Park leads – Traci Park raised more than $1.2 million for L.A. Council’s District 11, doubling Faizah Malik’s haul as June primary looms and PAC spending grows.
Los Angeles’ city council race in District 11 is becoming a high-spending contest before voters even reach the June 2 primary.
Councilmember Traci Park reported raising more than $1.2 million for her reelection bid. according to campaign finance reports filed this week—more than double what challenger Faizah Malik collected for the same seat.. Malik. a civil rights attorney. reported roughly $454. 000 in her bid for the District 11 seat that runs along parts of the Westside. including Mar Vista. Pacific Palisades. Venice and Westchester.
The overall fundraising picture matters because District 11’s contest is one of several council races headed into the same June primary. and Park’s total stands out even within that broader field.. With nearly $1.7 million raised across the race’s candidates. it is described as the highest fundraising total among eight council seats on the ballot in the June primary.
Under the city’s election structure, candidates who win a majority in the June 2 primary take the seat outright.. If no candidate reaches a majority, the top two vote-getters move on to the Nov.. 3 general election—making the first round especially consequential for campaigns that want to lock in early momentum.
Park’s financial lead also lands during a moment when Los Angeles politics is increasingly shaped not only by candidate fundraising. but by how campaigns and outside groups deploy money for advertising and organizing.. The reports show that. beyond direct contributions. independent expenditures—unlimited in amount—can add to the intensity of a race even when campaign filings suggest one side has the advantage.. That difference helps explain why fundraising numbers can look like a snapshot rather than the full story of what voters will see between now and Election Day.
Park attributed her haul to long-running efforts she says focus on clearing homeless encampments. framing her campaign as rooted in service and neighborhood-level work.. Malik’s campaign. meanwhile. is pushing back on the narrative that money alone defines outcomes. arguing that Park and her supporters are spending at unprecedented levels because they believe they are “winning” while Malik’s side counters that the contest is still about people-powered politics rather than corporate influence.
Campaign finance filings also show broader patterns across Los Angeles city hall races this cycle.. In several other districts, incumbents have posted large fundraising leads, while one councilmember—Monica Rodriguez—is running unopposed.. Two open seats are on the ballot because termed-out incumbents are leaving the council. and those contests include competitive fundraising among multiple candidates.
In the west San Fernando Valley’s 3rd District, three candidates are seeking to replace termed-out Councilmember Bob Blumenfield.. Insurance company founder Tim Gaspar reported nearly $430. 000. with Barri Worth Girvan—an aide to Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath—reporting about $235. 000.. Tech entrepreneur Christopher Robert “CR” Celona trailed with about $12. 300. underscoring how quickly fundraising gaps can form even in races with three contenders.
Council District 1. which includes Highland Park and Pico-Union. presents a similar dynamic: incumbent Eunisses Hernandez topped the field with about $319. 000. while challenger Maria Lou Calanche reported roughly $182. 000.. Other candidates in that race reported smaller amounts. reflecting how candidate visibility and donor confidence often crystallize into early financial advantages.
In District 9—an area that includes USC and communities along the Harbor Freeway corridor—fundraising also showed a leading figure.. Jose Ugarte, a former deputy chief of staff for Curren Price, reported about $477,000.. Estuardo Mazariegos reported roughly $200,000, while other contenders trailed with less.. In that contest. the filing record suggested wide variation in donor reach. with at least one candidate not reporting fundraising contributions.
District 11’s two-candidate setup adds extra pressure to the numbers.. Because only Park and Malik are listed in the contest. the June 2 primary will effectively function as a referendum on whether voters want to keep the incumbent or switch directions.. If Park can convert her fundraising advantage into sustained field work and messaging in the final weeks. it could strengthen her odds of reaching a majority.. If Malik can narrow the gap through turnout operations and persuasive appeals to voters who feel disconnected from council politics. she could still force the race into the Nov.. 3 general election—where statewide attention can sometimes shift and outside spending can become even more prominent.