Gov. Gavin Newsom and US Senator Alex Padilla address Latino community at NALEO’s conference

Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Senator Alex Padilla spoke at the 43rd annual NALEO conference, the nation’s largest and most prestigious gathering of Latino policymakers. Both were part of a fireside chat on Monday in front of hundreds of Latino elected and appointed officials, civic leaders, and policy experts from across the country. 

To kick off the three-day conference in downtown Los Angeles, Newsom and Padilla discussed some of California’s priorities, the present and future of leadership as a new governor will emerge by the end of the year and the challenges and opportunities facing the state. 

Padilla opened the conversation emphasizing that the current administration has been governing through fear and intimidation, attacking immigrant communities. 

“Today too many Latinos are afraid to report crimes, to seek medical care, to go about their daily lives because they don’t know whether they’ll come home to their family at the end of the day,” Padilla said.

Newsom emphasized that just about a year ago, he was not far, in Little Tokyo at a press conference while outside ICE officers gathered, led by then Greg Bovino, to intimidate Newsom’s supporters. The officers made at least a couple of arrests. That was part of the ongoing massive ICE raids across the nation.

“We had thousands of community and faith leaders from every political strategy coming together because they wanted to fight fire with fire and save and preserve our democracy. Folks couldn’t get into the event because there were masked men standing outside,” he said. “No ID, not recognizing what agency they were from.”

The issue is not just immigration, Padilla said. It is also an effort by the Trump administration to target these communities in order to silence their political power by manipulating congressional maps.

“They are attacking voting rights, they are undermining confidence in our elections, just like they are trying to decide who gets to be an American," he said. “We cannot allow them to get their way.”

The economy needs to change

In matters of economy, Newsom said younger generations have more difficulty to succeed for different reasons, but part of it is the imbalance between the rich and the poor and how two-thirds of wealth in the nation is owned by 10% of the population, the same percentage that owns 93% of the stock market. 

“At the same time, we have 20 states still paying $7.25 an hour. Something’s fundamentally broken here, and that wealth is creating power, power locking in rules and regulations, locking everybody else out,” he said. 

In order to succeed, he said people can’t be at the margins anymore. He doesn’t think socialism will work, and neither does capitalism as it is now being practiced. 

The fireside chat was moderated by Erica Bernal-Martinez, NALEO and NALEO Educational Fund CEO. 

A popular ending 

The fireside chat, which took place during the luncheon, ended within an hour or so. Newsom and Padilla jokingly acknowledged the importance of the Word Cup semifinal of Spain vs. France. Participants stayed in the ballroom to watch the game and received some freebies, courtesy of Coca Cola. 

Before the conversation, Bernal-Martinez highlighted the importance of California’s Latino elected and appointed officials in shaping policies that strengthen the communities they represent.

Each year, the NALEO conference convenes hundreds of Latino policymakers and community leaders to engage in critical conversations on the most pressing issues impacting the nation. 

Through policy discussions, leadership development and the exchange of ideas, the conference equips attendees with the tools and strategies needed to govern effectively and strengthen civic engagement.

The conference will continue through Thursday at the InterContinental Hotel in Downtown L.A.