Early results in Los Angeles City Council District 11 show incumbent Traci Park pulling ahead of challenger Faizah Malik, with Park reporting $1.3 million in campaign contributions to Malik’s about $540,000. The race is being framed by voters through sharply d
Tuesday night felt like the kind of election where people watch every blink of the numbers for proof of what they already believe. In Los Angeles City Council District 11. incumbent Traci Park was opening up a commanding lead over public interest attorney Faizah Malik as early election returns came in.
Park has been a close ally of the police and fire unions in the city. Throughout the campaign, she tied her work to calling for more cops and firefighters. Malik’s coalition looks different. She has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. and she is also backed by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and Unite Here Local 11. which represents hotel and airport workers.
The money story is also leaning toward Park. Park reported raising $1.3 million in campaign contributions, according to the latest campaign finance reports filed with the city. Malik raised about $540,000.
When Park spoke about the early returns, she described them less as a surprise than as confirmation. “It confirms that we have been right on the priorities and the results have spoken for themselves,” she said. “I have been writing a comeback story for the Westside for the last three years. and I’m super excited to finish it.”.
Malik, meanwhile, remained upbeat even as the numbers trended toward her opponent. In a speech to supporters at the Lincoln, a bar on the Westside, Malik said, “This campaign has demonstrated that we can chart a new course for a sustainable future and we can lead the way here on the Westside.”
District 11 is one of the City Council races moving under the pressure of a Tuesday election cycle that involved eight of the 15 council seats. Los Angeles voters cast ballots for eight seats in total, including races in two districts where incumbents were leaving because of term limits.
One nearby example was District 9. where Jose Ugarte was leading Estuardo Mazariegos in the field of six candidates in the district held by termed-out Councilmember Curren Price. Ugarte is a former deputy chief of staff for Price. Mazariegos is co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Los Angeles and is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Mazariegos said he felt confident he would make it into the Nov. 3 runoff against Ugarte. “I feel a sense of relief and accomplishment,” he said. In early returns. the other candidates were trailing Ugarte and Mazariegos: Elmer Roldan. executive director of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles; Martha Sánchez. a therapist; Jorge Nuño. an entrepreneur; and Jorge Hernandez Rosas. an educator. The district includes the Convention Center, USC, and communities along the Harbor Freeway.
The election rules also matter for how fast any campaign can breathe. In races with more than two candidates, the top two vote-getters will compete in a Nov. 3 runoff unless a candidate gets a majority vote in the primary.
In the San Fernando Valley’s District 3. Tim Gaspar and Barri Worth Girvan were leading the field of three candidates vying for the seat being vacated by Bob Blumenfield. Gaspar is the founder of an insurance company. Worth Girvan is a district director for Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath. Worth Girvan said she was confident she would face Gaspar in a runoff in November. saying the campaign had been about “ensuring the West Valley gets its fair share of resources.” Gaspar said in a statement he was feeling “incredibly optimistic” about the coalition of business owners and community leaders he built during his campaign. adding that they are showing they want a fresh perspective in City Hall. The third candidate, tech entrepreneur Christopher Robert “C.R.” Celona, trailed behind.
In District 13. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez was leading three challengers—Dylan Kendall. who runs Grow Hollywood. an economic development corporation; Rich Sarian. vice president of strategic initiatives for downtown’s South Park Social District; and Colter Carlisle. vice president of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council. Soto-Martínez also was backed by the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America for the district that includes Atwater Village. Glassell Park. Elysian Valley. Echo Park. Silver Lake and Hollywood and East Hollywood. Soto-Martínez said in a statement he was feeling optimistic about the early returns.
In District 1. covering Highland Park in the northeast to University Park in the southwest. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez was leading a pack of four challengers in the race. according to early returns. Maria Lou Calanche. executive director of the nonprofit Expanded Learning Alliance. trailed Hernandez in early returns. followed by Raul Claros. chief executive of UNO Partners; Nelson Grande. president of Grande Enterprises; and Sylvia Robledo. who worked as an aide to several elected L.A. officials and who has fallen into last place. Hernandez said she was grateful for the support that put her far ahead on the first night of results. saying. “I just feel reassured that all these fights we’ve been taking on for the last 3½ years have been worth it and people have been watching.”.
Not every race carried the same kind of suspense. Councilmember Tim McOsker had a wide lead over Green Party member Jordan Rivers for the 15th District seat. which includes Harbor City. San Pedro. Watts and Wilmington. Still. McOsker said it was too early to declare victory before 9:30 p.m. and he told supporters. “I’ll be back in City Hall early tomorrow morning to get back to work. ” speaking from his campaign party at the Dalmatian-American Club in San Pedro. He said his campaign focused on moving forward projects “past the point of no return” to make real change in the district that encompasses Watts. Wilmington. Harbor Gateway. Harbor City and San Pedro.
In the 5th District. which includes Bel-Air. Westwood. Cheviot Hills and Hancock Park. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky declared victory in her race around 9 p.m. after early ballots pushed her far ahead of the two challengers. Yaroslavsky said, “Across the spectrum, people are looking for lights to be fixed and sidewalks to be usable.”.
And in the north San Fernando Valley’s 7th District, Monica Rodriguez was running unopposed.
Back in District 11. Park’s early lead. her $1.3 million haul in campaign contributions. and her campaign’s close alignment with police and fire unions have combined into a clear early message for voters watching the Westside closely. Malik’s push. endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and backed by labor and Unite Here Local 11. is now positioned as the counter-narrative—one her campaign is betting can still carry into the next phase of the race.
With the outcome still fluid across Los Angeles City Council races, the District 11 contest is already being read as a referendum on priorities—built around familiar alliances, funded differently, and reflected in the numbers that appeared first on Tuesday night.
Los Angeles City Council District 11 Traci Park Faizah Malik police unions fire unions Democratic Socialists of America Unite Here Local 11 Los Angeles County Federation of Labor campaign contributions Nov. 3 runoff