LA voters will vote in eight City Council districts, two of which have open seats

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LA voters will vote in eight City Council districts, two of which have open seats

Los Angeles voters will vote in eight City Council districts next week, including two open seats where incumbents are dropping out due to term limits.

The races for the seats vacated by Council Members Bob Blumenfield and Curren Price drew large fields of candidates, but the biggest spending was in the Westside’s District 11, where incumbent Traci Park faced off against challenger Faizah Malik, a public interest attorney and one of four council candidates backed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Park raised $1.3 million, according to the latest campaign finance reports filed Friday, while challenger Faizah Malik reported about $520,000. In addition, more than three million dollars have been spent on the contest by so-called private fundraising committees that use money to elect or defeat contestants but are prohibited from linking their activities to the campaigns.

The district includes Venice, Mar Vista, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades, which was devastated by a wildfire in January 2025.

Malik said on Friday that he is confident when it comes to the primary election, he said that most of his donations are less than $100 each, and that he has not taken money from companies.

Los Angeles City Council candidate Faizah Malik in CD11 attended a campaign event.

“This is what it means to be a grassroots candidate, and it’s more proof that the people of CD11 believe in our vision of an affordable Westside for everyday people,” Malik said.

Park’s campaign aide said Park’s move reflects the councilor’s track record of getting results.

“But no one takes it lightly,” the aide said in a statement. “We’re working until the final vote because this election will determine whether the Westside will continue to move forward or be pushed back into the same failed politics and powerless Angelenos.”

Los Angeles City Council member Traci Park gives a pep talk to members of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City.

Park emphasized his support for efforts to repair the fire, including pushing to waive permit fees for residents who want to rebuild. Malik said Park has been focusing more on single-family home owners and said he will focus more on renters.

They have different views on policing: Malik said he opposes increasing the size of the Los Angeles Police Department and instead supports channeling more resources into the city’s unarmed response system. Park said the Police Department should have approximately 10,000 sworn officers, up from 8,700 currently. He voted for the 2023 LAPD contract that gave officers raises and increased pay for new hires.

They stand apart from each other in the Venice Dell housing development project, which will transform the downtown area into 120 homes for low-income and homeless people. The park is against demolition and instead wants to turn it into a “travel hub” and move a housing project to the nearby area. Malik, who represented the developer who filed a lawsuit against the city saying Park and others wanted to kill the project, said the project is a motivating factor in his campaign.

Region 9

Six candidates are running to replace Councilman Curren Price, who has reached a 12-year term, in District 9. The district includes the Convention Center, USC and communities along the freeway.

The candidates differ on key issues, including policing and housing. Estuardo Mazariegos, co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Los Angeles, is supported by the Democratic Socialists of America. He called for the LAPD budget to be reduced and the funds directed to other city departments.

Two other candidates – Jorge Hernandez Rosas, a teacher, and Jose Ugarte, a former Price employee – said they support hiring more police officers. Another optimist, Elmer Roldan, executive director of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles, said he believes in keeping the LAPD at its current size.

Garte, Roldan, Rosas and Martha Sánchez, a therapist, all support implementing Municipal Code 41.18, which prohibits homeless people near schools and daycare centers. Mazariegos and Jorge Nuño, a businessman, said the code does not solve homelessness and instead moves people.

Ugarte has raised the most contributions of any candidate and has been endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party in a nonpartisan race.

District 3

Three candidates are vying for the open seat in District 3, which Council Member Bob Blumenfield unseated. The district includes Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, Reseda, Winnetka and Tarzana.

The candidates are Tim Gaspar, who founded an insurance company, Barry Worth Girvan, the district director of Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, and Christopher Robert “CR” Celona, a technology entrepreneur.

The three candidates are equally positioned on public safety, supporting Mayor Karen Bass’ longtime goal of increasing the LAPD’s ranks to at least 9,500 officers. All three also support enforcement of Municipal Code section 41.18.

Gaspar and Worth Girvan both scored important points. Gaspar is supported by Blumenfield, billionaire developer Rick Caruso and Council members Monica Rodriguez, Tim McOsker and John Lee and billionaire developer Rick Caruso. Worth Girvan has endorsements from a long list of Democratic Party state legislators, the state Democratic Party, the Sierra Club and labor unions.

Gaspar leads the way in campaign contributions, followed by Worth Girvan. Celona, who promised to revive the city’s entertainment industry by speeding up film permits and cutting red tape, is lagging behind.

Region 1

Council member Eunisses Hernandez faces four challenges in District 1, which stretches from Highland Park in the northeast to University Park in the southwest. He is supported by the local Democratic Socialists of America, and his opponents say the district has suffered under his leadership, pointing to MacArthur Park as a symbol of the city’s homelessness and drug addiction problems.

Hernandez lists his accomplishments, including helping secure a $6.3 million grant to house the homeless along the Arroyo Seco River and championing a citywide network of unarmed disaster response teams.

He faces challenges from Maria Lou Calanche, former Los Angeles police commissioner and founder of the non-profit Legacy LA; Nelson Grande, senior advisor and former president of Avenida Entertainment Group; Raul Claros, founder of California Rising; and Sylvia Robledo, small business owner and former council assistant.

Hernandez’s campaign also faced a number of allegations of “black money”. A group called Neighbors First sent out mail pieces criticizing Hernandez and the other remaining City Council candidates.

Region 5

Incumbent Katy Yaroslavsky faces two challengers to her District 5 seat, both of whom oppose her stance on housing spending and public safety. The district includes some of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods, including Bel-Air, Westwood, Cheviot Hills and Hancock Park.

Opponents Henry Mantel, a tenant rights attorney, and Morgan Oyler, an accountant, say Yaroslavsky has not done enough to increase housing construction in the county. Yaroslavsky, a leading fundraiser, said he supports more housing near transit but cautioned against building more than the city can support.

District 13

Councilman Hugo Soto-Martínez, who is also endorsed by the LA chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, faces three challenges in District 13, which includes Atwater Village, Glassell Park, Elysian Valley, Echo Park, Silver Lake and East Hollywood.

The list of challengers includes Colter Carlisle, vice president of the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council, Dylan Kendall, head of Grow Hollywood, and Rich Sarian, vice president of strategic plans for the city of South Park Social District.

While Soto-Martínez supports expanding the city’s unarmed officer program, Carlisle and Kendall would like to expand the police force. Sarian said he supports the unarmed officer program and wants to examine the current size and resources of the LAPD.

District 15

Incumbent Tim McOsker faces community planner Jordan River in District 15, which includes Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, San Pedro, Watts and Wilmington. McOsker has decades of experience in politics, having served in the mayor’s office, and the city attorney’s office before joining the City Council in 2022. Rivers, who is unemployed, is a member of the Green Party.