[4] Padilla was born in 1987 in Van Nuys and raised in Sun Valley, a first-generation Mexican-American with her father being a gardener and her mother working at an airplane factory.

She attended John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, with her sisters introducing her to the L.A. City Youth Council when she was in ninth grade.

[5][9] She worked on engagement for the L.A. County’s Women and Girls Initiative, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, and Pacoima Beautiful, as well as being a field deputy for councilmember Nury Martinez.

[15] In 2022, Padilla announced that she would be running for Los Angeles City Council for the 6th district, which was vacated by incumbent Nury Martinez due to her involvement in a scandal.

[19] The same day she declared victory, Council President Paul Krekorian introduced a motion to appoint her to the seat before the results were certified as well as naming her as caretaker before the certification.