Rep. Laura Friedman volunteered with the Hollywood Food Coalition for Thanksgiving. (photo courtesy the office of Laura Friedman)

One year since Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) was sworn in, replacing the long-standing 30th District representative-turned-Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the congresswoman is looking back on her freshman experience. Almost immediately after her term began, a litany of unprecedented challenges hit the Los Angeles area – from the wildfires to the national guard deployment downtown to the fight for increased film and television production in the city.

Friedman said that her focus has remained on fighting for the issues that are most important to her constituents.

“It’s a very tough time for California and the district under the Trump administration. [President Donald] Trump has made no secret of his disdain for California and his desire to basically hurt us in any way he can,” Friedman said. “And we’re seeing that with budget cuts from everything from transportation to clean energy to the money that goes directly to cities to money that goes from the homeless services.So, it’s causing things to be more expensive in California and more difficult. It’s very challenging for the district. It’s challenging for me as a representative.”

When Friedman was first elected to the California Assembly in 2016, Trump’s first term as president began.

“I saw how negative his presidency was for the nation then. But honestly, this term has blown that out of the water in terms of being bad for America,” she said. “What’s been shocking to me is the amount of corruption that this administration has engaged in, in plain sight. Everything from billions of dollars in really questionable crypto sales going into the president’s pocket and his family’s pocket, to the entanglement that his family has in businesses that the government is involved in – things that would be not just disqualifying, but felonies, if local officials did even a fraction of that.”

She also noted that a barrage of “bad things” coming from the executive branch has made it difficult for the media and individuals to concentrate on any single issue. But no matter the challenges, however, Friedman said that her first year in Congress has been “the greatest honor” of her life and she appreciates the opportunity to “fight for” her community.

“I am very proud that, despite all of that, of the eight bills that I have authored, half of them are bipartisan and have bipartisan leads. That I’m very proud of – that even in this fractured time, I feel like I’m working on things that are not just common sense, but that have a real chance of getting made into law,” she said.

Friedman explained that included in the bills is aid for victims of natural disasters, initiatives to make it easier to build affordable housing, public safety in transit areas and road safety. Additionally, she is also a lead author on the No Mask for ICE Act, which would require ICE agents and other law enforcement to show their faces. Friedman said she also has received “great bipartisan” discussions around a national film tax credit that would aim to bring more movie and TV production back to the United States, one of the most important issues for the Los Angeles area.

“I think they’re common-sense bills that are that are really needed and necessary,” she said. “I feel good about the body of work that I’ve been able to produce, and I feel very hopeful that we have a chance of these bills being made into law.”

Looking ahead to 2026, Friedman processed that her “soccer family” is looking forward to the city hosting the World Cup but expressed concern that the Trump administration had threatened to withhold money for security and transit – even though Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy had promised full support.

“I hope that this administration thinks better about its threats to withhold security money and transit money from Los Angeles to help with the World Cup and the Olympics. That would be a stain on the entire United States. It’s not just about Los Angeles. If L.A. fails in this, basically our country fails,” Friedman said.

But even with any headwinds, the congresswoman said that the “unified” pushback against the current administration’s policies with No Kings rallies and the overwhelming support for California’s Prop 50 makes her hopeful. In November, Friedman said she feels confident Democrats will retake the House of Representatives and that she can earn her second term.

“You have to earn every reelection. I believe that fully,” she said. “I see the gravity and the importance of my office very clearly. I put a big focus on constituent services, and I am really proud that we’ve closed almost 1,500 constituent cases. Within less than a year, we’ve returned over $5.5 million to constituents – direct money that we were able to recover for constituents who weren’t able to get their benefits. I’ve attended over 200 community events. I’ve attended over 25 rallies and town halls that I’ve done … I’m in this district every single weekend. I do not stay in Washington, D.C. We are working really hard on legislation. I signed on to over 600 bills and letters.”

Friedman also listed issues that the Democratic party is fighting for in Congress, and believes in her ability to deliver results to Los Angeles County.

“I’m going to continue to fight for health care, to continue to fight to lower costs for families, to continue to fight for a national film tax credit,” she said. “And I know that these are issues that are important to the district, and we have been right in the middle of those fights. We’ve been winning a lot of those fights, and we’re going to continue to roll up our sleeves and work hard for the people of this district.”