Faizah Malik will kick off her campaign for Los Angeles City Council District 11 this Sunday, August 24, with a launch event at Mar Vista Park. The gathering, set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will include food, games, and activities as Malik introduces her candidacy to Westside voters.
Malik, a longtime housing attorney, is entering the race as a first-time candidate but with deep ties to the community. In her opening months, she reported raising more than $127,000, which her campaign described as the most ever raised by an incumbent challenger in that timeframe. She has pledged not to accept donations from lobbyists, corporate interests, developers, or the fossil fuel industry. “I launched this campaign because I want the Westside to be a place where everyone has a future,” Malik said in a recent statement. “And I believe we need a politics of care, one that invests in our communities and supports the workers, immigrants, small businesses, and artists that built it, instead of the fear and division we see today.”
Malik currently serves as Managing Attorney for Housing Justice at Public Counsel, one of Los Angeles’ largest nonprofit legal organizations. Over the past 15 years, she has represented tenants facing eviction, helped secure new affordable housing, and worked on policies to stabilize working families. She played a central role in defending Los Angeles’ renter protections against court challenges, sued the state over rent relief denials, and helped craft and defend Measure ULA, the real estate transfer tax that has raised hundreds of millions for housing and homelessness programs. Malik also represented the Bruce family in their successful legal effort to reclaim Bruce’s Beach, a historic case widely regarded as a landmark for racial justice.
Her biography highlights roots in the district. Malik is the eldest daughter of South Asian Muslim immigrants who settled in Los Angeles more than 50 years ago, opening small businesses and helping build local institutions. She attended public schools, graduated from Brown University and the University of Michigan Law School, and has worked both in government and in public interest law. Today, she is a renter and mother raising her family in Venice, where she is active in her neighborhood and her children’s activities.
Malik’s platform centers on housing, affordability, and government accountability. She has said she would prioritize building housing at all income levels, champion models like social housing and community land trusts, and expand rental and income supports for seniors and people with disabilities. She has also called for making her council office a community hub, bringing residents into the legislative process, and ensuring decisions are shaped by constituents rather than corporate donors.
Her candidacy sets up a clear contrast with incumbent Councilmember Traci Park. Park has aligned with police unions and real estate developers, opposed renter protections, and taken positions against sanctuary city policies and higher wages. Malik is positioning herself as the progressive alternative, pledging to run a community-powered campaign rooted in affordability and inclusion.
The Mar Vista Park event will be the first opportunity for Westside residents to hear Malik make that case directly as the race for CD11 begins to take shape.