Brad Sherman

Bradley James Sherman (born October 24, 1954) is an American attorney, certified public accountant, and Democratic politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 32nd congressional district since 1997. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Southern California, Sherman earned a B.A. summa cum laude from UCLA in 1974 and a J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1979, later becoming a licensed CPA in California. Prior to Congress, he chaired the California State Board of Equalization from 1991 to 1995, leading the repeal of the state's snack tax on grocers.

In the House, Sherman serves on the Foreign Affairs and Financial Services committees, with a focus on international sanctions and financial oversight. He has been a leading proponent of stringent sanctions against Iran to prevent its nuclear weapons development, authoring key provisions in the Iran Threat Reduction Act and introducing the Stop Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program Act. Sherman also advocates fiscal restraint as a Democrat, consistently pushing for a balanced federal budget amid broader congressional spending.

Bradley James Sherman was born on October 24, 1954, in Monterey Park, California, to Maurice Hyman Sherman and Lane M. Sherman. His parents were of Russian Jewish descent, instilling a cultural heritage that influenced his early environment.

Sherman was raised in Southern California, where his family resided during his formative years. His mother, Lane Sherman, originally from the Wynnefield neighborhood of Philadelphia, had worked alongside her father in post-World War II reconstruction efforts in Japan under U.S. forces before settling in California. She lived until 2020, passing away at age 91 in Reseda, California, survived by Sherman and his sister. Details on his father's early life remain limited in public records, though the family maintained roots in the region that shaped Sherman's upbringing amid a middle-class Jewish community in the Los Angeles area.

Sherman was born on October 24, 1954, in Monterey Park, California, to parents of Russian Jewish descent, Maurice Hyman Sherman and Lane Sherman, and grew up in Southern California, attending public schools including Mark Keppel High School and graduating from Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach. His family's immigrant heritage and emphasis on education shaped his early commitment to academic excellence, though specific personal mentors from this period are not prominently documented in biographical records.