Newly Appointed Calif. Senator Alex Padilla Faces GOP-Sought Probe Over State Contract

Newly Appointed Calif. Senator Alex Padilla Faces GOP-Sought Probe Over State Contract

Alex Padilla, who was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to be the state's next senator, filling the seat held by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, faces a GOP-sought probe over his involvement in a political consulting firm's state contract."The son of Mexican immigrants—a cook and house cleaner—Alex Padilla worked his way from humble beginnings to the halls of MIT, the Los Angeles City Council and the State Senate, and has become a national defender of voting rights as California's Secretary of State," Newsom wrote in a statement announcing Padilla's appointment. "Now, he will serve in the halls of our nation's Capitol as California's next United States Senator, the first Latino to hold this office."But Padilla, a Democrat, is under fire from Republican congressmen over a contract his office awarded to public affairs and political consulting firm SKDKnickerbocker, which created a voter outreach campaign called Vote Safe California.The Sacramento Bee first reported the contract with the firm, which has been linked to several notable Democrats. Earlier this month, the main banner to the firm's website featured a picture of President-elect Joe Biden and Harris and thanked them for fighting for the "the soul of the nation," according to the Bee.California Secretary