Alejandro Padilla is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from California since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, 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. After that, he served as the 30th secretary of state of California from 2015 to 2021.