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Profile/30/dp1st/mark2nd Alex Padilla Title: L.A. City Councilman, Seventh District Born: Panorama City, 1973 Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering Most Admired Person: Father Personal: Single By JENNIFER NETHERBY Staff Reporter It’s hard to escape the enthusiasm of Councilman Alex Padilla and his Generation X and Y staff. A visit to his office feels more like watching MTV than C-SPAN. Indeed, youth is a key ingredient in the appeal of Padilla, who at the age of 26 has become a political player in L.A. thanks in part to his appeal to younger constituents. But while that youthful component energized the campaign that led to Padilla’s election in June, it also raised questions about his political inexperience. Despite those concerns, Padilla collected 67 percent of the vote in the heavily Latino district, suggesting most of his constituents weren’t bothered by his age. After little more than a month in office, Padilla, a former engineer, seems to have a natural feel for politics as he settles into his role as the representative of the Northeastern Valley district where he grew up. Question: How did you go from MIT to politics? Answer: It’s very simple. I worked in industry at Hughes Aircraft here in the Valley. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t personally satisfying as much as I was hoping for. I was looking at changing careers when a personal friend of mine (Assemblyman Tony Cardenas, D-Sylmar) decided to run for office. He asked me to get involved in his campaign, so I said yes. We won and that was my entr & #233;e to electoral politics. Q: When did you first know you wanted to become a politician? A: Last fall. After Tony’s election, I worked for him for a couple years, managing his district office. I had other opportunities. I worked for Sen. (Dianne) Feinstein, not in Washington, but her offices here. I was happy doing my part of public service. I was also helping some of the good guys. But in terms of me being the office-holder or me being the candidate, that didn’t enter my mind until last November when there was a vacancy on the City Council. When (Cardenas) decided not to run, I considered it and looking at some of the candidates, I felt a responsibility to run. I was born in that community. I had some relevant and practical work experience, but more than anything else a commitment to that community and a proper perspective to do what’s right. Q: What reaction did you get from friends and family when you told them you were going to run for City Council? A: It was mixed. Again, the question how do you go from engineering to politics. A lot of people didn’t understand that. People who have known me for a long time and the extent to my community service and community involvement weren’t surprised by it. Some people felt it was a natural, which surprised me a little bit. Q: What was it about your campaign that made it so effective? A: It was very much community-based. It’s the district where I was born and raised and really love. All the community issues, all the local challenges, I have either personal experience or a connection to. Given that, everyday I was campaigning, I was knocking on doors, running into people I went to school with, that I knew from Little League, from church, what have you. That evolved into a huge volunteer operation, with a lot of young people, especially high school students, community college students, who have never been approached before and invited to be part of the political process. I did that, actively and indirectly. It generated a lot of community involvement and volunteer participation, and I think that was the biggest deciding factor. Q: There seems to be a real disconnect today between young people and community involvement including politics. Do you think that’s true? A: Unfortunately I do think it’s true and statistics show that. Rather than just be saddened by that trend, I feel a challenge to try to do something about it. If running for office or (choosing) certain projects or policies can invite more participation across the board, specifically from young people, I think that’s healthy for our society. Q: What was it like growing up in the Valley and how has it changed? A: Certainly Valleywide it has (changed). Demographics are changing, the economy’s changing. My district has grown in terms of the number of people living there. It’s very concentrated. Panorama City, for example, when I was very young, was one of the more pristine areas of the Valley and certainly the east end of the Valley. Now those same communities are pretty densely populated with apartment buildings and (there’s) a shortage of social services and government services in that area. That presents many challenges. Q: You’ve taken some heat in the race and now on council for being young. Do you think it handicaps you in any way? A: I don’t think it does at all. I’m a councilman with a vote, like any other member. The challenge is on me to move beyond that issue, which really doesn’t hold any water. It’s a matter of ideas, not age. Q: What are the pressing issues facing the business community in the Seventh District? A: Short-term there’s a lot of resources targeted at my district because of the economic conditions there. Federally, we have community redevelopment and empowerment zones. We have other programs, state and local, the enterprise zone, redevelopment zone, because we need to invest in the area economically. I think implementation of these programs has been far from perfect, and we’re working to improve that. One concern that a lot of business owners share with me is work-force preparedness. Although I’m not a school board member, I feel a duty to play a role in improving the educational level and educational opportunities for young people and adults (so they can) tackle better jobs and more significant jobs. Q: What’s a typical day like for you? A: There’s no such thing. Most days start at about 7:30 in the morning and end anywhere between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. What’s contained within those days just depends. The council meets Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays. So from 10 a.m. to sometimes 1 p.m. or 2 p.m., we’re in council chambers. Committees meet outside of that. Thursdays we try to have a lot of meetings in the district. Saturdays, a lot of public events, the barbecues and carnivals, ceremonial stuff. Sunday is really the only consistent day I have and that’s because I try not to do anything and spend that day with my family. We go to church in the morning, have breakfast or lunch together. Q: What do you envision for your political future? A: I have no idea. Running for office was a relatively new phenomenon. For myself, I’ll just be happy doing a good job these first two years and getting re-elected. Then after that, maybe start to think down the road a little bit.