Imelda Padilla, the newest member of the Los Angeles City Council, was sworn in as an officially elected councilmember on Tuesday, Aug. 1 after her win in the June special election for Council District 6 was certified by the council.
Padilla had been appointed to the council on July 5, about a week after a runoff election to fill the vacant seat in the district showed her well ahead of her competitor. But the council could only recognize Padilla as an appointed councilmember, while it waited for the election results to be formally certified by the county registrar’s office.
Tuesday marked the council’s first opportunity to declare those election results final, following a nearly monthlong summer recess during which the council did not meet.
Just before the council voted 12-0 to certify the results, Padilla said she looked forward to being a “coalition builder.”
“I’ve been talking a lot on my campaign trail about how I’m not a fan of policy being done in a very zero-sum way. … I told my (constituents) that I was going to come, be here and be intentional with what I do, not just gonna do things because they’re popular or because it happens to be what’s sensational at the time,” she said, pledging to be “methodical” and “intentional” in her actions and decisions.
Padilla, who turned 36 last month, is the second-youngest member on the Los Angeles City Council.
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who is 33, noted that Padilla’s election means there are now seven women on the 15-member council – a record in Los Angeles – and said it shows that young people can lead.
“Young people with the progressive vision can lead and can take these positions,” Hernandez said.
Time will tell whether Padilla’s constituents will consider her a far-left Democrat or one whose positions are more centrist.
Padilla has worked as a community organizer, advocating to raise the city’s minimum wage and tackling environmental issues. Despite her…
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