Brad Sherman is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997. He currently represents California’s 30th congressional district within the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles County and the eastern Simi Hills in Ventura County. He previously represented the state’s 24th and 27th congressional districts, located in Los Angeles County. He won his most recent reelection campaign in 2018.

Sherman, born in Los Angeles on October 24, 1954, the son of Lane and Maurice Hyman Sherman. His parents were both of Russian Jewish descent. He attended Mark Keppel High School and Corona del Mar High School. He received a B.A. in political science from University of California, Los Angeles in 1974 and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1979. He is also a tax law specialist and Certified Public Accountant.

Before joining Congress, Sherman was on staff at one of the nations’ big-four CPA firms. While at the firm, he audited large businesses and governmental entities, provided tax law counsel on multimillion-dollar transactions, advised entrepreneurs and small businesses on tax and investment issues, and helped represent the Government of the Philippines under President Aquino in a successful effort to seize assets of deposed President Marcos. Sherman was also an instructor at Harvard Law School’s International Tax Program.

Sherman was also a member of the California state board of equalization from 1990 to 1995 and chair of the board from 1991 until 1995.

Sherman is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He serves as the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Asia, and the second ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia. Sherman is a Chairman Emeritus of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade. He is also a senior member of the Financial Services Committee.

During his tenure in Congress, Sherman has developed a reputation as a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility, a balanced budget, federal aid to education, the interests of working families, strong environmental standards, the protection of Social Security and Medicare, and policies to expand U.S. exports.

In 2009, he took an important role in crafting legislation that ended bailouts putting taxpayers on the hook for risky Wall Street behavior, by successfully defeating the Treasury Department’s proposal for permanent, unlimited TARP.

A consumer rights advocate, Sherman was among the leaders behind the formation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which protects consumers from financial institutions issuing credit cards and offering costly overdraft protection. Sherman also protected families’ retirement funds and college savings and put controls on companies which reward corporate CEOs multi-million dollar bonuses for bad performance.

Early in his congressional career, while serving on the House Budget Committee in 1997, Congressman Sherman authored an amendment to the annual Budget Resolution providing an additional $700 million for the acquisition of environmentally important lands in FY ‘98. The Sherman Amendment was included in the Joint Budget Resolution and effectuated by a $699 million appropriation. Sherman also secured $20 million to acquire land and to complete the Backbone Trail through the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Sherman is married to Lisa Kaplan Sherman and is the father of 3 daughters, Molly, Naomi and Lucy. They live in Sherman Oaks.

Sources: Congressman Brad Sherman;
“Brad Sherman,” Wikipedia;
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.