Sydney Kamlager - Meet the Freshmen

Sydney Kamlager

Sydney Kamlager
Party:
Democratic
Chamber:
House
State:
District:
37

Replacing:

Karen Bass (D)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

California State Senate (Senator, District 30); California State Assembly (Assemblymember, District 54); Los Angeles Community College District (President / Trustee); Los Angeles County Commission on Children & Families (Member); Office of California State Senator Holly Mitchell (District Director); Office of California State Assemblymember Holly Mitchell (District Director); Crystal Stairs, Inc. (Public Affairs Division Manager); Employers Group (Legislative Director); Cieluna Company (Director of Development); Actor Delroy Lindo (Assistant); Social & Public Art Resource Center (Spokesperson)[ii] [iii] [iv] [v]

Education:

Attended, Compton College; BS, University of Southern California; MA, Carnegie Mellon University[vi]

Campaigned On:

Expanding Voting Rights; Reproductive Justice; Health Care for All; Criminal Justice Reform; Job Creation; Housing; Green New Deal & Immediate Climate Action; Investments in Education & Arts[vii]

On the Issues

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Kamlager supports reproductive justice and is committed to securing access to abortion care and birth control, including passing a constitutional amendment to protect the right to choose in California.[viii] She has worked to remove cost as a barrier to abortion and introduced a bill that would provide resources, infrastructure, education, and other necessities for women’s reproductive care.[ix] [x]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

Kamlager argues for job creation that creates economic justice and opportunities for all communities.[xi] She helped establish the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program to help small businesses stay afloat during the pandemic.[xii] Kamlager supported passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.[xiii]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Kamlager supports Medicare for All and co-authored a bill that would provide single-payer healthcare to every Californian.[xiv] [xv] She also co-authored a measure that would protect health insurance for freelancers and independent contractors.[xvi] Kamlager supports allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and was the lead proponent of a bill that would bypass Big Pharma and procure low-cost medicine from Canadian suppliers.[xvii] [xviii] She believes mental health will be the next pandemic and has called for greater investment in a statewide wellness initiative program in California.[xix]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Kamlager supports DREAMers and the DACA program, as well as policies that prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.[xx] [xxi] Kamlager has called for better treatment of refugees and those seeking asylum in the US.[xxii] [xxiii] She opposes building a wall on the southern border.[xxiv]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Kamlager advocates for criminal justice reform focused on “diversion, redemption, and rehabilitation.”[xxv] In the California State Senate, she wrote a bill that provided for trained, community-led teams to respond to non-violent 911 calls instead of the police.[xxvi] She also cosponsored a bill that would expand efforts to reduce racial bias in the courtroom.[xxvii] Kamlager has worked to reduce prison sentences for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, transform the state’s probation system, increase the amount of money people are given when released from state prison, and amend the state Penal Code to hold police accountable and eliminate barriers in prosecuting criminal acts by members of law enforcement.[xxviii] [xxix] She also supports bail reform and reducing sentences, including for those who commit serious crimes.[xxx]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

Kamlager has worked to expand voting rights and supported a California measure that would allow those with felony convictions who are on parole to vote.[xxxi] [xxxii] She has called for expanding and rebalancing the US Supreme Court.[xxxiii]

EDUCATION:

Kamlager supports greater investments in education and the arts.[xxxiv] She believes student loans hold people “hostage” and supports cancelling student debt.[xxxv] She has also suggested that education should be free and supported passing a Student Borrower Bill of Rights in California.[xxxvi] [xxxvii]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Kamlager has called for immediate action to address the climate crisis and advocates for a Green New Deal.[xxxviii] She argues that California’s transition to sustainability must be accelerated and is committed to a goal of 100% clean energy by 2030.[xxxix] She co-authored the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, which would reduce single-use plastic packaging in California landfills by 75%, and fought for legislation to remove carbon from the atmosphere.[xl]

BIG TECH & DATA PRIVACY:

In February 2022, Kamlager introduced a bill that would allow Californians to pay for state services using cryptocurrency.[xli] She believes facial recognition software violates peoples’ right to privacy.[xlii]

GUN SAFETY:

Kamlager is a gun safety advocate and has worked to get ghost guns off the street, prohibit the sale of guns on state property, and establish stronger restrictions on who can purchase, sell, and possess firearms. She has also urged California banks to stop lending to gun manufacturers.[xliii] [xliv] [xlv] In Congress, she will advocate for universal background checks and strong red flag laws.[xlvi] Kamlager received an “F” rating from the NRA and has been endorsed by Giffords PAC and Moms Demand Action.[xlvii] [xlviii] Foreign policy:


[i] “Rep. Karen Bass,” LegiStorm, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/151741/Karen_Ruth_Bass.html.

[ii] Sydney Kamlager LinkedIn, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneykamlager-dove/details/experience/.

[iii] “Nonprofit Agency Selected for Program on Self-Sufficiency,” Los Angeles Times, October 22, 1996, available at https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-22-me-56528-story.html.

[iv] “Touchstone Pictures & Jerry Bruckheimer Films: ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ Cast,” accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://tcotrel.tripod.com/gone/gonecredits.html.

[v] “Biography,” Office of California Senator Sydney K. Kamlager, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sd30.senate.ca.gov/about/biography.

[vi] Sydney Kamlager LinkedIn, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneykamlager-dove/.

[vii] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[viii] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, May 3, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1521549590519975937.

[ix] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[x] William D’Urso, “Kamlager pushes bill for abortion services pilot program,” Spectrum News 1, May 4, 2022, available at https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/news/2022/05/05/kamlager-pushes-bill-for-abortion-services-pilot-program-.

[xi] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xii] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xiii] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, August 19, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1560778809422790656.

[xiv] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, July 24, 2021, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1419130397468749829.

[xv] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xvi] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xvii] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xviii] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, August 19, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1560778811154657280.

[xix] “Interview with Senator Sydney Kamlager,” SacTown Talks YouTube, 18:25-18:40, February 21, 2022, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Bwn5e2Fqc&t=1s.

[xx] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, June 18, 2020, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1273639837430472705?s=20&t=0nROJN32HUHarmWcbVghXg.

[xxi] “ACLU SoCal Assembly District 54 Special Election Candidate Survey – Sydney Kamlager,” ACLU SoCal, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://www.aclusocal.org/sites/default/files/Archive_2/ACLU%20SoCal%20AD%2054%20Candidate%20Survey%20-%20Sydney%20Kamlager.pdf.

[xxii] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, July 3, 2019, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1146425371438436352.

[xxiii] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, September 22, 2021, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1440683622051115009.

[xxiv] Senator Sydney Kamlager Facebook, December 21, 2018, available at https://www.facebook.com/SenSydneyKamlager/posts/pfbid02ZTvY637aQRAnSFyoNuU2he2Xs2GftRcxwvLYjSZf5zpWo2x9xBkcnXiQp61wNUdWl.

[xxv] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xxvi] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xxvii] Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Association, “Reform-minded DA Gascon Claims to Have a New Friend in the White House, Child Decapitator Could Get as Little as 20 Years, and Other Stories: Monday Morning Memo; Alleged killer of a Pacoima woman had been deported 10 times, Georgia lawyer brags on Facebook about storming Capitol and gets arrested,” Santa Monica Observer, January 27, 2021, accessed via LexisNexis.

[xxviii] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xxix] Maanvi Singh, “California gives people leaving prison just $200 to start over. After 50 years, that could change,” The Guardian, February 18, 2022, available at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/18/california-legislation-gate-money-prison.

[xxx] “ACLU SoCal Assembly District 54 Special Election Candidate Survey – Sydney Kamlager,” ACLU SoCal, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://www.aclusocal.org/sites/default/files/Archive_2/ACLU%20SoCal%20AD%2054%20Candidate%20Survey%20-%20Sydney%20Kamlager.pdf.

[xxxi] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xxxii] “CA Legislators and Impacted Advocates Urge Assembly to Restore the Right to Vote for Californians on Parole,” League of Women Voters of California, August 14, 2019, available at https://lwvc.org/news/ca-legislators-and-impacted-advocates-urge-assembly-restore-right-vote-californians-parole.

[xxxiii] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, June 30, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1542608841459658752.

[xxxiv] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xxxv] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, December 22, 2021, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1473804157085577217.

[xxxvi] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, December 14, 2021, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1470977706351206402.

[xxxvii] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, December 2, 2019, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1201587128699965441.

[xxxviii] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xxxix] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, October 7, 2020, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1313884512464457728?s=20&t=0nROJN32HUHarmWcbVghXg.

[xl] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xli] Tor Constantino, “Bitcoin Bill Introduced to Allow Californians to Pay State Services with Crypto,” The Ascent, February 21, 2022, available at https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/cryptocurrency/articles/bitcoin-bill-introduced-to-allow-californians-to-pay-state-services-with-crypto/.

[xlii] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, September 6, 2019, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1170034660853735424.

[xliii] “Priorities,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/accomplishments/.

[xliv] “Giffords PAC Endorses Slate of Gun Safety House Challengers,” Giffords PAC Press Release, August 12, 2022, available at https://giffords.org/press-release/2022/08/giffords-pac-endorses-slate-of-gun-safety-house-challengers/.

[xlv] Sydney Kamlager Twitter, May 25, 2022, available at https://twitter.com/sydneykamlager/status/1529319443343429633.

[xlvi] “Giffords PAC Endorses Slate of Gun Safety House Challengers,” Giffords PAC Press Release, August 12, 2022, available at https://giffords.org/press-release/2022/08/giffords-pac-endorses-slate-of-gun-safety-house-challengers/.

[xlvii] “California,” NRA-PVF Grades & Endorsements, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://www.nrapvf.org/grades/california/.

[xlviii] “Endorsements,” Sydney Kamlager for Congress, accessed October 17, 2022, available at https://sydneykamlager.com/endorsements/.

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