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Democratic · 3 November 2026
Laura Friedman
U.S. Representative for California's 30th congressional district (since 2025)
Laura Friedman, a Democrat and former film producer who has represented California's 30th congressional district since 2025, faces Republican attorney Scott Meyers in the 2026 general election.
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In-House Opinions: Congress members on the death penalty
Rep. Laura Friedman, D-Burbank: “Secretary Hegseth’s insistence on livestreaming this execution is beyond sick.
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- Born
- December 3, 1966
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York
- Education
- University of Rochester (Bachelor of Arts)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Laura Friedman was born on December 3, 1966, and comes from a Jewish family in New York. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester, moved to Hollywood in 1992 and relocated to Glendale in 2000. From 1994 to 1997 she was vice president of development at Rysher Entertainment, overseeing about ten feature films a year as well as television programming, and in 1995 she was co-producer of the Warner Brothers release It Takes Two. She was vice president of development at Cort/Madden Company from 1998 to 1999, and since 2000 she has owned and managed PlanetGlass.net, a web-based art glass dealership.
Career
Friedman served on the Glendale City Council from 2009 to 2016 and was mayor of Glendale from 2011 to 2012. She was elected to the California State Assembly in 2016 and represented the 44th district until 2024.
In 2019 she authored legislation, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, that made California the first state to ban the sale of fur, and in 2024 she co-authored a law prohibiting commercial octopus farming.
She also authored a bill to eliminate minimum parking requirements for housing near mass transit stations, which was signed into law in 2022.
When incumbent Adam Schiff vacated California's 30th congressional district to run for the U.S. Senate, Friedman launched her candidacy in January 2023 and defeated physician Alex Balekian with 68.4% of the vote in 2024.
In the House she serves on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and she is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
2026 race
Laura Friedman is the Democratic incumbent in California's 30th congressional district. In the 2026 top-two primary she finished first in a seven-candidate field with 102,384 votes, or 52.68%. Republican attorney Scott Alan Meyers placed second with 16.58%, ahead of Democrat Cameron Tennyson, a movie studio clerk, with 13.77%. Friedman faces Meyers in the general election on November 3, 2026.