In a Special Election to fill the vacated seat of now Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Sydney Kamlager-Dove Becomes California’s only African American Female Senator.
As of press time, State Assembly member Sydney Kamlager-Dove was the projected winner for the 30th Senate District seat with 68% of the vote. The special election was called by Governor Gavin Newsom to fill the seat vacated by current L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell. Kamlager-Dove stands poised to join State Senator Steve Bradford at the State Capitol. During a period where many in the Black community have been calling for more representation especially, more Black women in government, Kamlager-Dove is filling that void.
“I’m encouraged by the tremendous early results, and we expect them to hold,” stated Kamlager-Dove. “And we are excited for the rest of the votes to be counted — there are many thousands left. I’m proud of the broad coalition we built, bringing people from different communities together to work for change.”
The congratulations went out from colleagues, friends and supporters at Kamlager-Dove’s Zoom Rally. She had a wealth supporters and endorsements from organizations and politicians including the California Democratic Party, Black Women’s Democratic Club, Service Employees International Union, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber, Congresswoman Karen Bass, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.
“I cannot think of a better leader to continue the work of serving the 30th Senate District other than Sydney Kamlager-Dove,” stated Mitchell. “The outstanding results of this election show us that the residents of SD30 agree. I’ve seen Sydney’s leadership firsthand, she knows and loves this district and tonight the voters have shown that they want her to continue fighting for them in our state legislature. I am thrilled to see her make history as the 5th Black woman to serve in our state senate.”
Moving forward in the Senate, Kamlager-Dove has a definite agenda that includes COVID relief and recovery, universal healthcare, criminal justice reform, employment, investment in housing and homelessness initiatives, addressing climate action, a Green New Deal, and investing in education and the arts.
During her victory speech as she thanked her supporters she quoted noted author James Baldwin from a letter he wrote to then incarcerated activist Angela Davis, “If they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.” The newly elected Senator of California’s 30th Senate District said “that is my fight. I fight for all those who they would be coming after, single mothers, Blacks, immigrants, the LGBTQ community. That is my fight. My motivation when I am addressing criminal justice reform, state budgets, state assistance and much, much more.”
The 30th Senate District is one of the most racially and economically diverse districts in the state, which encompasses most of Downtown and South Los Angeles, as well as neighboring portions of Inglewood and the Westside. Kamlager-Dove represented the 54th Assembly District, which intersects with many of these areas within the 30th Senate District, of which she is well-acquainted with the dynamics of the district and its residents. As a senator, being within familiar territory works well in her favor. Kamlager-Dove has proven track record, one of which voters seemingly agree.
Some of her accomplishments as Assemblywoman include:
-urged banks that have business relationships in California to stop lending to gun manufacturers and worked with Treasurer Fiona Ma to create and pass Assembly Resolution 115 to halt the proliferation of guns in the state and put human lives before profit
-authored the Affordable Prescription Drug Act, to bypass Big Pharma and procure low-cost medicine from Canadian suppliers
-introduced new legislation this session to provide quality, affordable, single-payer healthcare to every Californian
-worked to remove cost as a barrier to abortion and is committed to enhancing access to abortion care and birth control and fighting persistent attacks on sexual and reproductive healthcare
-fought for legislation to remove carbon from the atmosphere and to ensure clean air and water for communities across California (Sydney is one of only eight California legislators—out of 120—to receive 100% on the Sierra Club 2020 scorecard)
-coauthored the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act (SB 54/AB 1080), which would reduce single-use plastic packaging in landfills by 75% (reintroducing a stronger SB 54 this legislative session)
-passed legislation for implicit bias training of healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and court employees
-is auditing the Los Angeles County, Alameda County, and Fresno County sheriffs’ departments’ use of state realignment funds and treatment of incarcerated persons
-authored the most transformative probation reform law in the country (the historic bill caps probation terms for most offenses at 1 to 2 years—reasonable limits that will help break the cycle of incarceration, reduce officers’ caseloads, and save millions of dollars)
-introduced the CRISES Act to train community-based teams to respond to non-criminal 911 calls instead of police, making our communities safer
-passed AB 987 to bring 30,000 quality jobs to our area
-stepped up to lead efforts to reboot our economy safely and bring recovery money to local small businesses
-as Chair of the Los Angeles County Delegation, worked to collect COVID-19 donations and supplies to protect the most vulnerable among us
-supplied personal protective equipment to frontline workers when COVID-19 hit and PPE was in short supply
-fought to pass the COVID-19 eviction moratorium, AB 3088 (and its subsequent extension, SB 91, which also provides $2.6 billion in rent relief)
Kamlager-Dove thanked everyone for their continued support and belief in her efforts to improve life in general for everyone.
For more information, please visit https://www.sydneykamlager.com/
