Sydney Kamlager-Dove
DemocratU.S. Representative, CA-37| Age | 53 (b. 1972-07-20) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2023-01-03 (~3 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | Biracial (Black and White) |
| Education | B.A. in Political Science, University of Southern California (1994); M.A. in Arts Management and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University (1996); attended Saint Ignatius College Prep (Chicago) and Compton College |
| Prior occupation | Nonprofit arts administrator (Social and Public Art Resource Center, SPARC); child care advocate (Crystal Stairs nonprofit); worked with Rebuild LA and Los Angeles Festival; assistant to actor Delroy Lindo; district director for then-Assemblymember Holly Mitchell; appointed to LA County Commission on Children and Families (2013) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Chicago, Illinois |
| Marital status | married — Austin Dove |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | View Park, California |
| Notable relatives | Stepfather: Kerry James Marshall (celebrated visual artist); Mother: Cheryl Lynn Bruce (award-winning actress) |
Pending research: religion · languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2015 |
| Previous offices | Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, Seat 3 (2015–2018) · California State Assembly, 54th District (2018–2021) · California State Senate, 30th District (2021–2022) |
| Committees | House Committee on Foreign Affairs — Subcommittee on South and Central Asia (Ranking Member); Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere · House Committee on the Judiciary — Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, AI, and the Internet; Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government |
| Caucuses | Congressional Black Caucus (Whip, 119th Congress) · Congressional Progressive Caucus · Congressional Equality Caucus · Black Maternal Health Caucus · Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment (Vice-Chair) · Congressional Brazil Caucus (Co-Chair) · Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth (Co-Chair) · Congressional Ukraine Caucus · Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus · Recommerce Caucus (Co-founder) |
| Leadership | Whip, Congressional Black Caucus, 119th Congress (elected December 2024) |
| Ideology | Progressive Democrat; member of Congressional Progressive Caucus; Heritage Action scorecard: 21% (118th Congress); endorsed by Progressive Voters Guide |
| Signature legislation | SB 188 (CROWN Act, CA) — co-author; prohibits discrimination based on natural or protective hairstyles (state law) · AB 241/AB 242 — implicit bias training for healthcare professionals, lawyers, and judges (CA) · CRISES Act — community-led response teams for non-violent 911 calls (CA) · AB 1254 — trophy hunting ban on bobcats (CA) · Federal CROWN Act — introduced in Congress |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).
Top donors: Edison International PAC · Comcast Corporation PAC · National Association of Realtors PAC · Boeing Company PAC
Top industries: TV/Movies/Music · Real Estate · Electric Utilities · Telecom · Defense Aerospace
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — Matt Taibbi $10 Million Libel Lawsuit Over Sexual Harassment Accusation
During a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on April 1, 2025, Rep. Kamlager-Dove accused journalist Matt Taibbi of being a 'serial sexual harasser' while he was testifying as a Republican witness. She subsequently republished the accusation on X (Twitter) and BlueSky. Taibbi filed a $10 million libel suit in federal court in New Jersey on April 3, 2025, arguing the social-media posts fell outside the Speech and Debate Clause. Kamlager-Dove's legal team invoked the Westfall Act; the court agreed her congressional statements and related constituent communications were within the scope of her federal employment, substituted the United States as defendant, and dismissed on June 8, 2026, because the Federal Tort Claims Act expressly excludes defamation from the government's waiver of sovereign immunity. Taibbi denied ever being accused of sexual harassment.