MEET DARRYN
Committed to advancing social and economic justice, Darryn Harris has dedicated his life's work to fighting for marginalized communities and enacting positive progressive change.
As a highly experienced Chief of Staff for then-U.S. Representative Karen Bass, Darryn Harris has led a team around a successful legislative agenda that has made a profound impact on the lives of everyday Americans. He has and continues to work with legislators and community stakeholders on legislation that promotes social justice, protects vulnerable communities, and fosters economic growth.
​
When the pandemic hit, as Chief of Staff to then-U.S. Representative Karen Bass, Darryn Harris helped lead the Congresswoman's team to assist more than 100 residents return home after being stranded overseas and helped thousands of constituents with the U.S. Postal Service. In this role, he also helped many small businesses throughout the Los Angeles area in navigating the Paycheck Protection Program, which helped keep hardworking constituents on the payroll. Additionally, while working for the Congresswoman, Darryn Harris helped work with Black churches in South LA to increase civic engagement and voter turnout and successfully engineered a prayer breakfast that brought together faith leaders from the community to discuss shared goals and concerns.
Prior to serving as Chief of Staff to then-U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass, Darryn Harris served in various leadership roles, including as an Assistant Director of Government and Community Relations at UCLA. In this capacity, Harris led the work with JHEAD (Joint Higher Education Advocacy Day), where he worked with other UCs, CSUs, and Community Colleges to understand how education at all levels needs to meet the demands of today's job market.
Darryn Harris also worked as a South Bay Field Deputy and District Director for then-Assemblymember Steven Bradford, where he worked on policies that impacted vulnerable Californians in areas such as economic empowerment, education, housing, crime, and health. He has also worked on efforts to decrease HIV levels in Black men throughout South LA. Prior to working for Bradford's Assembly office, Harris served as a Field Deputy for the Office of then-Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.
As mentioned above, Darryn is currently Special Advisor to U.S. Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager and was the founding president of the Black Los Angeles Young Democrats (BLAYD). He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha and the New Leaders Council and holds degrees from Loyola Marymount University and UCLA. He also attended middle school in Carson and is a graduate of Verbum Dei Jesuit High School in Watts.
​
Darryn Harris is committed to fighting for a sustainable future for all Californians. If elected, Harris will be the first openly gay Black Senator in California state history.