Top 70 Alex Padilla Quotes

Day in and day out, immigrants have put their own health and their families’ health on the line to keep America running.

Now, California is a big state, we’re a very diverse state, full of diverse communities with local variations in the cost of living and local business conditions. Just like the rest of the country. And let me tell you, the sky did not fall when California enacted a $15 minimum wage.

There’s a lot that can and should be done, not just in terms of elections administration with respect to the voting rights, but the protections of voters themselves.

The Postal Service is essential to our democracy, economy, and health care system.

An accurate census is critical to our democracy and to our economy. It underpins fair representation in government and allows us to ensure that our communities receive equitable funding for schools, roads, health care, and much more.

Granting formerly incarcerated individuals the right to vote tells them ‘your voice matters.’

Your zip code or your income level should not dictate your access to healthy drinking water.

As California’s former chief elections officer, I was proud to strengthen election security and boost voter turnout by implementing the critical reforms contained in the For the People Act. They are proven, they are secure, and they should be available to all voters.

Our public lands are one of our state’s greatest gifts – from the San Gabriel Mountains, to the Central Coast, and through Northwestern California’s forests and rivers.

Urban Indian Organizations are a lifeline to Native Americans living in urban areas across California.

Improving food security is critical in ensuring that higher education opportunities remain accessible for all.

I took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Working class communities, like the one I grew up in, have long felt the disproportionate and cumulative impacts of pollution.

For years, the Postal Service has been saddled with misguided financial requirements. Eliminating these burdens will allow us to invest in the long-term strength and stability of the Postal Service.

Restoring the right to vote to individuals who have served their term in prison is also a common-sense public safety measure.

For too long, our immigration system has failed to live up to the ideals and principles our nation was founded on.

Transportation is responsible for half of our state’s air pollution, and many suffer as a result. Children are more likely to develop respiratory illnesses and struggle in school when they breathe smoggy air.

We must pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in order to reform the system that led to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Adam Toledo, and too many more.

We cannot sell out our public lands for destructive fossil fuel development that pollutes our air, water, and land.

COVID relief means not only addressing the health impacts of this pandemic, but also rebuilding our economy.

Growing up, my mom and dad relentlessly emphasized hard work and a good education as key to a better future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an incredible toll on our country. Every state has been impacted. Every community has suffered. Especially working-class communities of color, like the neighborhoods Attorney General Becerra and I grew up in.

While no state has more at stake in immigration policy than California, the entire nation stands to benefit from thoughtful immigration reform.

I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act. This critical legislation will not only invest in clean energy and improve transportation, but it will also prioritize projects in underserved communities and create good-paying jobs for the American people.

Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must address inequities facing Native Americans.

My parents immigrated to California from Mexico in the 1960s in search of a better life. They arrived from different regions of Mexico with little formal education, but a tremendous work ethic and big dreams.

The fate of our democracy rests on our ability to protect voting rights for all citizens.

No one who works a full-time job should live in poverty. It’s that simple. We must stand on the side of hard-working Americans.

A civically engaged citizenry feeds oxygen to our democracy.

Our neighborhood had more than its share of challenges, from poverty to crime to unhealthy air. It may not have been the safest neighborhood, but my mom felt blessed that we had the sanctuary of a backyard. And we had a strong sense of community.

Once-in-a-generation weather events are now becoming a regular occurrence. Whether it be public safety power shutoffs or electric system failures due to extreme weather events, we must invest in grid resilience and modernization in order to keep the power on in impacted communities.

Building back better demands that we build back better for everyone – and that we leave no one and no community behind.

Accountability for police officers should be an expectation, not an aberration.

Redemption and rehabilitation for formerly incarcerated individuals is best achieved when they are able to reintegrate back into the community as productive members.

It is unacceptable that so many students who are juggling school, work, and family life are also going hungry.

Republicans and Democrats know Xavier Becerra to be a thoughtful leader who is always willing to listen to both sides.

Investing in resilience and sustainability programs is essential to stretching our limited water resources, ensuring safe drinking water for at-risk communities, and adapting to climate change.

Immigrants are critical to our strength in every essential industry, from agriculture and education to health care, domestic work, construction, food processing, technology, and many more.

Police officers’ disproportionate use of force against people of color is a stain on our nation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the immense, underlying inequities in our nation.

Voting is a right and a responsibility. Teaching young voters the value of this right and responsibility will show them the power they possess to shape their future.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to restore dignity and humanity to our immigration policies and to respectfully uphold America’s legacy as a nation of immigrants.

Millions of Americans and businesses rely on the Postal Service to deliver our medicine, ballots, and retail goods – securely and on time. The Postal Service deserves our full support.

Immigrant essential workers are integrated into our communities and clearly into our workforce.

When they regain the right to vote, formerly incarcerated individuals know that they have a real voice in impacting change in their community.

College students shouldn’t be forced to choose between text books and their next meal.

It is important that we honor and remember the sacrifices of countless families in the mobilization to defeat fascism during World War II.

Every American deserves a shot at the American dream without having to make the impossible choice of earning a degree or being saddled with a lifetime of debt.

Lake Tahoe is a California treasure and we must do everything we can to protect it for future generations.

As the Senator from the most populous and most diverse state in the nation – and as the first Latino Senator from California – let me just say: what a great country this is.

I supported the American Rescue Plan because it recognized we need a comprehensive approach to our economic recovery.

For the family living paycheck-to-paycheck, or those at risk in their current living situation, access to affordable housing is pivotal to their safety and long-term stability.

As the country has become more diverse, not just states like California and New York, but throughout the nation, it’s no coincidence that we have seen a resurgence of white supremacy and violent extremism. And history’s clear: voter suppression is rooted in white supremacy.

No one should ever have to choose between their health and their job.

The science is clear: to solve the climate crisis, we must protect our natural spaces.

I’m eager to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get things done for the people of California and the nation.

Attorney General Becerra was the leading force behind the lawsuit to protect the Affordable Care Act. Yes, he had the audacity to maintain protections for people with pre-existing conditions and for those suffering from mental illness.

Having served as California’s top elections official, I’ve been fighting back against Trump’s ‘Big Lie’ and conspiracy theories about the integrity of our elections for years.

California is a national leader in the fight against climate change and eliminating toxic pollution from our transportation sector because we have seen how polluted air endangers our communities.

Rooting out white supremacists and right-wing extremists is a challenge that local law enforcement agencies, and even the U.S. military, is facing all across this nation.

Throughout his upbringing and time as a public servant, Xavier Becerra has shown his passion for people and his commitment to improving the lives of those he serves.

Transitioning to renewable energy sources that create and keep good-paying jobs in America must be our focus.

I’m proud to co-lead the Student Food Security Act to permanently expand college students’ eligibility for nutrition assistance benefits, and help put food on the table for those who need it most.

Far too often, local voices have been overlooked when it comes to planning transportation projects.

Conserving the Rim of the Valley Corridor is critical to helping California and the nation meet our goal of conserving 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.

We need to, in my opinion, to restore the full strength of the federal Voting Rights Act.

During the Jim Crow era, we know that racially targeted and racially motivated voter suppression was often blatant. Legislators adapted overtly racist policies like literacy tests, and poll taxes in an effort to shape the electorate.

While the national highway system connects cities and facilitates economic activity across the nation, it’s construction historically has been deeply destructive for many communities, particularly low-income communities and communities of color.

Our most historically underserved communities have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Many in these communities have not had the option of not going to work or working remotely, increasing their risk of exposure to coronavirus.

My parents, Santos and Lupe Padilla, immigrated separately from Mexico and met in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. It was love at first sight and the young couple decided to get married, apply for green cards, and start a family.