Labor Group Ratifies Padilla Endorsement

County Federation of Labor members have ratified the executive board’s endorsement of Alex Padilla in the race for the 7th District seat on the Los Angeles City Council, union leaders said Tuesday.

The federation, with 14,000 union members in the 7th District, plans to put money and workers into the Padilla campaign, according to Miguel Contreras, the executive secretary-treasurer of the federation.

“He’s the best candidate out there in terms of representing working families,” Contreras said.

The federation is an umbrella group for 320 unions representing more than 700,000 members in Los Angeles County.

Former 7th District Councilman Richard Alarcon vacated the seat after winning election in November to the state Senate.

Padilla, 25, is an MIT graduate and aide to Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar).

Not all of the federation’s membership, however, supports Padilla.

Members of Local 300 of the Construction Laborer’s Union supported former San Fernando Mayor Raul Godinez II in the race. Godinez said he is a dues-paying union member who believes the federation’s position is not shared by many of the union members living in the northeast Valley.

“I think the membership is going to go differently than the leadership,” he said.

Contreras said union officials were not concerned that Alarcon has endorsed Corinne Sanchez in the race.

“Richard’s a great friend of ours,” Contreras said. “We want to make our decisions . . . not on the leanings of public officials.”