Imelda Padilla

Imelda Padilla
Padilla in 2024
Member of the Los Angeles City Council
from the 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 5, 2023
Preceded byNury Martinez
Personal details
Born1987 (age 36–37)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
California State University, Northridge (MA)

Imelda G. Padilla (born 1987) is an American politician who is currently a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 6th district since 2023.[1][2] She had previously ran for the Los Angeles Unified School District's Board of Education for the 6th district, losing to Kelly Gonez in the runoff election.[3]

Elected in the 2023 Los Angeles special election to replace Nury Martinez, Padilla previously worked as a community relations manager.[4]

Early life and education

Padilla was born in 1987 in Van Nuys and raised in Sun Valley, a first-generation Mexican-American with her father being a gardener and her mother working at an airplane factory.[5] One of several children, Padilla has stated that she had followed her older sisters towards doing community service. She attended John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, with her sisters introducing her to the L.A. City Youth Council when she was in ninth grade.[6] While attending public schools, she had rickets and was bullied by other kids.[7][8] She then attended and graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor's degree, later graduating from California State University, Northridge with a master's degree.[5][9] She worked on engagement for the L.A. County’s Women and Girls Initiative, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, and Pacoima Beautiful, as well as being a field deputy for councilmember Nury Martinez.[10]

Political career

Run for LAUSD Board of Education

In 2016, Padilla announced that she would be running for LAUSD's Board of Education for the 6th district, which was being vacated by Monica Ratliff's run for City Council, stating that various people had come to her asking her to run. She was backed by United Teachers Los Angeles and other unions.[11][12] In the primary election, she was behind Kelly Gonez, a schoolteacher who was backed by the California Charter School Association, and they went into a runoff.[13][14] In the general election, Padilla lost against Gonez.[15]

Los Angeles City Council

Padilla (center) with Karen Bass, Tony Cárdenas, and other officials announcing funds for new bus shelters, 2023.

In 2022, Padilla announced that she would be running for Los Angeles City Council for the 6th district, which was vacated by incumbent Nury Martinez due to her involvement in a scandal.[16] She was endorsed by councilmember Monica Rodriguez as well as former councilmembers Joy Picus and Tony Cárdenas, all of them with districts in the San Fernando Valley where the 6th district is also located.[17] Some people criticized her for her closeness with Nury Martinez, working for her while Martinez was the director for Pacoima Beautiful and while she was a councilmember.[6] In the primary election, Padilla led the candidates in first place as three others fought for second place; she eventually faced Marisa Alcaraz in the runoff election.[18] In the runoff election, Padilla took an early lead and later defeated Alcaraz.[19] The same day she declared victory, Council President Paul Krekorian introduced a motion to appoint her to the seat before the results were certified as well as naming her as caretaker before the certification.[20]

Electoral history

2017 LAUSD Board of Education district 6 election
Primary election
Candidate Votes %
Kelly Gonez 15,984 37.16
Imelda Padilla 13,390 31.13
Patty López 5,159 11.99
Araz Parseghian 3,853 8.96
Gwendolyn Posey 2,483 5.77
Jose Sandoval 2,149 5.00
Total votes 43,018 100.00
General election
Kelly Gonez 16,961 51.46
Imelda Padilla 15,996 48.54
Total votes 32,957 100.00
2023 Los Angeles City Council district 6 special election
Candidate Votes %
Imelda Padilla 3,424 25.66
Marisa Alcaraz 2,819 21.13
Marco Santana 2,523 18.91
Rose Grigoryan 1,985 14.88
Isaac Kim 1,455 10.90
Antoinette Scully 745 5.58
Douglas Sierra 393 2.95
Write-in 162 1.23
Total votes 13,506 100.00
Imelda Padilla 8,520 55.79
Marisa Alcaraz 6,751 44.21
Total votes 15,271 100.00

References

  1. ^ "Imelda Padilla leads L.A. Council District 6 seat in semifinal official voting returns". CBS Los Angeles. June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Padilla Wins City Council Special Election". mynewsLA.com. June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  3. ^ Rodriguez, Sal (April 5, 2023). "Los Angeles' status quo currently leading in Council District 6 election". Los Angeles Daily News.
  4. ^ Lloyd, Jonathan (June 28, 2023). "Semifinal results show Imelda Padilla on top in LA City Council special election". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Herrera, Jose (April 5, 2023). "Imelda Padilla is Front Runner, While it's a Narrow Race for Second in Council District 6 Special Election". San Fernando Valley Sun.
  6. ^ a b Sperber, Sophie (April 4, 2023). "Meet the District 6 candidates: Imelda Padilla". USC Annenberg Media.
  7. ^ Szymanski, Mike (September 7, 2016). "Imelda Padilla, who found inspiration in LAUSD schools after personal struggles, enters board race". LA School Report.
  8. ^ Blume, Howard (May 9, 2017). "Different crowds address varied concerns in L.A. school board races". Los Angeles Times.
  9. ^ "CSUN Grad Leads As LA City Council Race Appears Headed To Runoff". Patch Media. April 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Lee, Brianna (March 3, 2023). "CD6 Special Election: Who's Vying To Replace Nury Martinez On LA's City Council". LAist.
  11. ^ Stokes, Kyle (March 6, 2017). "How to campaign in a wide-open, low-turnout LA Unified school board race". KPCC.
  12. ^ Garcia, Alex (May 10, 2017). "Residents In LAUSD District 6 Vote For School Board Tuesday". San Fernando Valley Sun.
  13. ^ Favot, Sam (March 7, 2017). "Steve Zimmer will face Nick Melvoin in runoff as Mónica García wins outright; Kelly Gonez leads Imelda Padilla going into runoff". LA School Report.
  14. ^ Favot, Sam (May 3, 2017). "Gonez and Padilla meet in first and potentially only forum ahead of runoff election". LA School Report.
  15. ^ Romero, Esmeralda Fabián (May 17, 2017). "Kelly Gonez declares victory in LAUSD's District 6 race". LA School Report.
  16. ^ Tat, Linh (March 7, 2023). "Election 2023: Meet the candidates for LA City Council District 6's special April 4 vote". Los Angeles Daily News.
  17. ^ Smith, Dakota (March 18, 2023). "L.A. on the Record: Who are council members supporting in the Valley race?". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ Tat, Linh (April 4, 2023). "Imelda Padilla leads race to fill Nury Martinez's former LA City Council seat; 3 jockey for second place". Los Angeles Daily News.
  19. ^ Smith, Dakota (June 27, 2023). "Imelda Padilla takes significant lead in L.A. City Council District 6 race". Los Angeles Times.
  20. ^ Smith, Dakota (June 30, 2023). "Imelda Padilla claims victory in Valley council race". Los Angeles Times.