Video: A Conversation with US Senator Alex Padilla [Video]

Last week in Sacramento, PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye sat down with US senator Alex Padilla for a wide-ranging conversation about major challenges facing California and the nation, from addressing climate change to finding common ground in the Senate to ensuring voting rights in a consequential election year.

“When you represent a state of 40 million people, it often feels like there are 40 million number one priorities,” joked Padilla. But he went on to name three: climate change “in all its manifestations,” voting rights, and immigration reform.

“There are so many long-term residents in the US who happen to be undocumented,” Padilla said. “We rely on them, we designate them as essential workers, but we can’t give them the dignity of living without fear of deportation.” In addition to creating pathways for long-term residents to become citizens, he said, successful reform needs to address border security and improve …