Alex Padilla Title: Los Angeles City Council president; councilman representing the Seventh District Age: 28 Education: Bachelor of Science, mechanical engineering, MIT Most Admired Persons: His mother, Lupe, and father, Santos Career-turning Point: Joining CORO, a leadership training foundation, in 1995 Personal: Single Alex padilla, who many People perceive as a political newcomer, has suddenly become one of the most powerful politicians in los angeles Alex Padilla insists his age should not be an issue. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that, at 28, the Northeast Valley city councilman is taking over as Los Angeles City Council president after the April 17 death of former council President John Ferraro, who was first elected to office before Padilla was even born. Shortly after Padilla reached the age of 22, the MIT graduate turned his back on a promising engineering career for the political arena instead, getting his feet wet by running campaigns for Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, state Sen. Richard Alarcon and Assemblyman Gil Cedillo. In 1999, he took the plunge himself and won a seat on the city council representing the Seventh District one of the most economically distressed in the Valley which includes his hometown and current residence, Pacoima. He’s been on a fast track ever since, serving as chairman of the council’s information technology and general services committee and vice chairman of public works, winning reelection this year while running unopposed, betting on the right horse by supporting James Hahn in his successful mayoral bid, and recently beating 14-year veteran Councilwoman Ruth Galanter for the second most powerful position in city government. Not only is Padilla the youngest member to ever hold the title of council president, he is the first Latino to be chosen for the post in more than a century. But if he has loftier political aspirations, Padilla is not telling. (Because he was elected to fill a vacant seat part way through a term the first time, Padilla has eight years before he has to worry about term limits.) For now, the soft-spoken son of Mexican immigrants says he is “humbled” by his colleagues’ support and intends to prove to critics that foresight in youth can be just as powerful a tool for change as hindsight after years of experience. Padilla spoke to Business Journal reporter Jacqueline Fox recently about his new position, how he plans to use it to make good on promises to improve the quality of life in the Northeast Valley, his strategy for keeping secessionists from breaking up Los Angeles, and why he chose to back James Hahn in the race for mayor instead of Latino candidate Antonio Villaraigosa. Question: Mayor Hahn said he hopes to quash the secession drive and you have said you oppose a breakup of Los Angeles. What is the strategy for keeping the city whole? Answer: As an engineer, I’m looking at solving problems. So if the problem has been that government hasn’t been responding to the needs of the citizens in the Valley, then let’s make it more responsive. I know that there is a gap in the level of basic services being provided and we will be working to improve in those areas. Q: You’ve called secessionists’ views “rumblings.” But given the fact that the LAFCO report shows a Valley city could survive on its own, and the fact that a 2002 ballot initiative on secession is possible, shouldn’t the drive be taken more seriously? A: Rumblings come at all volumes and this rumbling is being heard, loud and clear. My view is we need to get at the root of these rumblings in order to fully address them. Q: If Valley secession was approved by voters, would you run for mayor of the new city? A: I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead. But what I can say is my heart is in the San Fernando Valley, so however I can best serve my community, that is first and foremost in my heart. Q: Why did you back Hahn over Antonio Villaraigosa in the mayoral election campaign? A: I supported Hahn because we had a great working relationship already and two years of a track record together. He’s been very supportive of (programs) in our district and we have a very similar interest in providing more of those programs. I also felt his 20 years of experience were, hands down, a positive for the community. Q: Business taxes and traffic are among the key concerns for Valley business owners across the board. What are your plans for addressing these? A: We’ve had for two years now a business tax advocacy committee and they have come forward with some very positive recommendations for change, and I’m looking forward to more complex and specific recommendations to come out of that committee. When it comes to traffic issues, the goal will be to work with the mayor and address them as a regional concern, including issues of safety posed by some residents. Q: How do you see the Valley business community changing over the next five years? A: I would like to think that we will see a wave of new people coming in that will reflect a stronger diversity in groups like VICA (Valley Industry and Commerce Association) and the Economic Alliance (of the San Fernando Valley). But I think we will also see new institutions like those come in as well and I hope to be able to help act as a bridge between them (and the older organizations). Q: Programs targeting Latino and lower-income communities have traditionally gone to East Los Angeles rather than the Northeast Valley. What do you plan to do to balance those scales? A: The recent census report tells us that the Northeast Valley has the largest concentration of Latinos in Los Angeles, so those figures are going to help us make a case for a more equitable distribution of services. Q: Some have observed that it’s not the availability of jobs, but the lack of adequate job training that is holding back the economy of the Northeast Valley. What’s your assessment of that? A: In part, I would disagree because the economics in the area have been changing as new technologies have come in. There are many ways in which these companies have contributed, on top of the institutions we’ve helped set up to provide training assistance. But I agree that we need to make sure that the training for these new technologies continues. Q: What are your top priorities for your district? A: I’m strictly a back-to-basics kind of guy. We need to focus on the quality-of-life issues: schools, sidewalks, graffiti removal. But public safety will always be at the top of my list. And I hope to leverage my position as president of the council to bring a focus on the business needs of that part of the community.
