Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Gavin Newsom on Tuesday appointed Alex Padilla to be the next U.S. senator from the state of California to fill the vacancy of Kamala Harris, who was elected vice president and will take office on January 20.
In a statement, the governor's office noted that Padilla is the current secretary of state of California; formerly a Los Angeles city councilman and state senator, he is a national leader in the fight to expand voting rights.
He added that Alex Padilla became the first Latino to represent the state of California in the upper house of the U.S. Congress, and also the first southern citizen to join the Senate in almost three decades.
"Son of Mexican immigrants, cook and house cleaner, Alex Padilla made his way from humble beginnings to the halls of MIT, Los Angeles City Hall and the state Senate, and has become a national advocate for voting rights as secretary of state," the governor said.
"Through his tenacity, integrity, intelligence and courage, California is winning a proven fighter who will be a fierce ally in D.C., elevating the values of our state and securing the critical resources to emerge stronger from this pandemic. He will be a senator for all Californians," added Newsom.
For his part, Alex Padilla said he felt honored by the trust placed in him by Governor Newsom, and that he intends to work every day to honor that trust and meet all Californians.
"From those struggling to make ends meet, to small businesses struggling to keep their doors open, to health care workers seeking relief, please know that I am going to the Senate to fight for you," the California secretary of state said.
Notably, Padilla, 47, was the favorite candidate in a field crowded with possibilities for completing the remainder of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' term, who plans to leave her Senate seat in January, before Inauguration Day, January 20.
Although senators are traditionally elected by voters at the polls, in this case it was the state governor who appointed Harris' replacement, whose term in the upper house runs until 2022.
