As ballots for the 30th State Senate District began to land in mailboxes, 54th Assembly District candidate Isaac Bryan released his fundraising report in preparation for his campaign to succeed Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager. Kamlager is the leading candidate to succeed former State Senator Holly Mitchell, who was elected to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in November.
Bryan, one of L.A.’s leading voices for change, raised over $55,000 by the end of 2020, and has continued to raise since then. More than 100 individuals contributed to Bryan before the December 31, 2020 campaign deadline.
No other potential candidate even passed the minimum threshold to file an online year-end report.
Popular local L.A. City Councilmembers Mark Ridley-Thomas and Mike Bonin – who combined have represented all the neighborhoods in AD 54 – worked closely with Bryan to advance social justice and have endorsed him for the Assembly.
They are joined by Patrisse Cullors (Black Lives Matter LA (BLMLA) movement co-founder); Dr. Melina Abdullah (BLMLA co-founder); Eunisses Hernandez (Measure J co-chair); and former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs.
“Isaac Bryan represents the next generation of leadership for Los Angeles and California,” stated Ridley-Thomas. “He has proven to be a force for change – as an organizer, academic, coalition builder, and powerful voice for changing our system of justice.”
Bryan is also supported by a broad coalition of progressive, community, and grassroots leaders, including:
Alberto Retana—Community Coalition
Dr. Kelly Lytle Hernandez—UCLA
Mark-Anthony Clayton—Johnson
Dr. Ange Marie Hancock Alfaro—USC
Susan Burton—A New Way of Life
Harry Grammer—Obama Foundation Fellow
Sophia Bush—Actress and Activist
Alison Pill—Actress and Activist
Pastor Eddie Anderson—McCarty Memorial Christian Church & Former
Director of California Poor People’s Campaign
Dr. Anthony Samad—CSU Dominguez Hills
Kaci Patterson—Black Equity Collective
Pricilla Ocen—Loyola Law School
Bryan co-chaired the historic Measure J Campaign in L.A. County that garnered over 2.1 million votes this past November and secured nearly a billion dollars in permanent funding for Youth Development, Small Business Support, Alternatives to Incarceration, Affordable Housing, and other forms of community investment.
Additionally, Bryan serves as the founding Director of the UCLA Black Policy Project, and previously served in L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office of Reentry. He’s an executive board member of the Justice LA Coalition, a member of the PUSH LA Coalition and has often served as the bridge between grassroots protest and pragmatic political decision making.
Bryan grew up in a family of 15. Born to a teenage mother in poverty, he was put up for adoption as an infant. The Bryan family, who adopted him, served as foster parents for over 26 years and influenced the lives of nearly 200 children. Isaac Bryan earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona and his Master’s in Public Policy at UCLA.
Bryan’s policy insights have been featured by MSNBC, CNN, BBC, PBS, VOX, the LA Times, and other news outlets.
