Steve Padilla

Stephen C. Padilla, born in 1967, is an American politician who has served in the California State Senate since 2022. Before that, he spent many years in public service in his hometown of Chula Vista. He was a member of the Chula Vista City Council from 1994 to 2002, and later became the Mayor of Chula Vista from 2002 to 2006. During his time as mayor, he helped guide the city, which is home to about 240,000 people.

Padilla has also served on important state boards. He was part of the California Coastal Commission from 2005 to 2007 and again starting in 2017. He also worked with the Unified Port of San Diego as a Board Secretary and Vice Chairman-Elect from 2009 to 2011. In 2016, he returned to the Chula Vista City Council for another term.

Padilla is also known for being one of the growing number of openly gay leaders in California politics. His career shows his commitment to public service and leadership in various roles across the state.

Early life

Steve Padilla’s father was from Mexico and his mother was from Portugal. Not long after Steve was born, his father joined the United States Marine Corps and went to fight in the Vietnam War. When he came back, sadly, he died in a car accident. Steve’s mother then bought a home in Chula Vista where she raised her family. She later remarried, and Steve gained a stepfather.

Steve enjoyed being a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout, and later joined the Chula Vista Explorer Scouts. After finishing Bonita Vista High School, Steve became a police officer at a very young age. He worked for thirteen years, helping solve cases related to keeping families safe and protecting children. While working as a police officer, Steve went back to school and earned a bachelor's degree in public administration. He also helped out in schools as a substitute teacher for the Sweetwater Union High School District.

City council

Steve Padilla was elected to the Chula Vista City Council in 1994. He was the first person of Latino descent to hold this position in the city's history, even though the city had a diverse population. Padilla was re-elected in 1998.

During his time on the council, Padilla helped change city laws, such as stopping the easy sale of tobacco in the city. He also worked on improving safety rules for mobile home parks and helped reform how the city planned its budget, choosing to plan for two years at a time. Padilla also asked a board member of the San Diego Unified Port District to step down because of issues with a consulting contract. At one point, he served as Deputy Mayor.

Mayoralty

Steve Padilla was elected as the 38th Mayor of Chula Vista on November 5, 2002. He won against another city council member, Mary Salas. This was special because all the candidates were Hispanic, meaning Chula Vista would have its first Hispanic mayor. Padilla wanted to help manage growth in the city and improve older neighborhoods. He also planned to make sure developers helped pay for roads before they could build.

As mayor, Padilla worked on big plans for the city's waterfront and helped bring more than 100,000 books to children in need. He also worked to bring a research center to Chula Vista. In 2005, Padilla shared that he was gay, which brought him attention and some new challenges. In 2006, he tried to be re-elected but lost to Cheryl Cox. Some people were upset about how city money was used during his time as mayor.

Post-mayoral career

Steve Padilla served on the California Coastal Commission from 2005 until 2007. In 2011, he tried to join the Chula Vista City Council again but was not chosen by a very close vote.

In 2014, Padilla ran for a seat on the Chula Vista City Council again, but lost by just 2 votes out of nearly 39,000. In 2016, he ran for a different seat and won, becoming the first openly-gay person elected to city office in Chula Vista.

In 2017, Padilla was appointed again to the California Coastal Commission by California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. He later became the chair of the commission. Padilla was reelected to the Chula Vista City Council in 2020.

Personal life

Steve Padilla is openly gay today, but he was once married to a woman. He told his family about his sexuality in 1999 and separated from his wife around that time. They divorced, and he became the sole guardian of their daughter, Ashleigh. Although some people guessed his sexuality when he ran for mayor, he didn’t publicly share that he was gay until 2005.

In March 2020, Padilla tested positive for COVID-19. A week later, he was taken to the Intensive Care Unit at his local hospital.

Electoral history

Chula Vista City Council

Mayor of Chula Vista

^A Barajas received 7 votes as a write-in in the runoff

California State Senate