This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates. Malia Vella Democratic Party Elections and appointments Last election June 29, 2021 Education Bachelor's Wellesley College, 2006 Law Santa Clara University School of Law, 2011 Personal Birthplace Alameda, Calif. Profession Attorney and Professor Contact Campaign website Campaign Facebook Campaign Twitter Campaign Instagram Personal LinkedIn Malia Vella (Democratic Party) ran in a special election to the California State Assembly to represent District 18. She lost in the special primary on June 29, 2021. Vella completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers. ## Contents * 1 Biography * 2 Elections * 2.1 2021 * 2.1.1 Endorsements * 3 Campaign themes * 3.1 2021 * 4 See also * 5 External links * 6 Footnotes ## Biography[edit] Malia Vella was born in Alameda, California. She earned a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in 2006 and a J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2011. Her professional experience includes working as a worker’s rights/labor attorney and as an adjunct professor at Mills College. Vella was elected to the Alameda City Council in 2016 and went on to serve as vice mayor. She has served as an elected delegate and AD18 E-Board member for the California Democratic Party, as the lead abatement JPA for the Alameda County Healthy Homes Department Governing Board, as a board member of Spectrum Community Services, as vice chair of the Filipino American Democratic Caucus of the California Democratic Party, and as a member of the Housing and Economic Development Committee of the League of California Cities. Vella has also been affiliated with the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California.[1][2] ## Elections[edit] ### 2021[edit] See also: California state legislative special elections, 2021 General election ##### Special general election for California State Assembly District 18 Mia Bonta defeated Janani Ramachandran in the special general election for California State Assembly District 18 on August 31, 2021. Candidate Votes | | | ✔ | | Mia Bonta (D) | 56.9 | 43,762 | Janani Ramachandran (D) | 43.1 | 33,181 * * * There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 76,943 | | = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. Nonpartisan primary election ##### Special nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 18 The following candidates ran in the special primary for California State Assembly District 18 on June 29, 2021. Candidate Votes | | | ✔ | | Mia Bonta (D) | 38.0 | 22,558 ✔ | | Janani Ramachandran (D) | 23.7 | 14,036 | Malia Vella (D) | 16.9 | 10,053 | Stephen Slauson (R) | 9.6 | 5,725 | Victor Aguilar (D) | 6.6 | 3,938 | James Aguilar (D) | 1.8 | 1,039 | Eugene Canson (D) | 1.7 | 1,029 | Joel Britton (Independent) | 1.3 | 750 | Nelsy Batista (D) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 13 | | Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 187 * * * There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 59,328 | | = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. #### Endorsements[edit] To view Vella's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here. ## Campaign themes[edit] ### 2021[edit] #### Ballotpedia survey responses See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection Malia Vella completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vella's responses. Expand all | Collapse all Who are you? Tell us about yourself. As Vice Mayor, I'm accessible and proactive in engaging with the community. I'm committed to working with you to enact state policy that's equitable and fair. COVID-19 presented personal challenges and loss, and affected how we live. I've provided steady leadership and innovative thinking during these challenging times, with a focus on a just economic recovery. We need affordable, quality housing options for all residents at all income levels. School district teachers and employees, local workers, and seniors and families experiencing homelessness will have new affordable housing options at Alameda Point. I established a model collaboration with non-profits, community and faith-based organizations, and local government to provide mental health, drug treatment and job training services to the unhoused. I've worked to cap annual rent increases and enact just cause tenant protections, raise the minimum wage and address climate change and sea level rise. I encouraged creation of a community-led effort to examine police policy and tactics and root out inherent racism. I'll continue to stand up, speak out and be a force for racial justice. I have deep roots here. I was born in Alameda, grew up in San Leandro, swimming with the Drowning Darryls and went to high school in Oakland, rowing for the Strokes. My record of accomplishment and experience as Vice Mayor, and my perspective as a mom to two young children, is needed in the Assembly. Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? * Housing – I support efforts to build housing at all income levels, removing exclusionary zoning and increasing funding for affordable and transitional housing to assist our unhoused neighbors. * Equity – The COVID 19 Pandemic has exacerbated the economic inequities that already existed and disproportionately impacted women and BIPOC communities. We need to expand access to quality health care for all, ensure that our neighborhood schools stay open, address food insecurity, provide affordable childcare, reinvest in the social services we know help people succeed, and help our workers return to work safely. * Justice Reform – As a Councilmember, I led the way in demilitarizing our police, reimagining policing, and unbundling services and reinvesting in our community through a community led process that centered BIPOC voices. I intend to continue this work in the state legislature. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? I have spent my entire career fighting for worker's rights and working families. I am passionate about housing. environmental justice, and creating a more equitable and just society. As a woman of color with two young children, I know how important quality education and early childhood development are to our societal well-being, which is why I will fight to fully fund education and make quality child care accessible and affordable for all families. Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy? Color of Law (Richard Rothstein), The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Jane Jacob’s), The People’s History of the United States (Howard Zinn), Women Race and Class (Angela Davis) What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder? I am a thoughtful, hardworking, smart, values-based leader. What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time? Growing up in the East Bay, I remember the Loma Prieta Earthquake (1989) and Oakland Hills Firestorm (1991). I was 5 years old when the maze collapsed as a result of the earthquake. I remember my mom running around the house to shut off the gas and how happy we were when my dad finally made it home from work. I was 7 when many of my friends had to evacuate their homes due to the fires, and our family friends stayed with us when they were forced to flee. What is your favorite book? Why? It is hard to pick one book - but I enjoy novels. Pride & Prejudice for when I feel like reading a witty female lead and The Count of Monte Christo because I have always enjoyed the plot twists and cheering on Edmond Dantes. What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade? 1\. Housing/Homelessness 2\. Climate Change 3\. The growing wealth gap. What process do you favor for redistricting? We must ensure robust and inclusive public input and a final map that reflects that input. Expertise, education, and inclusion are vital to achieving this. Expertise - Knowledge, experience and expertise matter. Under normal circumstances, redistricting requires special knowledge. This year, new laws governing redistricting, the compressed schedule and the ongoing effects of COVID make the process especially challenging. Hiring an expert consultant allows staff to focus on equitable input through education and outreach. Education - Community education needs to start early. It takes time to engage hard-to-reach communities of interest and explain what redistricting is. Inclusion - It is vitally important that the final map reflects community recommendations. Multi-faceted engagement is critical for inclusion, as is early publication of meeting dates and draft documents. If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of? Appropriations, Judiciary, Housing and Community Development, and Public Safety Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it. ## See also[edit] 2021 Elections Who is on my ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Government Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislature State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Newsletters The Daily Brew The Tap The Ballot Bulletin Number of the Day Bold Justice Checks and Balances Union Station Fact Check ## External links[edit] * Search Google News for this topic Candidate California State Assembly District 18 * Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram Personal * LinkedIn | ## Footnotes[edit] 1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 21, 2021 2. ↑ Malia Vella State Assembly, "Meet Malia Vella," accessed June 22, 2021 [show] Current members of the California State Assembly Leadership Speaker of the House:Anthony Rendon Majority Leader:Eloise Reyes Minority Leader:James Gallagher Representatives District 1 Megan Dahle (R) District 2 Jim Wood (D) District 3 James Gallagher (R) District 4 Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D) District 5 Frank Bigelow (R) District 6 Kevin Kiley (R) District 7 Kevin McCarty (D) District 8 Ken Cooley (D) District 9 Jim Cooper (D) District 10 Marc Levine (D) District 11 Vacant District 12 Heath Flora (R) District 13 Carlos Villapudua (D) District 14 Tim Grayson (D) District 15 Buffy Wicks (D) District 16 Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D) District 17 Vacant District 18 Mia Bonta (D) District 19 Phil Ting (D) District 20 Bill Quirk (D) District 21 Adam Gray (D) District 22 Kevin Mullin (D) District 23 Jim Patterson (R) District 24 Marc Berman (D) District 25 Alex Lee (D) District 26 Devon Mathis (R) District 27 Ash Kalra (D) District 28 Evan Low (D) District 29 Mark Stone (D) District 30 Robert Rivas (D) District 31 Joaquin Arambula (D) District 32 Rudy Salas (D) District 33 Thurston Smith (R) District 34 Vince Fong (R) District 35 Jordan Cunningham (R) District 36 Tom Lackey (R) District 37 Steve Bennett (D) District 38 Suzette Valladares (R) District 39 Luz Rivas (D) District 40 James Ramos (D) District 41 Chris Holden (D) District 42 Chad Mayes (I) District 43 Laura Friedman (D) District 44 Jacqui Irwin (D) District 45 Jesse Gabriel (D) District 46 Adrin Nazarian (D) District 47 Eloise Reyes (D) District 48 Blanca Rubio (D) District 49 Mike Fong (D) District 50 Richard Bloom (D) District 51 Wendy Carrillo (D) District 52 Freddie Rodriguez (D) District 53 Miguel Santiago (D) District 54 Isaac Bryan (D) District 55 Phillip Chen (R) District 56 Eduardo Garcia (D) District 57 Lisa Calderon (D) District 58 Cristina Garcia (D) District 59 Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D) District 60 Sabrina Cervantes (D) District 61 Jose Medina (D) District 62 Vacant District 63 Anthony Rendon (D) District 64 Mike Gipson (D) District 65 Sharon Quirk-Silva (D) District 66 Al Muratsuchi (D) District 67 Kelly Seyarto (R) District 68 Steven Choi (R) District 69 Tom Daly (D) District 70 Patrick O'Donnell (D) District 71 Randy Voepel (R) District 72 Janet Nguyen (R) District 73 Laurie Davies (R) District 74 Cottie Petrie-Norris (D) District 75 Marie Waldron (R) District 76 Tasha Horvath (D) District 77 Brian Maienschein (D) District 78 Christopher Ward (D) District 79 Akilah Weber (D) District 80 Vacant Democratic Party (56) Republican Party (19) Independent (1) Vacancies (4) v • e State of California Sacramento (capital) | Elections | What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2022 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures Government | Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy