Alex Padilla
DemocratU.S. Senator, CA| Age | 53 (b. 1973-03-22) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2021-01-20 (~5 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | Hispanic/Latino (Mexican descent) |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Education | San Fernando High School; B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 1994 |
| Prior occupation | Mechanical/software engineer (satellite systems at Hughes Aircraft); political campaign manager; assistant to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles (Pacoima neighborhood), California, USA |
| Languages | English, Spanish |
| Marital status | Married — Angela Monzon |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Porter Ranch, San Fernando Valley, California |
Pending research: notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 1999 |
| Previous offices | Los Angeles City Council member, 7th District (1999-2006) · President, Los Angeles City Council (2001-2006) · California State Senate, 20th District (2006-2014) · California Secretary of State (2015-2021) |
| Committees | Senate Committee on the Judiciary (Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Safety) · Senate Committee on the Budget · Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works · Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (Ranking Member) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Hispanic Caucus · Senate Cultural Caucus · Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus · Rare Disease Caucus |
| Leadership | Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (2025-present) · President, Los Angeles City Council (2001-2006) · Past President, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) |
| Party history | Registered as a Democrat in 1995, partly in response to California Proposition 187; no party switches reported |
| Ideology | Described by the Wall Street Journal as a business-friendly moderate; FiveThirtyEight classified him as a technocrat; reported to vote with President Biden's position close to 100% of the time |
| Signature legislation | California restaurant menu calorie-disclosure law (2008) · California plastic bag ban legislation (later Proposition 67, 2016) · Fix Our Forests Act (co-introduced, 2025) · Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act (co-introduced, 2026) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $-895,994–$-103,002 (2023) · estimate
| Bank of America deposit account | other · $250,001–$500,000 · 2023 |
| Target Date Fund 2035 | fund · $100,001–$250,000 · 2023 |
| iShares Gold Trust (IAU) | fund · $1,001–$15,000 · 2023 |
| JPMorgan Emerging Markets Equity Fund Class A (JFAMX) | fund · $1,001–$15,000 · 2023 |
Top donors: Hueston Hennigan LLP ($135,400 (2017-2022 cycle))
Top industries: Lawyers/Law Firms ($1,293,269, 2017-2022 cycle)
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.