Isaac Bryan, Bruin story since M.P.P. ʼ18

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Isaac Bryan, M.P.P. ’18 is the recipient of the 2025 UCLA Award for Public Service, recognizing his impactful leadership in improving the lives of Californians. Throughout his career, Bryan has built diverse coalitions to champion environmental justice, racial equity, housing justice and reform of the criminal legal system.

Bryan earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in political science and his master’s degree in public policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. While at Luskin, he was an advocate for policy reform rooted in research and scholarship. He served as the Director of Organizing for the Million Dollar Hoods research project, co-authoring a report on the cost of mass incarceration. He became the inaugural Director of Public Policy at the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center and the founding director of the UCLA Black Policy Project. Bryan received numerous fellowship awards and in 2021 was honored as the MPP Alumnus of the Year from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

As a member of the California State Assembly, representing the 55th district, has successfully fought for policy changes and investments that protect marginalized Californians. He chairs the Committee on Natural Resources and the Assembly’s first Select Committee on Poverty and Economic Inclusion. He is also vice chair and a founding member of the Renters Caucus and also serves as vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus.

His legislative victories include phasing out oil drilling near homes and communities, eliminating fees for parents with children in foster care, ending prison gerrymandering, ensuring access to menstrual products for incarcerated Californians, and protecting foster youth survivor benefits. He secured vital funding for initiatives including the establishment of the Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy at the UCLA School of Law and the first Climate Change Education Center in the California Community College system at West LA College. He also created a stipend program for formerly incarcerated community college students.

As one of the youngest California legislators and one of 12 Black state lawmakers, Isaac Bryan is using the knowledge and skills he honed at UCLA towards making impactful policy changes at the intersection of environmental, economic, education and housing justice.