Laura Richardson was born and raised primarily in the 35th Senate District.

At the age of two, her parents divorced, leaving her mother alone to raise two daughters on a limited salary.

After Laura’s mother secured a job as an accountant for a Teamster represented company, her family learned firsthand about the value and importance of unions, organizing, fair wages, and health benefits. Because of her mother’s job, Laura was able to participate in after-school programming, get the braces she needed, and her family could afford to go on occasional summer vacations.

After playing collegiate basketball at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Laura transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned a Bachelor’s in Political Science. She then pushed herself and while working full-time for a Fortune 40 company, Laura kept going to school and earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Southern California.

Political Career

Laura is a lifelong Democrat. She began her career in public service long before she was ever elected to office. She served as a legislative staffer at the local, state, and federal levels.

In 2000, Laura was elected to serve on the Long Beach City Council. After six years, she would go on to serve in the California State Assembly, representing the 55th District. Unfortunately, while serving in the Assembly, her mentor and former boss, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, suddenly passed away, and Laura was asked to run for her seat in the House of Representatives. Laura ran a successful campaign that appealed to the residents of the 37th Congressional District and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2007, where she served three terms before redistricting significantly altered California’s congressional map, resulting in the loss of African American representation for the first time in decades.

Throughout her time in public office, Laura worked hard and earned a reputation for bringing money and resources into her district. She’s proud of her legislative record and her committed staff that worked to resolve resident casework for disabilities and social security that changed lives.

Laura currently lives in San Pedro, where she is still involved in the community and continues working to empower residents, better neighborhoods, and enhance local businesses and the economy.