Growing up, Senator Alex Padilla grew accustomed to the sounds of gunfire in his Los Angeles neighborhood on an almost daily basis. He turned an early passion for social justice into an impressive decades-long political career that has always been rooted in giving back to others and improving the lives of Californians. After his election to the Los Angeles City Council in 1999 at the age of 26, Senator Padilla would go on to serve as the youngest and first Latino council president in its history, while also briefly serving as the city’s acting mayor. He was later elected to the California State Senate in 2006, became California’s secretary of state in 2015, and was appointed to the United States Senate in 2021 to fill the seat formerly held by Vice President Kamala Harris.
 
In each of his roles, Senator Padilla has fought to keep communities across his state safe from the life-threatening impacts of gun violence. In the California State Senate, Senator Padilla helped to pass commonsense gun safety reforms, including improving the ability to track stolen guns and stopping felons from possessing body armor. During his short time in the US Senate, Senator Padilla has become a prominent voice on the issue of gun violence prevention as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. His support for legislation like the Background Check Expansion Act and the Break the Cycle of Violence Act, which would increase funding for community violence intervention programs, has been vitally important to helping shape a gun safety agenda that has the potential to bring about real change.

We are proud to endorse Alex Padilla for the US Senate.