Steve PadillaIncumbent

Candidate for State Senate District 18

Steve Padilla is the incumbent Democratic member of the California State Senate. He represents District 18. That district covers San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. He took office on December 5, 2022. He won the 2022 general election with 59.8% of the vote. He was born in San Diego. He has lived in Chula Vista most of his life. Before the legislature, Padilla was a police officer for about 13 years. He worked for the Chula Vista and Coronado police departments. He specialized in domestic violence and child abuse cases. He led the Chula Vista Police Officers Association. He holds two undergraduate degrees. They are in liberal arts and public administration. He earned them from Southwestern College and National University. Padilla served on the Chula Vista City Council. He served from 1994 to 2002, and again from 2016 to 2022. He also served as the city's mayor, from 2002 to 2006. In 2005 he publicly came out as gay. At the time, Chula Vista became the largest U.S. city with an openly gay mayor. He has also served on the California Coastal Commission. He held multiple appointments there, beginning in the mid-2000s, and again from 2017. He chaired that commission from 2019 to 2021. He is running for re-election to District 18. That election is in November 2026. Home: Chula Vista, California. Occupation: California State Senator, District 18. He is also a former police officer and detective. Prior office: He has been the incumbent since December 2022, in California State Senate District 18. He previously served on the Chula Vista City Council, from 1994 to 2002 and from 2016 to 2022. He was also Mayor of Chula Vista, from 2002 to 2006.

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