Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair (Democratic Party) ran for election to the California State Assembly to represent District 65. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Iqbal-Zubair completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She earned an undergraduate degree from the Ramapo College of New Jersey in 2005 and a graduate degree from the Sint Eustatius School of Medicine and California State University Dominguez Hills in 2016. Iqbal-Zubair's career experience includes working as a private tutor, a public school teacher, and as a community advocate. She has been affiliated with the Watts Rising Leadership Council and the 501 political action organization Sunrise Movement.[1][2]
Elections
2022
See also: California State Assembly elections, 2022
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 65
Incumbent Mike Gipson defeated Fatima Iqbal-Zubair in the general election for California State Assembly District 65 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mike Gipson (D) | 61.7 | 43,118 |
 | Fatima Iqbal-Zubair (D)  | 38.3 | 26,719 | |
| Total votes: 69,837 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 65
Incumbent Mike Gipson and Fatima Iqbal-Zubair defeated Lydia A. Gutiérrez in the primary for California State Assembly District 65 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Gipson (D) | 68.0 | 28,801 |
| ✔ | | Fatima Iqbal-Zubair (D) | 31.1 | 13,162 |
 | Lydia A. Gutiérrez (R) (Write-in) | 1.0 | 414 | |
| Total votes: 42,377 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Iqbal-Zubair's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
2020
See also: California State Assembly elections, 2020
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 64
Incumbent Mike Gipson defeated Fatima Iqbal-Zubair in the general election for California State Assembly District 64 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Gipson (D) | 59.5 | 83,559 |
| Fatima Iqbal-Zubair (D) | 40.5 | 56,875 | |
| Total votes: 140,434 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 64
Incumbent Mike Gipson and Fatima Iqbal-Zubair advanced from the primary for California State Assembly District 64 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Gipson (D) | 67.5 | 38,324 |
| ✔ | | Fatima Iqbal-Zubair (D) | 32.5 | 18,469 |
| Total votes: 56,793 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Iqbal-Zubair's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I’m a proud mother, teacher, scientist, and longtime community member running to champion the voices of our neighborhoods if I’m elected to the Assembly. I place people over profit and meet our district where it’s at. That’s why I’ve taken the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge, the Homes Guarantee Pledge, the No Cop Money Pledge, and I don’t take money from corporate PACs. I will fight for our needs if I get elected, prioritizing getting us clean air and clean water so our families can stay healthy, critical infrastructure like equal, accessible public transportation and well-funded schools, and community wellbeing initiatives that keep our homes affordable, our streets safe, and our neighbors housed.
In addition to a long career as a public school teacher, I’ve been working with our community actively for many years. I helped connect residents to resources during the recent Dominguez channel odor incident, I actively campaigned with youth groups for AB345, I currently work with youth and DSA-LA on green schools initiatives and I also work closely with Better Watts Initiative in Watts. The grassroots support and excited volunteers on my campaign only further demonstrate my commitment to my community. I am qualified because of my organizing experience and my innovative outreach strategies to under-represented communities in my district, as well as my transparent, people-over-profit campaign strategies.
- Public Safety: Due to rising inequality and skyrocketing expenses, our district hasn’t been getting any safer or more prosperous. We need to help our community thrive, not just survive! Crime is a symptom of inequality, and by increasing wages, safeguarding affordable housing and renters rights, treating mental health issues with free and accessible support, and setting up community-based restorative justice resources, we can stop crime and keep our families safe and happy. To start, I support ending ‘broken window’ policies, outlawing cash bail, and working with community-based violence prevention organizations.
- Education: As a mother and a teacher, high-quality schools are a bedrock of my campaign. I support equitable, well-funded education from Pre-K on, and I support funding programs that our school systems work best for on our working families, like universal childcare. I would fight to increase funding for public education through a combination of creating a plan to ensure the health of our school system, expanding the state’s block grant allocation, and advocating for Schools and Communities First, which ensures that corporations will be held accountable for contributing their fair share to our schools and services.
- Clean Air & Clean Water: delivering on clean air and clean water for our district is a centerpiece of my campaign. We need state-level legislation that comprehensively addresses rampant pollution in our communities: setback zones for oil and gas drilling sites, immediate surveys and public hearings about lead-based contamination, plans to relocate toxic materials or operations from around schools, homes, and hospitals, and special healthcare programs for people who have been impacted by toxic pollution in our state so far.
I am passionate about making our community beautiful and healthy. Our infrastructure is failing in so many ways - our pipes are contaminated, we have toxic waste sites that haven’t been cleaned up, our roads are in desperate need of repair, we don’t have adequate access to healthy fresh foods, and more. Addressing environmental racism through infrastructure projects is a big priority of mine. Our schools and homes have been polluted for decades with obvious public health impacts to our families. Lead exposures in our district are regularly registered as above toxic levels to youth. My students leave schools with nosebleeds from the dangerous chemicals, and we regularly have to contend with oil spills, unintentional chemical releases, and more. There’s a reason that these issues are happening in our south Los Angeles district instead of in Beverly Hills. Our district is home to 75% of LA county’s gas & oil drilling operations. Many of these sites are within 2500 feet of schools, hospitals, and homes, despite clear research that shows close proximity causes significantly negative public health impacts including higher rates of cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and more. Additionally, our district has 1/3rd of our entire state’s refineries. Our district has a higher rate of asthma than almost anywhere else in the United States. We have one of the lowest life expectancies in the entire nation. It doesn’t have to be this way for our district!
The benefit for a state legislator to have experience in government or politics is that they will likely learn the intricacies of how government works. But I believe moral fortitude is a far greater tool to have than even decades of experience. Thankfully, I've been able to develop both. My organizing efforts have led me to be elected to the Executive Board of the Democratic Party as well as on the board of the Progressive Caucus. I've been able to mobilize and activate to push to get key bills passed the past couple of years. Experience does teach you the ins and outs of Sacramento and negotiating for a bill that could pass and be signed into law, but moral fortitude, empathy and being connected to people over profits will allow you to believe in a cause so much that you will fight for it like your life depends on it. It means that you will put your own self-interests aside to work with others and across the aisle, but also to call legislators out who may be clearly tied to special interests. It means that you won’t rest until justice in any policy you are fighting for is achieved. This spirit, to me, is far more important that previous experience in government and politics. I'm grateful to have both!
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.
2020
Fatima Iqbal-Zubair completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Iqbal-Zubair's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I'm an educator, community advocate, immigrant, environmental activist, and Carson resident. I'm running because District 64 deserves a representative that will fight to create real systemic change that will transform the trajectory for families and children across California. I worked as a public school science teacher and community advocate in Watts. Everyday, I saw the challenges my school and students faced. I worked hard to serve them well, bringing the first robotics program to my school. I also serve on the Watts Rising Leadership Council, an environmental collaborative working to improve air quality, create sustainable, affordable housing, and bring good green jobs to Watts residents. I served as the appointed Education Commissioner for the current incumbent but became frustrated when he failed to promote the policies that our community needs, and instead gave in to special interests. Unlike my opponent, I'm not taking a dime of corporate PAC money and therefore work only for you- the people; this is how you know my words actually mean action. I will demand a legislative agenda which includes clean air, clean water & clean food, high quality public education and pre-K, universal child care, tuition free college, healthcare and guaranteed housing for all as a human right to not only this district, but to all of California. I've been endorsed by Progressive Democratic Club, Gardena Valley Democratic Club, Our Revolution-Los Angeles, Carson Alliance for Truth and more.
- End homelessness. We live in the richest state in the nation, yet we have the most homeless. This is happening because politicians are in the pockets of real estate developers are not building housing for lower and middle income folks, they are building homes for the wealthy.
- Due to the presence of a large number of toxic sites and oil refineries in our district, we have some of the worst health problems in all of California. Not every school or home has access to clean water. Additionally, we don't have access to healthy food each day. In order to improve the health and life expectancy of this district, it is time to transition to cleaner forms of energy and pass legislation that prioritizes what we breath and what goes in our bodies.
- Universal, High Quality Pre-K, Public School Education Reform & Tuition Free Four Year Public College & Universities. Education should be the great equalizer, but the truth is our schools in communities of color are under-funded and under-resourced- this means that from the moment a child is born into the communities in our district, they are at a disadvantage and have less chance of upward mobility. We need to increase funding to pre-K, secondary public schools and additionally not make it an immense financial burden if a student makes the decision to further their education and go to college.
I am drawn to issues around environmental, educational, housing and healthcare justice. 25% of California's oil refineries are in our district, and I hear from community members every day about how pollution across our district negatively impacts their lives. As a former public school teacher, I have a deep awareness of the limitations of our current education system and know that we need to increase funding, and address teacher pay, class size and local accountability, among other issues. Finally, we need leaders who have the morality to build affordable housing not luxury housing. Last but not least, no one should have to feel the burden of affording the cost of healthcare. Healthcare should be provided to all as a human right. In order to achieve these policy changes, we need to get corporate money (in the oil, insurance, developer, tobacco and other corporations) out of politics and create a government that works completely for the people. In California, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Almost every single politician in California is tied to special interests, and this has affected not only their votes, but also how far they are willing to go for legislation that works for hard-working lower and middle class people instead of the special interests they are tied to. For this reason, I will fight for publicly funded elections. When ordinary people can run and win, we will achieve so much, because the government will truly work for the people.
I look up to the candidates and politicians who aren't taking any special interest money. I know that these are the people I can truly trust to legislate for the people, on ANY issue, because when a bill comes across the table, they will only think of their constituents and not the special interests that line so many politicians pockets. In the same vein of justice and human rights for all, I also value the very few politicians who have been consistent in what they have stood for, no matter what the circumstance or political backlash, simply because it was the right thing to do for people and their human rights. All of this takes political courage and moral fortitude, and has inspired me to always be true to myself and others and run an honest campaign 100% for the people, not for special interests.
The characteristics that are most important for an elected official are honesty, transparency, accountability, integrity, humbleness and having a moral compass. I'm running a campaign free of corporate PAC money, so that I'm accountable to only the people. When one is given the honor of being elected by the people. it is important to serve the people and only the people. On this note, it is also important that when money and resources can be sent to a community, that it is only done on the community's terms and because of the community's needs and not on the terms of other special interests- it is so important that the needs of the community are met and leadership is bottom-up NOT top-down. Part of being accountable to the people is also always being able to answer questions and concerns, even when it is difficult and inconvenient.; this means that it is important that an elected official is humbly able to admit when he or she is wrong or not on the right side of an issue- after all, an elected official serves the people and not the other way around. It is important that an elected official understands that he or she is in a position that he or she has to always earn by the people and to never become too entitled in believing that they don't have to always work with the people and for the people in order to retain the trust of the people.
I believe that I would be a successful officeholder, because I would bring diversity to the State Legislature- currently, only 30% of the State Legislature are women. It is important that all communities are at the table when decisions are being made. I am also a deeply honest person, and have always told the truth even if it is not in my best interest, but because I feel that it is the right thing to do. In every role I have served, I have never been afraid to speak truth to power and stand up for justice- I have always acted in the best interest of the people I was serving over my own. I am also relentlessly dedicated to causes that I believe in- in high school I was termed the "Energizer Bunny," as I had and still have an endless amount of energy and focus when I need to accomplish a task.
The benefit for a state legislator to have experience in government or politics is that they will likely learn the intricacies of how government works. But I believe moral fortitude is a far greater tool to have than even decades of experience. Experience may teach you the ins and outs of Sacramento and negotiating for a bill that could pass and be signed into law, but moral fortitude,empathy and being connected to people over profits will allow you to believe in a cause so much that you will fight for it like your life depends on it. It means that you will put your own self-interests aside to work with others and across the aisle, but also to call legislators out who may be clearly tied to special interests. It means that you won't rest until justice in any policy you are fighting for is achieved. This spirit, to me, is far more important that previous experience in government and politics.
I do believe it is beneficial to build relationships with other legislators- this is the only way big, bold ideas that are needed for change can pass. Politics right now is so divided, between the left and the right. My policies and stances will have be labeled as a progressive- however I simply believe that in the richest state in the nation, if our legislators (both on the left and right) were truly moral, there should not be one person who is homeless, who doesn't have access to a good education, who is breathing toxic air, who is drinking dirty water, and who is dying because they can't afford the cost of healthcare. I believe that most of my constituents believe this too, and even most legislators believe this also, no matter what party they are with. Labeling a legislator because they are not from the same party is judging them without trying to talk and listen to them as well. Building these relationships are important, because it allows us to not label other legislators - it allows us to actively listen, to share our thoughts and to grow not only as legislators but also as individuals. In the end, democracy is about this- believing that at our core, if we work together, we all want what's best for our constituents. We will achieve this if we have honest, open conversations, are transparent and hold each other accountable to only serving the people.
There are too many stories to mention that I've found particularly touching, memorable and impactful. As a grassroots candidate, it's the experiences I've had in the district and these stories that keep me fueled to work hard for the people. In every community across the district, there is a lot of community activism. Particularly in Wilmington and Carson, there have been many activists fighting for cleaner air and less toxicity. I've heard environmental activists in Wilmington tell me that they have been fighting for so long, but they feel like their voices have fallen on deaf ears, when they advocate to many legislators. Legislators tell them that the oil refineries will always have to be there and that we can't transition to cleaner energy. I've heard others say they have tried to have personal meetings and advocate to my opponent on environmental issues but it has fallen on deaf years. I am always touched when I hear from residents that I'm the first candidate that has been at their doorsteps, and they are thankful that I don't discriminate between rich or poor communities in the district. I met a woman living in a car with her sister who was evicted by her landlord- when I met her, she started crying and told me that there were severe health hazards of rats and roaches and the landlord was frustrated at her complaint and evicted her. To me, it spoke to the importance of expanding tenant's rights and allowing every tenant access to a public defender to hear their case in court. These stories truly touch me, because to me when a community is sharing and advocating they are telling you what they need- as a public servant, it's your job to listen and act, especially when one is in such a position of power to elicit change or at the very least fight for one's constituents as much as one can. This is why I'm in this fight- so that I can amplify the voices of my constituents and provide solutions not roadblocks.
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
2022 Elections
External links
|
Candidate California State Assembly District 65 |
Personal |
Footnotes
Current members of the California State Assembly
Leadership
Majority Leader:Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Minority Leader:James Gallagher
Representatives
District 1
Heather Hadwick (R)
District 2
Chris Rogers (D)
District 3
James Gallagher (R)
District 4
District 5
Joe Patterson (R)
District 6
Maggy Krell (D)
District 7
Josh Hoover (R)
District 8
David Tangipa (R)
District 9
Heath Flora (R)
District 10
Stephanie Nguyen (D)
District 11
Lori Wilson (D)
District 12
Damon Connolly (D)
District 13
Rhodesia Ransom (D)
District 14
Buffy Wicks (D)
District 15
District 16
District 17
Matt Haney (D)
District 18
Mia Bonta (D)
District 19
District 20
Liz Ortega (D)
District 21
Diane Papan (D)
District 22
Juan Alanis (R)
District 23
Marc Berman (D)
District 24
Alex Lee (D)
District 25
Ash Kalra (D)
District 26
Patrick Ahrens (D)
District 27
Esmeralda Soria (D)
District 28
Gail Pellerin (D)
District 29
Robert Rivas (D)
District 30
Dawn Addis (D)
District 31
Joaquin Arambula (D)
District 32
Stan Ellis (R)
District 33
Alexandra Macedo (R)
District 34
Tom Lackey (R)
District 35
Jasmeet Bains (D)
District 36
Jeff Gonzalez (R)
District 37
Gregg Hart (D)
District 38
Steve Bennett (D)
District 39
Juan Carrillo (D)
District 40
Pilar Schiavo (D)
District 41
John Harabedian (D)
District 42
Jacqui Irwin (D)
District 43
District 44
Nick Schultz (D)
District 45
James Ramos (D)
District 46
Jesse Gabriel (D)
District 47
Greg Wallis (R)
District 48
Blanca Rubio (D)
District 49
Mike Fong (D)
District 50
Robert Garcia (D)
District 51
Rick Zbur (D)
District 52
Jessica Caloza (D)
District 53
District 54
Mark Gonzalez (D)
District 55
Isaac Bryan (D)
District 56
Lisa Calderon (D)
District 57
Sade Elhawary (D)
District 58
Leticia Castillo (R)
District 59
Phillip Chen (R)
District 60
Corey Jackson (D)
District 61
Tina McKinnor (D)
District 62
Jose Solache (D)
District 63
Natasha Johnson (R)
District 64
Blanca Pacheco (D)
District 65
Mike Gipson (D)
District 66
Al Muratsuchi (D)
District 67
District 68
Avelino Valencia (D)
District 69
Josh Lowenthal (D)
District 70
Tri Ta (R)
District 71
Kate Sanchez (R)
District 72
Diane Dixon (R)
District 73
District 74
Laurie Davies (R)
District 75
Carl DeMaio (R)
District 76
Darshana Patel (D)
District 77
Tasha Horvath (D)
District 78
Christopher Ward (D)
District 79
District 80
David Alvarez (D)
Democratic Party (60)
Republican Party (20)
