Councilmember Imelda Padilla is an experienced coalition builder with 20 years of
experience of community leadership. Ms.Padilla was born in Van Nuys and grew up in
the working-class neighborhood of Sun Valley where she was raised along with her 5
siblings. From a very young age, Ms.Padilla has been advocating for the residents of
the San Fernando Valley to have adequate resources to thrive and has a proven record
of producing outcomes in policy and programs. Over the years, she has brought
together leaders from across labor unions, businesses, faith-based communities, along
with elected officials to enhance prosperity for all Angelenos. She has served in multiple
capacities from mobilizing a Valley coalition to raise the minimum wage to $15, to being
a former Sun Valley Neighborhood Council member, to creating the Adelante Youth
Summit, to launching the Women and Girls Initiative with the County of Los Angeles and
serving as President of the Valley College Foundation.
Ms. Padilla attended LAUSD public schools and received her bachelor’s degree in
political science from the University of California Berkeley, with a minor in philosophy
and Chicano studies. In 2015, Ms. Padilla returned to school at Cal State Northridge
and received her Master’s in Public Administration.
On August 1st, 2023, Imelda was officially sworn in to represent District 6 on the Los
Angeles City Council, after her win in the June 27th special election.