damian: we do begin with the honorable alex padilla. he's here in our studio for a very special message to all the voters. welcome to the show, welcome back to the show. alex padilla: yes, thank you for having me back. damian: thank you for being here. you're kind of a trailblazer because when you were first elected, you were the first latino elected to statewide office. and now there's what, three or four? alex: yes, so we have attorney general xavier becerra, who was first appointed to the position by governor brown, and recently re-elected to a full term. we have insurance commissioner ricardo lara, now at the helm in that statewide position. and also tony thurmond, half panameño, and now the superintendent of public instruction. so, you know, more latinos being elected to office, which is a great milestone to celebrate, but more importantly now comes the work, right? so, what do we do with these positions to make life better for all californians? damian: and you've had your white knuckles on a steering wheel as you've taken the helm

secretary of state, alex padilla met with community leaders today noting that fear is running high within some immigrant communities over the t administration's efforts to put a citizenship question on the survey. state leaders worry it will suppress the census response. if everyone is not counted, california could lose key federal funding. >> there's been two court cases that ruled in our favor. federal judges ruling on the unconstitutionality of that question. but ultimately, we'll wait to see what the supreme court has to say in june. >> people who will conduct the census will begin mobilizing asap. california spending $100 million on a statewide campaign to boost census compliance, much on translating outreach materials into different languages. >>> a rally in sacramento for affordable education. hundreds of sdents gathered on the stechps of the state capitol. the rising cost of living and tuition is becoming harder to try and succeed. >> take away some of the barrie eating and going to class, between eating and finding a place to stay. >> they're calling on lawmakers to pass a bill t

was another important tomic at the conference also discussed by california secretary of state alex padilla who gave the keynote speech. padilla continued on to say a number of voting machines are outdated and counties across the country need more money for better computers and software to count ballots and mark them for people with disabilities. >> we must make a commitment, not a one-time commitment, not a once every 15-year commitment, but a sustained commitment to invest in our elections. >> reporter: the secretary of state also noted that this year california's budget has an extra $134 million just for upgrading election equipment. anoushah rasta, nbc bay area news. >> up next, a victory for san jose and the rest of the california. the judge's ruling in a lawsuit filed against the trump administration. >> also things just got real fancy in fremont. there it is, the tesla, the newest police car just hit the streets. >> storm ranger shows more spotty rain right now, but i'll let you know when you'll need those sunglasses coming up in 6 minutes. >>> an nbc bay area exclusive now, stephon

california secretary of state alex padilla says more than 20 million people are registered to vote acrosste, makes up just under 80% of the state's total eligible voters. it is also california's highest number of registered voters in 23 years. >>> today the city of san francisco is taking steps to assist federal workers if a partial government shutdown happens this year. mayor london breed is among those sponsoring an ordinance that would allow up to $20 million in loans made available for federal workers. it's possible that the city could partner with banks and other financial institutions to get the money. >>> and when is a cut not a cut? >> scott mcgrew, the president wants to reduce medicare's budget by hundreds of billions of dollars. >> a reduction, not a cut. no matter what term you use though, the president's new budget definitely sends hundreds of billions of dollars less to medicare, which would seem to violate one of trump's biggest campaign promises. remember, over and over, he said he would not cut medicare. here is a tweet back when he was running in the primary against mike