Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park has raised more than $1.2 million in her campaign for re-election in the city’s June 2 primary, more than double what challenger Faizah Malik raised, according to financial reports filed this week.
Malik, a civil rights attorney, reported raising about $454,000 in his campaign for the District 11 seat that spans the Westside, including Mar Vista, Pacific Palisades, Venice and Westchester, reports show.
At an estimated $1.7 million, the money raised in this race was the highest for eight council seats, out of 15 in total, in the June 2 vote. Whichever candidate wins the majority in the election will win the seat outright, otherwise the top two vote-getters will compete in a general election on Nov. 3.
Two of the eight races are open seats for those who are said to have dropped out, and in the other five races, candidates Eunisses Hernandez, Park, Hugo Soto-Martínez, Tim McOsker and Katy Yaroslavsky have posted big wins over their opponents. Another incumbent, Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, is running unopposed.
In the San Fernando Valley’s west third district, three candidates are seeking to replace incumbent Councilman Bob Blumenfield.
Insurance company founder Tim Gaspar was leading the pack in fundraising, reporting nearly $430,000. Barry Worth Girvan, an assistant to Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath, made an estimated $235,000. Tech entrepreneur Christopher Robert “CR” Celona was about $12,300 behind.
In Assembly District 1, which includes Highland Park and Pico-Union, incumbent Hernandez came out on top with about $319,000 in donations. Challenger Maria Lou Calanche, former Los Angeles police commissioner, reported raising about $182,000.
Among other challengers in the race, Sylvia Robledo, a small business owner and longtime City Council aide, reported donations of about $75,000. Raul Claros, founder of a nonprofit called California Rising, has put in $70,500 in donations and businessman Nelson Grande reported raising nearly $55,000.
There are six candidates running to replace Curren Price in the 9th District, including USC and communities along the Harbor Freeway corridor.
Jose Ugarte, Price’s former deputy chief of staff, led the field in reported fundraising, raising $477,000.
Estuardo Mazariegos, head of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Los Angeles, reported donations of about $200,000 and Elmer Roldan, director of the nonprofit, raised about $114,000.
Businessman Jorge Nuño and therapist Martha Sanchez followed with about $25,000 and $13,000, respectively. Teacher Jorge Hernandez Rosas did not report any donations.
In other races:
- Yaroslavsky reported raising about $431,000 for his District 5 seat, which includes Westwood, Palms and Hancock Park. Neither of his opponents, Henry Mantel and Morgan Oyler, reported raising more than $35,000.
- McOsker reported raising 242,000 for his 15th District seat in San Pedro. Challenger Jordan Rivers, a community organizer, told The Times that he did not withdraw the money.
- Soto-Martínez reported raising more than $170,000. The three challengers in the race – Colter Carlisle, Dylan Kendall and Rich Sarian – reported a total of $152,000.
The result of the Park-Malik race in District 11 will be determined primarily on June 2 because only two candidates entered the race.
In a statement, Councilor Park praised her fundraising efforts in her efforts to clear homeless camps.
“I raised a historic number of donations from Westside residents because I’ve been on the ground since Day One solving our most important issue: getting people off the streets into housing and management and removing dangerous slums from our neighborhoods,” said Park. “Residents, workers and visitors all see the difference.”
Kendall Mayhew, Malik’s campaign communications director, said in a statement that Park and her supporters are spending like never before because “we’re winning and they don’t know what else to do.”
“What our campaign has shown so far, and what we will show at the ballot box in just a few weeks, is that corporate money cannot defeat an honest, grassroots campaign,” Mayhew said.
The fundraising figures reported this week represent the money given by individual donors, who are limited to contributions of no more than $1,000 this election cycle. While these reports only look at fundraising, money also comes in at independent expense, with no limit on how much money can be given.
For example, in District 1, the LA County Federation of Labor reportedly spent more than $226,000 to support Hernandez. Calanche also received support funds: The Fix Los Angeles PAC Supporting Calanche, Ugarte and Park for City Council 2026 spent nearly $46,000 on its campaign to unseat Hernandez.
