardenas bowed out of the race to replace Alarcon on the L.A. City Council, Padilla jumped in. His low-key style and numerous contacts quickly won him new friends in high places including Mayor Richard Riordan, local Democratic power broker William Wardlaw and the AFL-CIO.
“He went to MIT, so he understands the dynamics of capital and how it must move around,” said L.A. County Federation of Labor campaign coordinator Fabian Nu & #324;ez. “But when we put him before the workers to talk to them, he really glowed. He genuinely felt a connection. I think that’s because of where he came from.”
Even so, Padilla faces a tough challenge in the primary campaign, in part because of a recent falling out between two of his bosses, past and present, Alarcon and Cardenas. Alarcon, whose endorsement is widely viewed as critical, has endorsed Padilla’s opponent, attorney Corinne Sanchez.
Whatever the outcome of the council race, L.A. will be seeing a lot more of Padilla in the years to come.
Howard Fine
