Meet LaMar lyons
A Lifelong Advocate for Working People
and economic development
LaMar Lyons brings a lifetime of lived experience uplifting working people in both the public and private sectors.
He understands the struggles and triumphs of being a single parent and business owner. An industry and community leader, LaMar’s duality makes him exceptionally qualified to lead economic and social solutions in the 65th district.
As a resident of the 65th district for over 30 years and President of the San Pedro Neighborhood Council, he combines his local knowledge and policy expertise to address the most pressing issues for working-class communities, like access to clean air and water, affordable housing, a livable wage, and community care.
Lamar Lyons knows how to turn opportunity into results, align capital with community needs, and deliver solutions that work for everyday families. With deep roots in the Harbor Region and decades of experience bridging public and private sector solutions, Lyons is stepping in to the 65th district race to bring bold leadership, pragmatic policies, and real results to Sacramento.
He is ready to represent Assembly District 65 in Sacramento.
Lamar Lyons embodies the perseverance and genius of California’s working class.
Raised in South Central Los Angeles, he began working at an early age - selling and delivering newspapers - learning firsthand the value of responsibility and hard work. He flipped burgers at McDonald’s, bagged groceries at Safeway, assembled aircraft at Douglas Aircraft, and worked in trucking warehouses. These early experiences didn’t just shape his work ethic. They grounded him in the dignity of labor and the realities facing working families.
With both parents - and LaMar himself - members of the AFL-CIO, his connection to the labor movement runs deep.
He has dedicated his life to advocating for those too often overlooked, people who keep our communities running, raise families, and strive every day for a better future.
Determined to make an impact, LaMar graduated from UCLA as Student Body President and went on to earn his law degree from Howard University. He carried that passion for service into public office, working for Los Angeles City Council members and in California’s State Legislature, where he helped lead efforts to establish Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday.
His tenure in the City of Los Angeles’ Chief Legislative Office and the California State Assembly’s Select Committee on Fair Employment Practices sharpened his expertise in budgeting, municipal governance, job creation, and long-term economic planning. He learned how policy shapes opportunity and impacts the everyday lives of working families.
Personal tragedy deepened LaMar’s resolve.
After losing his wife - a Carnegie Fellow, public school educator, and principal - LaMar became a single father, raising their three children while continuing his work.
Through that profound loss, he transformed pain into purpose, strengthening his commitment to create policies that support working families, invest in public education, and lift the economy.
LaMar later transitioned from public service to the private financial sector, bringing his policy expertise to tackle larger scale challenges like affordable housing, infrastructure, education, public works, and transportation. He worked with major Wall Street firms before founding his own boutique investment firm - recognized in the 1990’s by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the most successful Black-owned firms in the nation. He went on to co-found a private equity firm focused on delivering measurable social impact.
For more than 30 years, LaMar has called San Pedro home. His work in municipal finance and leadership on the San Pedro Neighborhood Council reflect a deep understanding of how public policy and private capital intersect and how they can be better aligned to serve communities.
LaMar Lyons knows how to turn opportunity into results, align capital with community needs, and deliver solutions that work for working families.
He is ready to represent the 65th District in Sacramento.