Alex Sen PADILLA 2 100%
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comm cause town hall took no questions 7 25
aipac?
clihawk premature? 1/21 sworn in
see Sos
backs democ 4 all
XITTER YOUTUBE 
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10 26 john f says revisit after midterm; we met w/ staff?
mta email 1 26
january 16, 2026
WATCH: On Senate Floor, Kelly Leads Colleagues in Marking 16 Years Since Citizens United Ruling, Highlighting Impact of Big Money in Politics on Working Families
*“The loudest voices in Washington became billionaires, not every day Americans.”
In case you missed it, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly led a series of floor speeches with his colleagues marking the 16th ^anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision, which opened the floodgates for big, dark money in our politics.
In their remarks, Kelly and his colleagues connected the rise of dark money and super PAC spending to real-world consequences for Americans, highlighting how unlimited corporate and billionaire spending has warped priorities in Washington and driven up costs for working families, underscoring the need to restore accountability and transparency so that our democracy answers to voters—not special interests.
*Sen. Kelly speaks on Senate floor.
Watch Kelly’s full speech here. See key excepts from Kelly and his colleagues below:
*Sen. Kelly: “In 2010, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that put a ‘for sale’ sign on our democracy. The Citizens United ruling opened the door for corporations and billionaires to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence our elections, often without the public ever knowing who’s behind it. The Court decided that spending money in elections is the same as political speech, and that corporations should have the same political rights as individual Americans. The result was predictable – and it wasn’t limited to a courtroom. It changed how this place works. The loudest voices in Washington became billionaires, not every day Americans.
*Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI): “I was here before the Citizens United decision. When robust meaningful bipartisan climate legislation was constant here in the Senate. I can think of four major bipartisan bills here in the Senate. And I remember my friend, John McCain, carrying the Republican banner into the presidential election with a respectable climate platform. Well, right after Citizens United, all of that stopped. The barrage of fossil fuel dark money into our politics killed bipartisanship on climate change instantly. It is still a problem today.”
*Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR): “The growth in dark money has been stunning because there’s so much money among the oligarchs and billionaires, they want to spend it to create laws that favor the oligarchs and billionaires and they are spending at an extraordinary rate. Six years ago, it was about $300 million, but according to the Brennan Center […] dark money hit a record high of $1.9 billion in the 2024 races. That’s a six-fold increase in six years. That’s the rich and powerful buying their government. It is an absolute travesty. No one in our founding community of our nation who wrote the Declaration of Independence, who wrote the Constitution, wanted to design a system where the mega rich ran the place as a cabal of elites. But that’s what we have and that’s what we have to change.”
*Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): “In the 2024 elections, secret money groups spent $1.9 billion – nearly double the amount spent just one cycle before. This undermines our democracy and shakes the public’s trust because unlimited, anonymous spending in our elections doesn’t encourage free speech – it drowns out the voices of American people who are seeking to participate. We must fight for a more transparent democracy where every voter’s voice is heard.”
*Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ): “We live in the time of the greatest distrust in modern history. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can have a politics that restores and grows trust, instead of actively degrading it. This year is the 250th anniversary of the independence of our nation. This is our moment to free Americans from the influence of big money and give them their voice back in their democracy.”
*Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ): “Since the Citizens United decision, I have watched how this body has seen clearly corrupt forces beginning to overrun the commonsense and the will of the people and policy, more and more be bent to the whim and the will of the wealthiest of the wealthy in our country, in the world, as well as corporations, many of them multinational corporations. We are in crisis. Our nation is in crisis. […] Trust is vital for a democracy to thrive. And there has been nothing more powerful in undermining that trust in the years I’ve been in the Senate that I’ve seen than the destructive force of money in our politics.”
*Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): “Under the current system that’s described by my colleagues on the floor, there is so much entrenched money that they virtually control the agenda and scare the living hell out of average individuals who don’t have a fortune to spend. And that’s the reality of what we face.”
*Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): “Individuals today make up to 16% of total spending in elections. 16%. 84% of all the spending in elections today are not done by citizens. 84% of spending are corporations and organizations. Much of that money is anonymous. You have no idea where that comes from. Let me tell you what the impact of that. The impact is corruption. Let’s just call it what it is.”
*Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA): “Citizens United didn’t just change campaign finance law — it fundamentally altered our democracy. It was the moment where the voices of everyday Americans began to be drowned out by a small and powerful few, armed with unlimited money and unprecedented access. As Trump completely sidelines the Federal Election Commission — our country’s top campaign finance watchdog — we are entering a midterm election season with unlimited money allowed in our elections and a President who has regularly used the powers of the office to benefit his billionaire donors. I will continue to push my colleagues to enact legislation to overturn Citizens United so that our elections reflect the will of the people instead of corporations and the highest bidder.”
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2 atty mtg, scheduler got bios 8 23
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OMG 6 25
"Sen. Alex Padilla is forcibly removed from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's news conference in Los Angeles," NBC News, June 12, 2025
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AN 6 25
On Thursday, June 12, many Democrats — and quite a few Never Trump conservatives as well — were horrified when Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) was physically removed from a briefing by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Although Padilla was not threatening in any way, he was thrown to the ground and handcuffed. Padilla, however, was released and is not facing any charges.
After the incident, Padilla commented that if MAGA Republicans are willing to treat a U.S. senator that way, imagine the fear that farm workers are feeling as the Trump Administration carries out aggressive deportation raids.
The incident with Padilla comes during a time of considerable tension in the United States, from the ongoing protests in Downtown Los Angeles to the military/birthday parade President Donald Trump is planning in Washington, DC on Saturday, June 14. Countless "No Kings" demonstrations in opposition to the parade and Trump's policies will be held in cities all over the United States.
READ MORE:'I have to go through hell': Trump complains about 'No Kings' protests during his parade
During a
presidential historian Jon Meacham pointed to the treatment of Padilla as a prime example of why so many Americans are feeling a sense of "menace' during Trump's second presidency.
[VID]
Meacham told MSNBC's Willie Geist, his colleague Katty Kay and Never Trump conservative David French (who was also featured as a guest), "It is a real tactile sense of menace in the country…. The last time it was this bad — not to shake everybody's Friday morning even more than it's already shaken given what's going on — was the pre-Civil War period. You had an extraordinary amount of political violence. And we know how the 1850s turned out. And so, there are signs of a deeper condition within the country — which is a fraying, I believe, of a kind of consensus not about policy, but about politics not as total war, but as a mediation of differences."
The historian addressed fears of growing political unrest in the U.S.
Meacham told the panel, "That's what a democracy, that's what a constitutional system should be. And the prevalence of violence is politically useful for, in this case, the (Trump) Administration, and very dangerous."
READ MORE:'Scams, corruption and cover-ups': Republicans just declared 'open season for wealthy tax cheats'
*Watch the full video below or at this link.
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february 3, 2025
Padilla, Schiff, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats Demand Answers From Trump Administration on Purging of DOJ and FBI Officials
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) joined U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and all other Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in demanding answers from Trump Administration nominees and acting officials on the removal or reassignment of career law enforcement officials across the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Last week, the Trump Administration reportedly purged dozens of DOJ and FBI officials involved in prosecuting Donald Trump and the January 6 rioters, and they are now threatening additional action against thousands of employees across the country who worked on investigations related to the attack on the Capitol. The Senators wrote to Pam Bondi, President Trump’s nominee to be the Attorney General of DOJ; Kash Patel, nominee to be the Director of the FBI; Todd Blanche, nominee to be Deputy Attorney General; Acting Attorney General James McHenry; and Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll regarding the mass purging.
“We have grave concerns about the removal or reassignment across the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of senior career civil servants who have served honorably under multiple administrations, regardless of the President’s party,” wrote the Senators.“The removals and reassignments from their positions of a significant number of experienced, nonpartisan Department officials with invaluable national security expertise without any comparable replacements one day into the second Trump Administration presents an alarming threat to national security.”
“As America faces a heightened threat landscape, these shocking removals and reassignments deprive DOJ and the FBI of experienced, senior leadership and decades of experience fighting violent crime, espionage, and terrorism,” continued the Senators.“As the FBI Agents Association stated in response to reports about the removal of FBI officials: ‘Dismissing potentially hundreds of Agents would severely weaken the Bureau’s ability to protect the country from national security and criminal threats and will ultimately risk setting up the Bureau and its new leadership for failure.’
Moreover, the firing of dozens of federal prosecutors and hundreds of agents will cripple FBI field offices and U.S. Attorney’s offices across the country. We can only assume these decisions are intended to prevent the Department from investigating national security and public corruption, while also serving as political retribution against the President’s perceived enemies and stoking fear among the dedicated and talented workforce in our nation’s premier law enforcement agency.”
As many as 20 senior DOJ officials were reassigned or removed, including the veteran career deputy assistant attorneys general in the Department’s National Security Division.
Over the weekend, thousands of FBI personnel across the country were asked to complete a questionnaire by today, Monday, February 3, at 3 p.m. The survey asks for their job title, whether they worked on a case related to the January 6th attack on the Capitol, “if they were involved in the arrest of a Jan. 6 suspect, if they testified at a trial, if they interviewed witnesses, if they conducted surveillance on suspects and more.” It has also been reported that the Acting FBI Director is being advised by an advisory committee comprised of partisan political operators, including an Elon Musk affiliate. This is a stark departure from the longstanding tradition that the FBI Director is the only political appointee in the Bureau.
The purge of experienced career prosecutors and agents has recently expanded to include the removal or forced retirement of all six executive assistant directors (EADs), including the EADs who oversee the National Security Branch, Intelligence Branch, and the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. It also includes the assistant Directors and the Special Agents in charge of at least four major field offices. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered these actions in a January 31, 2025 memo, stating, “I do not believe the current leadership of the Justice Department can trust these FBI employees to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully.”
Additionally, over a dozen senior DOJ prosecutors were fired after receiving memos from Acting Attorney General McHenry, stating “Given your significant role in prosecuting the President, I do not believe that the leadership of the Department can trust you to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully.”
The Senators emphasized that the Senate Judiciary Committee has a constitutional obligation to perform oversight over the Department and its components, and to provide advice and consent on the nominations of officers to lead it. To that end, they requested information to be returned to the committee in response to the removal of FBI and DOJ officials. They also requested answers from these individuals about their involvement.
In addition to Senators Padilla, Schiff, and Durbin, the letters were signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
Full text of the letter to Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi is available here.
Full text of the letter to FBI Director nominee Kash Patel is available here.
Full text of the letter to Deputy Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche is available here.
Full text of the letter to Acting Attorney General McHenry and Acting FBI Director Driscoll is available here.
===
demdocket
One by one, Democratic senators took to the floor of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday evening — through the night and well into Thursday morning — to vehemently voice their opposition to Russell Vought, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
The nearly 30-hour feat was to delay and protest Vought’s inevitable confirmation vote. Without their majority, there’s little Democrats can do to block any of Trump’s nominees, other than sway at least three Republican senators away from voting to confirm. Instead, they used up every minute of the allotted 30 hours of debate to push back the vote.
“If Russell Vought is confirmed to lead the Office of Management and Budget, it will be working families in America that pay the price,” Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Ca.) said during his time on the Senate floor Wednesday night. “If he’s confirmed he’ll work to slash the social safety net, threaten Medicaid and SNAP benefits and to balance the budget on the backs of our most vulnerable neighbors. All in service of cutting taxes for billionaires and large corporations.”
Vought is a longtime political analyst who previously served as the director of OMB for a brief period at the tail end of the first Trump administration. Since then, however, Vought became notorious for being one of the lead writers and architects of Project 2025 — the Heritage Foundation’s detailed blueprint to shift the next conservative administration into an authoritarian government.
Throughout the 2024 election campaign, Trump repeatedly distanced himself from Project 2025, even posting on his TruthSocial platform that he has “no idea who is behind it.”
“I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal,” he wrote. “Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”
But since he returned to the White House Jan. 20, Trump has followed the Project 2025 playbook almost exactly as it was written, with a barrage of legally questionable executive orders to roll back civil rights and protections.
“The document laid out our Republican plans to reshape our country if they gained control,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on the Senate floor Wednesday night. “He is putting the head writer of the plan that you had only read about in nightmares in a key government position.”
In summary
Gov. Newsom’s chosen successor to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is a tech-minded voting rights booster, a Latino who came of age during the nativist political upheaval of the 1990s and a longtime Newsom loyalist.
*Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State.
After Joe Biden picked Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate in August, the parlor game of choice for California’s most politically plugged-in was: Who will Gov. Gavin Newsom pick to fill her vacant Senate seat?
Alex Padilla — California’s secretary of state, a Democrat from Pacoima, loyal Newsom ally and a Latino in a state that has never had a member of that largest ethnic group serve as senator — was a top pick among the predictions of insiders. The governor announced his choice in late December and made the appointment official today.
But for many Californians — perhaps the majority — Padilla’s appointment is likely to elicit more curiosity than self-congratulation, less “I knew it” and more “who knew?”
If you’re acquainting yourself with Padilla for the first time, here are a few takeaways from his California CV.
- California’s #1 turnout booster
Like surfing, Silicon Valley and unaffordable housing, California has made easy access to the ballot box its calling card. While many GOP-run states have embraced voter ID requirements and have balked at the prospect of sending ballots by mail, we’ve gone in the opposite direction.
Padilla can take credit for a lot of that.
Consider these recent changes to the state’s voting rules:
- Eligible adults are automatically registered to vote when they apply for a driver’s license — though California’s new motor voter program hit a few speed bumps along the way
- 16- and 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote, ensuring that they are automatically added to the voter rolls when they turn 18
- If a registered voter’s official signature doesn’t match the one they put on their mail-in ballot envelope, counties are now required to give them the opportunity to try again
- Before the pandemic made it a statewide practice, over a dozen counties sent ballots to every active, registered voter — whether they signed up to vote by mail or not
- California’s 2020 primary was bumped up from June to March, giving the state’s voters an earlier say in this year’s presidential contest
All of that is the result of legislation sponsored by Padilla. And as head of the national coalition of Democratic state election administrators, he has also been one of the most prominent evangelists for California’s election model on the national stage.
- Leaving behind an ethically dicey $35 million bill
With mammoth turnout expected in an election like no other, staff inside the Secretary of State’s office spent the summer of 2020 scrambling to inform voters about the what, when, where and how of voting.
That’s why they inked a contract in September with the political consulting firm, SKDKnickerbocker, to run a statewide PR campaign [calledVOTESAFE The total tab: $35 million.
That contract got Padilla into hot water with Republicans. SKDKnickerbocker has longstanding ties to the Democratic Party and was a client of president-elect Joe Biden, then a candidate in the election the firm had been hired to promote. GOP members of Congress launched an investigation and the conservative Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association took Padilla to court.
As CalMatters reported, the contract also didn’t go over well with the state’s Democratic controller, Betty Yee, who is responsible for approving all state government payments. According to Yee’s staff, Padilla’s office planned to draw the necessary $35 million from a pot of cash that was supposed to fund county government voter outreach operations. In a letter Padlla wrote to Yee, he argued that the SKDKnickerbocker campaign was being conducted “on behalf of counties.”
It’s unclear who will ultimately be left holding the bag.
- Patron saint of tote bags
Padilla hasn’t just changed the way Californians vote. As a state Senator, he’s changed the way we shop too.
In 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown signed what was arguably the most controversial bill of Padilla’s eight-year legislative tenure, outlawing single-use plastic bags at grocery stores.
The statewide ban wasn’t enacted without a fight. Padilla drew flack from fellow Los Angeles Democrats who worried the bill would harm a major plastic bag manufacturer south of downtown.
Conservative critics piled on, both in California and nationally, highlighting Padilla’s effort as a measure par excellence of California nanny statism. The Pacoima senator made an easy target for the libertarian critique. Prior legislative efforts of his included a successful bill to force chain restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus and an unsuccessful one to ban the sale of tobacco products near schools.
Padilla brushed off the concerns about the bag ban during a speech on the Senate floor in 2014.
When local governments have introduced plastic bag bans, he said, “the sky does not fall and consumers adapt and life goes on.”
Even after the bill was signed — two years after it was first introduced — it didn’t become law immediately. In 2016, plastic bag manufacturers took to the ballot to override Padilla’s ban. But that campaign failed. The cloth bags you might store in your closet or in the trunk of your car are testament to that and to Padilla’s work.
- The first senator of Generation 187
Like an entire generation of young Latinos, including former Senate leader Kevin De León, Padilla insists he had no intention of getting involved in politics until 1994.
That year, Proposition 187 was on the ballot, a measure to exclude undocumented immigrants from all non-emergency public services, including public education.
Padilla said it was the naked nativism of that campaign — and of Gov. Pete Wilson’s, who was running for re-election as a supporter of 187 — that drew him to Demoratic party activism. The son of Mexican immigrants who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, Padilla told CalMatters in 2018 that he felt that he “had to get involved so that families like mine, communities like mine, would not continue to be scapegoated or targeted.”
Padilla was in early 20’s at the time. Fresh out of college with a big ticket bachelor’s degree, his parents were not immediately on board with his turn to politics. As he recalled it: “Wait a minute, four years of MIT engineering school…for what?”
He started behind the scenes. He worked the campaigns and made friends with up-and-coming members of the Legislature, including Tony Cárdenas, now a congressman. He served as an aide to Sen. Dianne Feinstein. In 1998, he finally ran for a seat of his own and a year later, at 26, he was elected to the Los Angeles City Council. At 28, he became the council’s youngest president — a feat not just for Padilla, but for the growing coalition of Latino Democrats in the valley’s northeast.
On the Los Angeles City Council, Padilla had a knack for bringing “consensus and calm and peace,” said Harvey Englander, a longtime lobbyist and public affairs consultant in Los Angeles. “It’s not that he didn’t make waves but he didn’t make enemies.”
Now, a quarter century after California voters passed Prop. 187, Padilla is becoming the state’s first Latino U.S. senator.
- A friend of Newsom’s
Padilla’s alliance with Newsom began as a marriage of convenience.
When Newsom announced his bid to run for governor in 2010, challenging the elder statesman and front runner Jerry Brown, the San Francisco mayor knew he needed to make inroads in southern California — particularly with Latino voters.
And so the gubernatorial hopeful picked Padilla, a newly elected state senator and a rising star in the party, to help him do just that.
Newsom’s bid was a long shot that predictably failed. He dropped his campaign before Brown even officially announced his own run, opting instead to campaign for lieutenant governor. But Newsom was a rising star in his own right and Padilla’s early support gave the young senator a prominent role in a statewide campaign. It also earned him an ally on the rise.
In 2017, when Newsom decided to run for governor again, Padilla once again offered his endorsement, supporting the lieutenant governor over Antonio Villaraigosa, who had served as Los Angeles mayor when Padilla was on the council.
That loyalty seems to have paid off.
===
counsel Am immigration ia]
Washington, DC. 20510 (202) 224-6991: alyson_sincavage@judiciary-dem.senate.gov:
| Alex Padilla (**D**-CA) | 04/01/22 | 09/30/22 | Chief Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $153,911.48*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$40,916.62 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Judiciary Committee | 04/01/22 | 09/30/22 | Chief Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $153,911.48*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$36,249.96 |  | |
| Sen. Alex Padilla (**D**-CA) | 01/10/22 | 03/31/22 | Chief Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $142,891.36*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$18,124.98 |  | |
| Senate Judiciary Committee | 10/01/21 | 03/31/22 | Chief Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $142,891.36*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$53,124.96 |  | |
| FY 2022 subtotal: | $148,416.52 | |||||
| Senate Judiciary Committee | 04/02/21 | 09/30/21 | Chief Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $147,781.38*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$73,610.07 |  | |
| Sen. Tim Kaine (**D**-VA) | 04/01/21 | 04/01/21 | Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $147,781.38*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$483.06 |  | |
| Sen. Tim Kaine (**D**-VA) | 10/01/20 | 03/31/21 | Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $118,372.05*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$59,023.87 |  | |
| FY 2021 subtotal: | $133,117.00 | |||||
| Sen. Tim Kaine (**D**-VA) | 08/08/20 | 09/30/20 | Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $119,631.20*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$16,556.46 |  | |
| Former Sen. Tom Udall (**D**-NM) | 04/01/20 | 08/07/20 | General Counsel/Senior Policy Adviser | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $119,631.20*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$43,423.02 |  | |
| Former Sen. Tom Udall (**D**-NM) | 10/01/19 | 03/31/20 | General Counsel/Senior Policy Adviser | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $110,244.86*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$55,273.45 |  | |
| FY 2020 subtotal: | $115,252.93 | |||||
| Former Sen. Tom Udall (**D**-NM) | 04/01/19 | 09/30/19 | Legislative Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $115,406.12*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$57,861.15 |  | |
| Former Sen. Tom Udall (**D**-NM) | 10/01/18 | 03/31/19 | Legislative Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $105,288.46*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$52,500.00 |  | |
| FY 2019 subtotal: | $110,361.15 | |||||
| Former Sen. Tom Udall (**D**-NM) | 09/04/18 | 09/30/18 | Legislative Counsel | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $153,209.70*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$11,333.32 | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $153,209.70*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$11,333.32 | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $153,209.70*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$11,333.32 |
https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/185600/Joshua_Peter_Esquivel.html
- joshua_esquivel@padilla.senate.gov
- (Jan. 2021-), Legislative Director
- Padilla (**D**-CA) (Jan. 2021-)
Legislative Director
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (Feb. 2019-Jan. 2021)
Legislative Director
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (2017-Feb. 2019)
Deputy Legislative Director
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (April 2014-2017)
Legislative Assistant
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (Oct. 2011-April 2014)
Legislative Correspondent
- Rep. Brad Sherman (**D**-CA) (2009)
Intern
lcv 100 100%
https://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/alex-padilla
from: Senator Alex Padilla mailto:[Senator_Padilla@padilla.senate.gov]
:{Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 11:56 AM
To: bc899899@comcast.net
Subject: Re: Confirmation of receipt of letter dated July 24, 2021 from Move to Amend (HJR 48)}:
Thank you for writing to share your thoughts regarding campaign finance reform. I appreciate hearing from you.
Ever since the Supreme Court ruled against limiting campaign spending by corporations and nonprofit organizations in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010, dark money and super PACs have polluted our political system. America desperately needs to empower citizens by building a 21st-century campaign finance system that increases the power of small donors and reaffirms Congress’ authority to regulate money in politics.
As your Senator, I have worked to push pack against Citizens United. That is why I am a proud original cosponsor of the “Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act of 2021” (S.443), introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), which would enhance transparency and accountability in our political system and help curb the influence of dark money in our politics. Among its many provisions, this bill would require organizations spending money in elections to disclose donors who contribute more than $10,000 in an election cycle and strengthen disclosure rules for political advertisements. I am also a cosponsor of the “Democracy for All Amendment” (S.J.Res.25), introduced by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), which would empower Congress and states to set reasonable campaign finance rules and limit corporate spending. S.443 is currently awaiting consideration by the full Senate, and S.J.Res.25 is currently awaiting consideration by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, of which I am a member.
I understand that you support H.J.Res.48, also known as the “We the People Amendment,” which addresses the issues of corporate personhood and dark money in politics through an amendment to the United States Constitution. This resolution is currently awaiting consideration by the House of Representatives, of which I am not a member.
Please know that I appreciate hearing your perspective on this issue, and I will keep your thoughts in mind as I continue working to reform our campaign finance system.
Once again, thank you for writing. Should you have any other questions or comments, please call my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3553 or visit my website at padilla.senate.gov. You can also follow me on Facebook, and Twitter, and you can sign up for my email newsletter at padilla.senate.gov/newsletter.
Sincerely,
_{Alex Padilla
United States Senator}_
_{
}_
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brian: ...In regard to HJR 48, I do understand that it is pending in the House of Representatives. My request is that you introduce or commit to support a Senate version of that measure. Doing so would bring this crucial issue to the public’s attention and move it forward. As you know, the majority of the California Congressional delegation, as well as the California Democratic Party, support HJR 48. Of course passing a constitutional amendment is a long term project and requires extensive political and public support. Progress in the senate is the next logical step. I would ask that you would respond to this specific request.
an 7 22
Just before U.S. President Joe Biden's speech at a shuttered coal plant, nine U.S. senators on Wednesday demanded that he stop weighing his options and urgently declare a climate emergency.
The call was led by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) along with Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
Their letter to Biden came after the White House confirmed Tuesday that an emergency declaration would not be included in the climate actions announced in his Wednesday address—leading one campaigner to charge that "in the midst of shocking and unprecedented heatwaves, wildfires, and drought in America, Europe, and across the globe, President Biden has failed to meaningfully act on climate."
The senators wrote that "while we will continue to fight for whatever climate and clean energy proposals can pass in a divided Senate, congressional action to address the climate crisis appears to have stalled."
"As a result, we urge you to put us on an emergency footing and aggressively use your executive powers to address the climate crisis, create good-paying union jobs in the United States, and liberate hard-working American families from volatile energy prices," they continued....
jun 2022
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MOORPARK, CALIF.—California’s Alex Padilla became the first United States senator to work alongside farm workers as part of the United Farm Workers’ and UFW Foundation’s “Take Our Jobs” campaign. With immigration reform now stalled in Congress, especially in the Senate because of the filibuster rule, last September professional farm workers invited all 100 U.S. senators to work a day with them in the fields before they decide on immigration reform.
At a vegetable company under UFW contract in Moorpark, Sen. Padilla harvested radishes and parsley. Photos and video of the senator working are available :{here:(style="margin:0px;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;transition:visibility 0.4s ease-in-out -0.1s, color 0.4s ease-in-out 0s, background-color 0.4s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.4s ease-in-out 0s, border-color 0.4s ease-in-out 0s, color 0.4s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.4s ease-in-out 0s;transform-origin:center center"):}:.
“Today I experienced just a small taste of the demanding work that farm workers do every day to keep millions of families in America fed,” said Senator Padilla. “I was here for just one day, but the people I worked alongside are here every day toiling, often under the hot sun, to make sure there’s food in our stores and on our tables. Farm workers are essential to the success of our country. That’s why I’m fighting to fix our immigration system and to provide immigrant farm workers the pathway to citizenship they have earned.”
“I am glad Senator Padilla took the opportunity to come and work alongside incredibly skilled farm workers like those he met today,” said UFW President Teresa Romero. “Farm workers have done the skilled and often grueling work to keep our food supply stable crisis after crisis. The Senate needs to work just as hard for them. I hope more members of Congress accept our invitation to join us in the fields and see for themselves just how much skill this difficult work requires.”
“We applaud Senator Padilla for going as far as walking in the shoes of farm workers for a day,” added UFW Foundation Executive Director Diana Tellefson Torres. “We hope this day will shine a light on how hard farm workers toil day in and day out to feed all of us and how deserving they are of permanent immigration status. Congress needs to find a solution to protect farm workers from deportation this year.”
The bipartisan, farm worker-and employer-negotiated Farm Workforce Modernization Act would allow undocumented farm workers to earn the right to permanently stay in this country by continuing to labor in agriculture. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act last passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021, with 30 Republican votes—the most bipartisan support for any immigration bill in years.
The “Take Our Jobs” campaign was first launched in 2010, with more than four million Americans visiting a website set up by the union. The UFW offered to link unemployed persons during the 2008 recession with jobs in agriculture near their homes anywhere in America. Out of the four million-plus who visited the site, only 11 people responded to the UFW’s offer to work in the fields. Comedian and now Late Show host Stephen Colbert featured Take Our Jobs in three segments of his then-Comedy Central show and worked a day in the fields himself. See here and here and here. Colbert proceeded to testify out of character before a U.S. House immigration subcommittee. ###
===
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robbie dashiel sp bored
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not bored
_{_{collin_nelson@padilla.senate.gov
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) Office:
Main Office
Address: 112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3553
Fax: 202-224-2200
}}
Collin C. Nelson, Congressional Staffer
| Sen. Alex Padilla (**D**-CA) | 10/01/21 | 03/31/22 | Legislative Correspondent | Annualized salary based on all records paid by Senate in this period: $45,123.53*" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170);">$22,499.95 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2022 subtotal: | $22,499.95 | |||||
| Sen. Alex Padilla (**D**-CA) | 04/01/21 | 09/30/21 | Staff Assistant | |||
| Sen. Alex Padilla (**D**-CA) | 01/29/21 | 03/31/21 | ||||
| Former Sen. Kamala Harris (**D**-CA) | 10/01/20 | 12/31/20 |  | |||
:{Legislative Correspondent at U.S. Senate Rockville, Maryland, United States225 connections Join to connect United States Senate United States Senate William & Mary William & Mary Activity}: :{ It is my honor to announce that I have been elected to serve as Black Law Students Association (BLSA) President at Georgetown for the upcoming… It is my honor to announce that I have been elected to serve as Black Law Students Association (BLSA) President at Georgetown for the upcoming… Liked by Collin Nelson Thankful to have been highlighted by Rolling Out on my experience as a public health professional and time as an MPH student at Yale School of Public… Liked by Collin Nelson This spring semester, I have been blessed with an internship at the Missouri State Capitol. I am interning in the office of Senator Brian Williams… This spring semester, I have been blessed with an internship at the Missouri State Capitol. I am interning in the office of Senator Brian Williams… Liked by Collin Nelson }: :{Join now to see all activity Experience}: :{ United States Senate 1 year 11 months Legislative Correspondent Oct 2021 - Present10 months Washington, District of Columbia, United States Staff Assistant Jan 2021 - Sep 2021 9 months Washington, District of Columbia, United States Mail Assistant Sep 2020 - Dec 2020 4 months Washington, District of Columbia, United States Perform correspondence management duties ranging from the batching/sorting of mail on IQ to the logging of voicemails. Legislative Intern Office of US Senator Kamala Harris}: :{ Jan 2020 - Jul 20207 months Perform administrative and legislative duties for the staff of the Senator. Attend briefings, write memos, and work with constituents both in person, through the phone, and online. Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Graphic Emerging Leader Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Jan 2020 - Mar 20203 months Washington D.C. Metro Area Complete weekly assignments and seminars geared toward professional and personal development, Roy R. Charles Center for Academic Excellence Graphic Student Researcher Roy R. Charles Center for Academic Excellence Jul 2018 - Sep 20183 months Williamsburg, Virginia Conducted extensive research while working closely with an experienced staff adviser and researcher to write a research paper on the intersection of sports and politics in American society. Findings were shown at a research showcase. Office of US Senator Ben Cardin Legislative Intern Office of US Senator Ben Cardin May 2018 - Jul 20183 months Washington D.C. Metro Area Performed duties for the staff and the Senator, including crafting constituent responses, drafting policy recommendation memos for the Senator, and taking notes in Senate committee meetings. Worked closely with staff members to create a nationwide annual federal employment database. Project on International Peace and Security Graphic Undergraduate Research Fellow Project on International Peace and Security Sep 2017 - May 20189 months Williamsburg, Virginia Conducted extensive open source research and wrote a policy white paper on the intersection of climate change and the global balance of power. Supervised an underclass research intern and closely interacted with members of the national security community, including the DoD and intelligence. Presented a white paper to members of the U.S. international relations community at the annual PIPS Research Symposium in Washington, DC. Montgomery County Government Office of Management and Budget Graphic Summer Intern Montgomery County Government Office of Management and Budget Jul 2017 - Aug 20172 months Rockville, Maryland Organized and analyzed expenditure data for county contracts under the supervision of senior government employees. Communicated findings through both a written executive summary and oral presentation to supervisors and the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Education William & Mary Bachelor of Arts - BA Political Science/Government and History People also viewed Alisa Winchester Legislative Correspondent at United States Senate Washington, DC Sydney Pearson Legislative Correspondent at United States Senate Washington, DC Kate Landers Legislative Correspondent in the Office of U.S. Senator Mark Warner Washington, DC Sarah Kelly Legislative Correspondent at United States Senate Washington DC-Baltimore Area Ian Jones Legislative Correspondent at United States Senate Washington, DC Norman Ellis III Legislative Correspondent at the Office of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine Washington DC-Baltimore Area Shayla C. Britton Legislative Correspondent | Health, Education, Consumer Protections, and Disability Policy Washington DC-Baltimore Area Alexis Irwin Staff Assistant at U.S. Senator Ben Sasse Washington, DC Sarah Berlan-Salas Executive and Policy Assistant at United States Senate Washington, DC Maeve P. Staff Assistant for Senator Bernie Sanders at United States Senate Washington, DC Ramón Carranza Jr. Legislative Assistant To Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer at United States Senate Washington, DC Lucy Xiao Legislative Director, United States Senate Washington, DC Virdina Gibbs Legislative Counsel at United States Senate Silver Spring, MD Kobe Dumas Legislative Correspondent at United States Senate Eugene, OR Ryan Taylor Legislative Assistant at United States Senate Washington, DC Tara Jordan Legislative Aide at United States Senate Silver Spring, MD Andrew Baratta}: :{ Staff Assistant at United States Senate Washington, DC Alaura Ervin Education, Labor, Human Services Policy Expert at United States Senate Washington, DC Jordan Marshall, MPH Deputy Director of Policy and Advocacy for ACU Washington DC-Baltimore Area Parker Reynolds}: :{ Senior Legislative Assistant to Congresswoman Liz Cheney at U.S. House of Representatives | JD Candidate Washington, DC }: | ||||
===
{{_{RAVI DOSHI bored
}}}_
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravi-doshi-7256828/
- counsel, US Senator Alex PadillaCounsel, US Senator Alex Padilla
United States SenateUnited States SenateMar 2021 - Present · 1 yr 4 mosMar 2021 - Present · 1 yr 4 mos
Judge AdvocateJudge Advocate
United States Army Reserve · Part-timeUnited States Army Reserve · Part-timeDec 2018 - Present · 3 yrs 7 mosDec 2018 - Present · 3 yrs 7 mos Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, Virginia
Senior Legal Counsel, Voting RightsSenior Legal Counsel, Voting Rights
Campaign Legal Center · Full-timeCampaign Legal Center · Full-timeApr 2020 - Feb 2021 · 11 mos Apr 2020 - Feb 2021 · 11 mosWashington, District of Columbia, United StatesWashington, District of Columbia, United States
AssociateAssociate
Covington & Burling LLPCovington & Burling LLPOct 2018 - Apr 2020 · 1 yr 7 mosOct 2018 - Apr 2020 · 1 yr 7 mosWashington D.C. Metro AreaWashington D.C. Metro Area
AssociateAssociate
Covington & Burling LLPCovington & Burling LLPMar 2016 - Aug 2018 · 2 yrs 6 mosMar 2016 - Aug 2018 · 2 yrs 6 mosWashington D.C. Metro AreaWashington D.C. Metro Area
AssociateAssociate
Susman Godfrey LLPSusman Godfrey LLPNov 2014 - Feb 2016 · 1 yr 4 mosNov 2014 - Feb 2016 · 1 yr 4 mosGreater Los Angeles AreaGreater Los Angeles Area
Summer AssociateSummer Associate
Susman Godfrey LLPSusman Godfrey LLPAug 2012 - Sep 2012 · 2 mosAug 2012 - Sep 2012 · 2 mosLos Angeles, CALos Angeles, CA
Summer AssociateSummer Associate
O'Melveny & Myers LLPO'Melveny & Myers LLPJun 2012 - Aug 2012 · 3 mosJun 2012 - Aug 2012 · 3 mosWashington D.C.Washington D.C.
alejandro Padilla (; born March 22, 1973) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Padilla served as the 32nd secretary of state of California from 2015 to 2021.[1]
Padilla served more than seven years on the Los Angeles City Council, representing the 7th district. First elected in 1999, he was the president of the Los Angeles City Council from 2001 to 2006. He then served in the California State Senate for the 20th district from 2006 to 2014.
Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Padilla to the United States Senate after then-Senator Kamala Harris was elected Vice President of the United States;Harris, as the newly elected vice president and president of the Senate, swore Padilla in on January 20, 2021. Due to a recent change in California law, Padilla's appointment ends in November 2022. He is on the ballot in two separate races in the November 2022 election—one to complete the remaining two months of the current Senate term and one for the six-year term beginning in January 2023.[2][3] He is the first Mexican American and Hispanic senator from California, as well as the first male senator from California since Alan Cranston left office in 1993.[4][5]
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Early life and education
Padilla is one of three children of Santos and Lupe Padilla, both of whom immigrated from Mexico, specifically Jalisco and Chihuahua, before meeting and marrying in Los Angeles, where he was born.[6][7] He grew up in Pacoima, Los Angeles, and graduated from San Fernando High School in the northeast San Fernando Valley.[8] He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1994.[9] He graduated from the Coro Fellows Southern California Program in 1995.
Career
Early career
After graduation, he moved back to Pacoima and briefly worked as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft, where he wrote software for satellite systems.[10][11][12]
Padilla is a former member of the governing board of MIT and president of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), which has a membership of more than 6,000 Latino U.S. officials.[13][14] He serves as chair of the Los Angeles Leadership Council for the American Diabetes Association, elected in July 2005.[13][15]
Padilla began in politics as a member of the Democratic Party in 1995, in substantial part in response to California Proposition 187, which excluded illegal immigrants from all non-emergency public services, including public education, but which he felt was motivated by a broader nativism that demonized legal and illegal immigrants alike.[16] His first professional role was as a personal assistant to Senator Dianne Feinstein. He then served as a campaign manager for Assemblyman Tony Cardenas in 1996, Assemblyman Gil Cedillo in 1997, and State Senator Richard Alarcon in 1998, all Democrats. All won their respective elections.[13][17]
Los Angeles City Council
On July 1, 1999, at age 26, Padilla was sworn in as a member of the Los Angeles City Council.[18] Two years later, his colleagues elected him council president. Padilla was the first Latino and the youngest person elected president of the Los Angeles City Council, defeating incumbent Ruth Galanter.[13][19] On September 13, 2001, two days after the 9/11 attacks, Padilla became the acting mayor of Los Angeles for a couple of days while Mayor James K. Hahn traveled out of the city.[20][19] Los Angeles Times wrote that Padilla's rise to the mayor's office raised his "political stock".[20]
During his term as City Council president, Padilla also was elected president of the California League of Cities, the first Latino to serve in that position.[13]
California State Senate
After retiring as president of the Los Angeles City Council, Padilla was elected to the State Senate in 2006, defeating Libertarian Pamela Brown. He was reelected in 2010 with nearly 70% of the vote over Republican Kathleen Evans.[21] Padilla served as a member of the Appropriations Committee, Business and Professions and Economic Development Committee, Governmental Organization Committee, Labor and Industrial Relations Committee, and chaired the Select Committee on Science, Innovation and Public Policy. He left office on November 30, 2014, after two terms.[22]
In August 2012, Padilla was included in a list of 20 Latino political rising stars compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle, citing his role in the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.[23]
In September 2014, Padilla promoted what would later become Proposition 67, a proposed ban on plastic bags.[24][better source needed] On November 8, 2016, when Padilla was Secretary of State, the proposal was voted on in a referendum, and the option in favor of the ban on the plastics bags received 53% of the vote.[25] Padilla authored legislation that passed in 2008 that requires some restaurants to disclose calorie information on menus.[26][27]
Secretary of State
Official Secretary of State photo
On April 11, 2013,[28] Padilla announced his intention to run for California secretary of state in 2014, to succeed the term-limited Debra Bowen. He was expected to face an intraparty battle with fellow Democrat Leland Yee, but Yee's arrest for felony racketeering caused Yee to abandon the race.[29] Padilla won the election on November 4, 2014, with 53.6% of the vote, defeating Republican Pete Peterson.[30]
On June 29, 2017, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which President Donald Trump created on May 11, requested data on enrolled voters from every state, dating back to 2006. Padilla said that California would not supply the data.[31][32]
On November 6, 2018, Padilla was reelected with 64.5% of the vote, defeating Republican Mark P. Meuser.[33]
On October 16, 2020, Padilla was involved in a controversy between the state and the California Republican Party, as the party deployed unofficial ballot boxes for voters to submit their ballots at select locations, including churches and gun stores in competitive California districts.[34][35][36][37] Padilla issued a cease-and-desist order, arguing that the ballot boxes were illegal and failed to ensure ballot security.[35][36][34][38] Local Republican leadership refused to follow the order and said the boxes were a form of legal ballot harvesting that had been enabled by recent Democratic legislation (which lacked a chain of custody requirement),[34] and were a way to increase voter turnout.[39][34] Accusing Democrats of hypocrisy given their widespread door-to-door ballot harvesting in the 2018 United States elections,[40][35][34] the state Republican Party later agreed to a set of collection procedures and said a volunteer's mistake of affixing a sign denoting the ballot box as "official" had contributed to the political standoff; Padilla's office said it was continuing to investigate whether ballots were being handled correctly and that the "ineptitude or unlawfulness of a political operative or campaign volunteer" could nonetheless lead to "serious legal consequences".[34][35]
In early 2020, Padilla announced a $35 million no-bid contract for a statewide voter education ad campaign with partisan public relations firm SKDK (then known as "SKDKnickerbocker") called "Vote Safe California", but State Controller Betty Yee blocked the funding because Padilla's office did not have the authority to use federal money that was allocated to county governments; the campaign proceeded anyway.[41] The group had marketed itself as being on "Team Biden", and the awarding of the no-bid contract under supposed "emergency powers" despite the group's ties with the Democratic Party and work for Democratic politicians running for office in California received bipartisan criticism.[42][43][44] Amid ongoing litigation by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, who contend that the contract bypassed fair competition rules and misappropriated federal election funding for local elections operations, and was therefore illegal, Governor Newsom signed legislation that provided state funding to reimburse SKDK in February 2021.[42]
Upon Padilla's appointment to the U.S. Senate, Newsom appointed Assemblywoman Shirley Weber to succeed him.[45]
U.S. Senate
Appointment
In August 2020, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden selected California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. After they won the general election, Padilla was mentioned as a possible choice as Harris's successor in the Senate. Governor Newsom had the power to appoint her successor.[46][47][48][49] In December 2020, Newsom announced that he would appoint Padilla to the seat, making him California's first Hispanic senator[50] and the first male U.S. senator from California since Alan Cranston retired in 1993. During the speculation about whom Newsom would appoint, the senior senator from California, Dianne Feinstein, supported Padilla.[51][52] To replace Padilla as California's secretary of state, Newsom appointed state assemblywoman Shirley Weber.[53]
Most Latinos, who are 40% of California's population, supported Padilla's appointment,[54] but some black leaders, who wanted another black woman to replace Harris, criticized it. San Francisco Mayor London Breed called Padilla's appointment "a real blow to the African American community".[54]
Elections
2022
Main article: 2022 United States Senate elections in California
Padilla has announced that he will seek a full term in 2022. He will appear on two ballots: one for the special election to fill the remainder of the term in the 117th Congress, and the other for the new term beginning with the 118th Congress.[2]
Tenure
On January 20, 2021, Padilla was sworn into the United States Senate in the 117th Congress by Vice President Kamala Harris, his predecessor, becoming the first Latino to represent California in the U.S. Senate. He was sworn in by Vice President Harris on her first day, at the same time as new Georgia senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. He is serving the final two years of Harris's term, so his term in the Senate will end in November 2022.[2][55] He has filed the necessary paperwork with the FEC to run for a full term and an unexpired term in the 2022 elections.[3]
While in office, Padilla introduced legislation to add more legal protections for various public lands in California, including parts of the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Padres National Forest, and Carrizo Plain National Monument.[56][57] Padilla also introduced legislation to help coastal communities adapt shorelines to increased flooding and erosion from sea level rise and extreme weather.[58]
Committee assignments
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety (Chairman)[59]
- Committee on the Budget
- Committee on Environment and Public Works
- Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Committee on Rules and Administration
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus[60]
- Senate Cultural Caucus[61]
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus[62]
- Rare Disease Caucus[63]
Political positions
The Wall Street Journal says that Padilla had "a reputation [in the State Senate] as a business-friendly moderate".[64] FiveThirtyEight defined him as a technocrat, not identified with either the progressive or the moderate wing of the party.[65] The American Conservative Union gave Padilla a 0% rating in 2012.[66] On January 18, 2021, Padilla released a statement in support of the Green New Deal and Medicare For All legislation, among other progressive policies.[67]
Abortion
Padilla favors abortion rights, saying in 2018 that abortion rights are "not negotiable".[68] In 2008, Padilla sponsored the bill SB 1770, which would require the Commission on Peace Officer Standards Training (POST) to prepare relevant guidelines and mechanisms for the investigation and reporting of "cases involving anti-reproductive-rights crimes".[69][70] In 2018, after winning the primary for secretary of state to seek a second term, he received support from NARAL Pro-Choice America.[71]
When *Roe v. Wade* was overturned in June 2022, Padilla condemned the decision.[72]
Climate and environment
Padilla supports climate action and said during budgetary discussions in October 2021 that "[c]limate cannot be on the chopping block in this or any budget."[73] He supports the Green New Deal and has said that it "offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity."[67][74] Padilla received a 100% score from the League of Conservation Voters in 2021.[75]
Filibuster
Padilla supports ending the Senate filibuster.[17]
Immigration
Padilla supports immigrants' rights.[76][77] On January 15, 2021, he said that he supports legislation sponsored by representative Joaquin Castro to speed up the citizenship process for undocumented immigrants in essential jobs, declaring that because of the work they do, "they deserve stability".[76][77]
Voting rights
Padilla has been known for efforts to expand voting access.[78] When he was appointed to the Senate in 2021, Newsom called him "a national defender of voting rights".[79]
Personal life
Padilla married Angela Monzon in 2012.[80] They have three sons and live in the San Fernando Valley's Porter Ranch neighborhood.[81] In late 2015 and early 2016, the Aliso Canyon gas leak temporarily displaced the Padillas from their home.[81]
Electoral history
https://www.padilla.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Jessica Munger <jessica@movetoamend.org>
Date: Mon, Apr 4, 2022 at 3:52 PM
Subject: Re: Time to flood Sen Padilla with HJR48 demands!
To:
Cc: Lawrence Abbott <lraoak@gmail.com>, Milly Harmon <milly@movetoamend.org>, California Move to Amend <ca-mta@movetoamend.org>, California State Network <california@movetoamend.org>, ebmta-steercomm@googlegroups.com <ebmta-steercomm@googlegroups.com>, Greg Coleridge <greg@movetoamend.org>, Jennie Spanos <jennie@movetoamend.org>, Jennie Spanos <jennie.s@movetoamend.org>, Geoffry White <Geoffry.White@gmail.com>
Hi all,
I'm writing to loop in Geoffry White from Los Angeles (Cc'd) who wants to get involved in the efforts to secure Padilla's support. Could we make sure Geoffry is added to the CA-MTA group? Thanks for all you do.
Best,
Jessica
On Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 2:05 PM 'carolp6798@yahoo.com' via California Move to Amend <ca-mta@movetoamend.org> wrote:
The email I sent to Padilla today:
Senator Padilla,
We request that you introduce HJR48, the We the People Amendment, into the Senate. Simply reach out to lead sponsor Rep Jayapal, to introduce the Senate Companion Bill. HJR 48 is CaDem Federal Priority Legislation and is cosponsored by a majority of California’s Congressional Reps. When you were Secretary of State of California, you took the bold step of supporting Proposition 59, a state equivalent to HJR 48. You understood then that democracy depended on input from all the people, not just the wealthy few. HJR 48 will ensure democracy is in the hands of the people for generations to come. Thank you.
Carol Pinson
On Monday, March 14, 2022, 10:44:02 AM PDT, Milly Harmon <milly@movetoamend.org> wrote:
Good morning!
We have the blast to all of California scheduled to go out tomorrow morning which Margaret drafted.
It provides a script and contact info for Padilla’s office and a link to follow to be connected by phone and send an email.
Thanks!!!
On Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 10:35 AM Lawrence Abbott <lraoak@gmail.com> wrote:
Good morning all
Today at noon my Indivisible East Bay group is meeting with Sen Padilla’s Legislative Director, Josh Esquivel. As you know IEB signed on to our letter asking the Senator to support HJR48.
Today’s agenda has been finalized and we have an ask for Josh. You can read it below.
Now would be an excellent time to start our campaign to get MTA supporters to flood their Senate offices with requests for him to introduce the HJR48 companion bill!
Thank you all much, Lawrence
IEB Padilla agenda item ask:
Will the Senator support HJR48 The We the People Amendment by reaching out to lead sponsor Rep Jayapal, to introduce the Senate Companion Bill? HJR48 is CaDem Federal Priority Legislation and is cosponsored by a majority of California’s Congressional Reps.
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To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ca-mta+unsubscribe@movetoamend.org.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/movetoamend.org/d/msgid/ca-mta/CANGC6ZFkjUNexRyVJxm%3D7jqEuiqd_jAHdyDDtX%2BfDzw5hcOJ7A%40mail.gmail.com.
--
Milly Harmon
They/She
National Co-Director, Move to Amend Coalition
Cell Phone in AZ: (707) 362-7240
Office in CA: (916) 318-8040
prev node state assembly
MIT engr degree but anti-immigr prop 187 --> LA city cncl, youngest prez
we are asked to contact Senator Padilla now and request that he introduce a companion bill to HJR 48 in the Senate....Good luck and thanks for all you do,
Thanks, Judith
https://www.padilla.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/
david montez legal
josh esquivel
Monday Feb 8, 2021, Invisible SF members joined over forty Indivisible members from groups across CA to meet with Josh Esquivel, policy director for Senator Padilla in Washington DC. The meeting was organized by our friends at Indivisible East Bay. ... He is also supportive of S1, which is the Senate version of the “For the People Act” (HR1).
Senator Padilla is also supportive of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/alex-padilla/summary?cid=N00047888
2017-22
co
| top contributor | Total | Individuals | PACs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hueston Hennigan Llp | $135,400 | $135,400 | $0 |
| Comcast Corp | $77,700 | $67,700 | $10,000 |
| Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy | $71,950 | $71,950 | $0 |
| Edison International | $71,815 | $56,815 | $15,000 |
| Gallo Winery | $60,575 | $60,575 | $0 |
Top Industries, 2017 - 2022
| Industry | Total | Individuals | PACs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $1,186,671 | $1,124,671 | $62,000 |
| Retired | $502,626 | $502,626 | $0 |
| Securities & Investment | $497,876 | $478,376 | $19,500 |
| Leadership PACs | $475,800 | $0 | $475,800 |
| Real Estate | $465,318 | $436,818 | $28,500 |
2013 https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/reports?cycle=2013&id=D000000239
edison intl fierce, hohan lovells
- Budget
- Environment and Public Works
- Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Judiciary
- Rules and Administration
joshua_esquivel@padilla.senate.gov
112 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 | 112 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 |
|---|---|
| Phone: | 202-224-3553 |
| Fax: | 202-224-2200 |
- Joshua Peter Esquivel
- Yale University - Bachelor's (2011)
- Westlake High School (Thousands Oaks, Calif.) - Diploma (2009)
Employment History
- Sen. Alex Padilla (**D**-CA) (Jan. 2021-)
Legislative Director
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (Feb. 2019-Jan. 2021)
Legislative Director
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (2017-Feb. 2019)
Deputy Legislative Director
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (April 2014-2017)
Legislative Assistant
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (Oct. 2011-April 2014)
Legislative Correspondent
- Rep. Brad Sherman (**D**-CA) (2009)
Intern
- Chief of Staff: David Montes
- Legis. Dir.: Joshua Esquivel
- Comm. Dir.: Vanessa Valdivia
- Email, work:
vanessa_valdivia@padilla.senate.gov
30. S.Res.522 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)A resolution congratulating the Los Angeles Rams on their victory in Super Bowl LVI.:{
}:co-sponsor 517 4/22:{
}:7. S.3802 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax ActSponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (Introduced 03/10/2022) Cosponsors: (16)
9/21 mtg 12 ppl 5 spkr good pres Sarah haji sent to legal guy in Dc; joshua esquivel
https://www.padilla.senate.gov/
https://www.padilla.senate.gov/contact/
Chief of StaffDavid Montes
SchedulerDevan Cayea
Legislative DirectorJoshua Esquivel
Press SecretaryPress Padilla
Health IssuesLorenzo Rubalcava:{
}:https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/185600/Joshua_Peter_Esquivel.html:{
}::{
- Yale University - Bachelor's (2011)
- Westlake High School (Thousands Oaks, Calif.) - Diploma (2009)
}::{
}::{
- Sen. Alex Padilla (**D**-CA) (Jan. 2021-)
Legislative Director
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (Feb. 2019-Jan. 2021)
Legislative Director
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (2017-Feb. 2019)
Deputy Legislative Director
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (April 2014-2017)
Legislative Assistant
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (**D**-CA) (Oct. 2011-April 2014)
Legislative Correspondent
- Rep. Brad Sherman (**D**-CA) (2009)
Intern
}:
On Monday Feb 8, 2021, Invisible SF members joined over forty Indivisible members from groups across CA to meet with Josh Esquivel, policy director for Senator Padilla in Washington DC. The meeting was organized by our friends at Indivisible East Bay.
We discussed several topics of utmost importance to us, including the COVID-relief bill (American Rescue Plan), which is currently being considered to be passed by US Senate under reconciliation rules.
Among the most important provisions we’ve been advocating for in this relief package is the $15 minimum wage, which Senator Padilla supports. The Congressional Budget Office has announced yesterday that this measure will lift up to 1mil Americans out of poverty over the next 10 years.
On the topic of defending and expanding democracy, we learned that Senator Padilla supports our initiatives. The Senator already supports H.R.51 (the DC statehood bill). He is also supportive of S1, which is the Senate version of the “For the People Act” (HR1).
Senator Padilla is also supportive of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which is yet to be brought in front of the Senate. These pieces of legislation are Democrats’ best defense against Republicans’ aggressive gerrymandering laws, voting rights restrictions at the state level, and overall anti-democratic state laws.
We also found out that Senator Padilla is assembling a nominating committee committed to identifying a diverse(in background and expertise) list of candidates for the Federal Judiciary branch, who are to be nominated by President Biden.
MIT engr degree but anti-immigr prop 187 --> LA city cncl, youngest prez
Prop 49, The Overturn Citizen United Act, will have another day in court.
Late yesterday the California Legislature filed for the Court to rehearHJTA v Padilla and Restore 49 to the November 2016 ballot as the Court
==
Prop 49, The Overturn Citizen United Act, will have another day in court.
Late yesterday the California Legislature filed for the Court to rehearHJTA v Padilla and Restore 49 to the November 2016 ballot as the Court should have done in its January 4th ruling. The filing became official earlier today.
An Amicus Letter was also filed by MOVI, Free Speech For People, California Clean Money Campaign, CALPIRG and Courage Campaign to demonstrate to the Court thatProp 49 was driven by citizen action, to offer the Court new information and to dispel any lingering belief the Court may have that Prop 49 was a calculated act by a partisan legislature to drive turnout.
Sorry to report from the Secretary of State's office that "no action was taken" despite our hundreds upon hundreds of phone calls and the over 10,000 emails our friends at California Clean Money Campaign generated. MOVI suggested to the SoS's office that Secretary Padilla might want to release a statement for these bitterly disappointed and still disenfranchised Californians who do not understand why he chose not defend our right to vote.
The latest we'll have an answer from the Court is apparently two months though according to the Court Clerk it could be "significantly earlier." We'll be considering in the coming days how best to make our voices heard in the court now. (Please be in touch if you're bursting with an idea)
Today marks another victory in MOVI'sRestore 49 Campaign. Our Restore 49 partners and MOVI activists have refused to go away quietly and will continue to refuse to go away or be quiet.
Well done to all & more to come,
49/11/08/16!
Michele
Michele Sutter
https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/oan-doubles-down-on-election-conspiracy-theories-while-facing-possible-defamation-lawsuit-report/
One American News, like Newsmax TV, has gone out of its way to promote the baseless conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump, not President-elect Joe Biden, really won the 2020 presidential election. Two companies that have been targeted by far-right election conspiracy theorists include Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, both of which specialize in election technology. And journalist Kelsey Vlamis, in an article published by Business Insider on Christmas Day 2020, reports that OAN has been doubling down on election conspiracy theories while being threatened with a defamation lawsuit by Dominion.
According to Vlamis, "In response to threats of a defamation lawsuit, the One America News Network is leaning further into some election conspiracy theories that the network has featured on its shows. Dominion Voting Systems previously sent OAN letters threatening to sue, accusing the network of spreading the unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that the election technology company manipulated votes in favor of President-elect Joe Biden in the November general election."
Dominion, Vlamis notes, "asked the network to save any documents or correspondence related to Dominion." And OAN, according to Vlamis, "responded by requesting Dominion keep records of certain documents so the network can 'preserve its own claims and defenses in the event of litigation.' The conservative news network sent similar letters to Smartmatic, another election technology company."
Dominion has been a target of far-right attorney, conspiracy theorist and Trump supporter Sidney Powell, who made the baseless claim that Dominion's voting technology was used to help Biden steal the election just as it gave the late President Hugo Chávez an unfair advantage in Venezuela — and Dominion has responded that its technology has never even been used in that South American country. Dominion has filed a lawsuit against Trump's campaign and Powell.
In a late November press release, Dominion explained, "Dominion has no ties to the Venezuelan government, nor any other foreign government, including China and Iran. Dominion has never participated in any elections in Venezuela and has no connection or relationship with the now deceased former Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez. Other companies have serviced elections in Venezuela, but Dominion is not one of them."
On Christmas Eve Day, Vlamis reports, OAN asked Smartmatic to "save any correspondence between Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica and a number of individuals, including former president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, and California Secretary of State Alex Padilla.The president's allies have also claimed, without evidence, that Smartmatic was working with the socialist Venezuelan government and Chávez, who died in 2013, to disrupt the U.S. presidential election."
Vlamis notes, "In addition to OAN, Dominion has sent letters to Fox News and Newsmax with threats to sue for defamation, as well as conservative media figures like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, among others."
https://ballotpedia.org/Alex_Padilla
| Incumbent | Incumbent |
|---|---|
| Tenure | Tenure |
| 2015-present | 2015-present |
| Term ends | Term ends |
| 2019 | 2019 |
| Years in position | 1 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Compensation | Compensation |
| Base salary | $130,490 |
| Elections and appointments | Elections and appointments |
| Last election | November 4, 2014 |
| First elected | November 4, 2014 |
| Campaign $ | $6,909,649 |
| Term limits | N/A |
| Prior offices | Prior offices |
| California State Senate District 20 | California State Senate District 20 |
| 2006-2014 | 2006-2014 |
| Los Angeles City Council | Los Angeles City Council |
| 1999-2006 | 1999-2006 |
| Education | Education |
| Bachelor's | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994 |
| Personal | Personal |
| Date of birth | March 22, 1973 |
| Place of birth | Panorama City, CA |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Websites | |
| Office website | Office website |
| Personal website | Personal website |
| Campaign website | Campaign website |
Padilla (b. 1973) is the current Democratic California Secretary of State. He was first elected on November 4, 2014.[1]
He is a former Democratic member of the California State Senate, representing District 20 from 2006-2014. He was ineligible to run for re-election in 2014.
Prior to serving in the California Senate, Padilla was on the Los Angeles City Council from 1999-2006, serving as its president from 2001-2006.
Padilla is a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barbara Boxer in 2016.[2]
Biography
Padilla earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. He is a 1995 graduate of the Coro Fellowship Program in Leadership and Public Affairs.
Padilla's professional experience includes working as a staffer, political director or campaign manager for a variety of Democratic politicians in California, including Dianne Feinstein, Richard Alarcon, Gilbert Cedillo and Tony Cardenas. He has served since 2005 as the president of the League of California Cities and is a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
In August 2012, he was included in a list of 20 Latino political rising stars compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle.[3]
Political career
California Secretary of State (2015-present)
Padilla was first elected to the secretary of state's office in 2014. He replaced Debra Bowen (D), who served in office from 2007-2015.
California State Senate, District 20
Padilla represented District 20 in the California State Senate from 2006-2014.
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Padilla served on the following committees:
| [hide]California Committee Assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Business, Professions, and Economic Development |
| • Elections and Constitutional Amendments |
| • Energy, Utilities and Communications, Chair |
| • Governmental Organization |
| • Labor and Industrial Relations |
| • Fairs, Allocation, and Classification |
| • Legislative Budget |
| • Joint Rules |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Padilla served on these committees:
| [show]California Committee Assignments, 2011 |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Padilla served on these committees:
| [show]California Committee Assignments, 2009 |
Issues
Legislative scorecard
Capitol Weekly, California's major weekly periodical covering the state legislature, publishes an annual legislative scorecard to pin down the political or ideological leanings of every member of the legislature based on how they voted on an assortment of bills in the most recent legislative session. The 2009 scores were based on votes on 19 bills, but did not include how legislators voted on the Proposition 1A (2009). On the scorecard, "100" is a perfect liberal score and "0" is a perfect conservative score.[4][5]
On the 2009 Capitol Weekly legislative scorecard, Padilla ranked as an 83.[6]
Elections
2016
See also: United States Senate election in California, 2016
Padilla is a potential candidate in the 2016 election for the U.S. Senate, to represent California.[2]
2014
See also: California secretary of state election, 2014
Padilla ran for Secretary of State of California in the 2014 elections.[1] Debra Bowen (D) was ineligible for re-election in 2014 due to term limits.[7] Padilla secured a spot in the general election following the top-two primary on June 3, 2014, and defeated Republican Pete Peterson in the general election on November 4, 2014.
==
opponents of a ban on single-use plastic bags in grocery stores have qualified a referendum on the law, delaying its July 1 effective date until voters act on the measure in November 2016, the California secretary of state’s office said Tuesday.
The trade group American Progressive Bag Alliance submitted more than 800,000 signatures on petitions for the referendum, and a random sample count by elections officials projected that they include at least 110% of the 504,760 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot.
“California voters will now have the chance to vote down a terrible law that, if implemented, would kill 2,000 local manufacturing jobs and funnel obscene profits to big grocers without any money going to a public purpose or environmental initiative, said Lee Califf, executive director of the alliance.
Get essential California coverage
Supporters of the bag ban said they are confident California voters will uphold the ban because the plastic bags are a costly burden to the environment, littering rivers, beaches and parks and posing threats to wildlife.
“It’s not surprising that after spending more than $3.2 million, 98 percent of which is from out of state, the plastic bag industry has bought its way onto the California ballot to protect its profits,” Mark Murray, a spokesman for the campaign group Californians vs. Big Plastic, said in a statement.
The first state ban on plastic bags was approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year to take effect July 1 for large grocery stores and July 1, 2016 for most other retailers.
Murray noted that 138 cities and counties have already enacted their own bans on plastic grocery bags and that those will stay in effect. Bag ordinances have been adopted for the Los Angeles County unincorporated areas and more than a dozen cities in the county including Beverly Hills, Glendale, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica and West Hollywood.
The new state law was stayed as soon as the referendum petitions were filed and the qualifying of the referendum continues that stay until voters act, officials said.
Supporters of the bag ban expect to spend about $10 million on a campaign to get voters to uphold the ban by voting “yes” on the referendum.
Murray cited a recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll that indicated support for the law by 60% of Californians.
“Every poll shows that Californians strongly support the law, and the $30 million to $50 million it will cost the plastics industry to launch a full-fledged campaign in 2016 will be proven to be an act of political malpractice, particularly since nearly half the state will no longer have plastic bags by election day,” Murray said.
He estimated that the bag manufacturers will make $145 million in continued sales while the ban is on hold between July 1 and November 2016.
His coalition includes Sierra Club California, the Surfrider Foundation, Californians Against Waste and the California Grocers Assn.
SB 270 by former Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) would allow grocers to charge 10 cents for reusable plastic or paper bags to shoppers who do not bring their own to the store.
The alliance of bag makers argued that the real purpose of the law was to enrich supermarket chains and other retailers through collection of the 10-cent fee.
The opponents said it was untrue that the plastic bags provided by supermarkets are single-use because many consumers use them again to line trash cans, pick up waste left by their pets or carry lunches to work.
“SB 270 was never a bill about the environment," Califf said. "It was a backroom deal between the California Grocers Association and their union friends to scam consumers out of billions of dollars in bag fees – all under the guise of environmentalism."
However many of these important measures are in trouble in the U.S. California’s landmark legislation is now officially on hold,
gma padilla
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-california-plastic-bag-ban-20150223-story.html
with a referendum to repeal the ban added to the ballot for November 2016. Florida and Arizona have both already passed bills making the banning ofplastic bags illegal. Powerful and large special interest lobbying groups are behind these “ban bans” as well as litigation aimed at already existing bans. Outside interests are funding these efforts to dissuade and dismantle local level legislation. Primary among them is the ProgressiveBag Affiliates, funded by the largest plastic bag manufacturers in the country and the American Chemistry Council.
==
[http://ecowatch.com/2014/08/30/california-bans-plastic-bags California Bans Plastic Bags] . The bill, which passed both houses of the California State Legislature now heads to the Governor’s desk. If signed, California will become the first state in the U.S. to ban what advocates call “the most ubiquitous consumer item on the planet.” 9/14 see [http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/index.php/Plastic Plastic].
==
ca sec of state 2014:
...
There are several men vying for the job. Republican Pete Peterson is leading in the polls with 30 percent, followed by Democratic State Senator Alex Padilla at 17 percent. Green Party Candidate David Curtis, Independent Dan Schnur and Democrat Derek Cressman round out the top five. Pitney says there’s a clear reason why the office is so coveted.
“This job is a stepping stone. Particularly withAlex Padilla,” Pitney says. “He’s a very young, ambitious person. And if he does a good job as Secretary of State, perhaps other things lie in the future. After all, our current governor is a former Secretary of State.”
Pitney points out the office is more administrative than ideological and says all of the candidates are qualified. At a recent debate Peterson, Padilla, Cressman and Schnur largely agreed on most topics. They believe counties should receive more money to run elections. They believe the state should offer both mail ballots and in person voting. However, they take different positions on campaign finance reform.
Schnur has proposed banning fundraising while the legislature is in session.
“I believe that if you do ban fundraising, not just for some of session, and not just for most of it, but for all of session, what you’re essentially doing is creating a separation and you’re weakening the link between political giving and government action,” Schnur says.
Padilla wants a more limited ban.
“Fact: there are 12 other states in the nation that have some form of fundraising blackout period in place,” Padilla says. “Fact: there are three other states in the nation that had fundraising blackout periods that were challenged in court for being too long and were overturned by the court.”
Cressman maintains fundraising bans are useless.
"What will happen is the exact same lobbyists will meet with the exact same legislators the morning of the vote and rather than handing a check they will make a pledge to support that legislator after the session,” he says. “They actually get to watch them and see how they vote before they deliver their check.”