Anamarie Avila Farias
Anamarie Avila Farias | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 15th district | |
| Assumed office December 2, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Grayson |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Isidro Farias |
Anamarie Avila Farias is an American politician who is a member of the California State Assembly from the 15th district since 2024.[1] She previously served on the Contra Costa County School Board, the California Housing Finance Agency board, and the Martinez City Council.
Early life
Avila Farias is the granddaughter of immigrants from Mexico who came to the United States through the Bracero Program.[2]
Early political career
Avila Farias was elected to a single term on the Martinez City Council in 2012, becoming the first Latina elected to the body. She was appointed to the California Housing Finance Agency Board of Directors by Governor Jerry Brown in 2015 and re-appointed by Gavin Newsom in 2021.[3]
In 2017, Avila Farias and a group of activists filed a lawsuit under the California Voting Rights Act alleging the Martinez Unified School District board diluted minority-representation through at-large elections. The board ultimately split the board representation into districts and paid $90,000 in legal fees.[4]
In 2022, Avila Farias made a Facebook post encouraging boycotting the 4th of July because of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling.[5]
2016 Contra Costa County Supervisor campaign
Avila Farias ran for Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in 2016, losing to incumbent Federal Glover. A mailer accused her and her husband Isidro of improperly receiving a $40,000 relief for building homes from the Martinez City Council in 2008.[6]
California State Assembly
Avila Farias ran in the 2024 election for the California State Assembly in the 15th district after the incumbent Assemblymember, Tim Grayson, announced that he would forgo reelection and run for the California State Senate instead.[3] Avila Farias and Republican Sonia Ledo advanced to the general election.[7] Avila Farias was elected.[8] As of the end of the 2025 session, Avila Farias was a member of the standing committees on Aging and Long-Term Care; Housing and Community Development; Military and Veterans Affairs; Water, Parks and Wildlife, and Insurance, and was co-chair of the Select Committee on Housing Finance and Affordability, and a member of several other select committees.[9] In her first session in the Assembly, she authored a number of bills on housing, education, and other issues.[10]
Electoral history
Martinez City Council
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anamarie Avila Farias | 8,060 | 30.6 | |
| Mark Ross | 7,863 | 29.9 | |
| Dylan Radke | 6,605 | 25.1 | |
| Arsenio "Chaz" Escudero | 2,219 | 8.4 | |
| Mike Alford | 1,485 | 5.6 | |
| Write-in | 106 | 0.4 | |
| Total votes | 26,338 | 100.0 | |
Contra Costa County Supervisor
| Primary election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Federal Glover | 13,101 | 34.2 | |
| Anamarie Avila Farias | 12,125 | 31.7 | |
| Michael Menesini | 5,541 | 14.5 | |
| Dan Romero | 5,217 | 13.6 | |
| Conrad Dandridge | 2,123 | 5.6 | |
| Write-in | 145 | 0.4 | |
| Total votes | 38,252 | 100.0 | |
| General election | |||
| Federal Glover | 36,371 | 53.1 | |
| Anamarie Avila Farias | 31,856 | 46.5 | |
| Write-in | 311 | 0.5 | |
| Total votes | 68,538 | 100.0 | |
California State Assembly
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Sonia Ledo | 30,962 | 31.9 | |
| Democratic | Anamarie Avila Farias | 29,525 | 30.4 | |
| Democratic | Monica Wilson | 24,792 | 25.5 | |
| Democratic | Karen Mitchoff | 11,917 | 12.3 | |
| Total votes | 97,196 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Anamarie Avila Farias | 131,850 | 64.1 | |
| Republican | Sonia Ledo | 73,762 | 35.9 | |
| Total votes | 205,612 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- ^ "Contra Costa County Live Election Results 2024". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
- ^ Niño, Pilar (December 2, 2024). "Latina representará al Distrito 15 en la legislatura de California". KSTS (in Spanish). Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ a b Lauer, Katie (February 26, 2024). "Assembly District 15: Four women vying to fill Tim Grayson's seat". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ Fagone, Jason; Lempres, Daniel (December 27, 2023). "A powerful California law is reshaping how you vote. Lawyers are making millions off it". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ Segura, Danielle (June 30, 2022). "School board member in CA calls for July 4th boycott after abortion rights overturned". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ Richards, Sam (October 24, 2016). "Martinez council members disavow election hit mailer with their names on it". East Bay Times. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ Payton, Allen (March 12, 2024). "Avila Farias claims unity but Mitchoff won't endorse her in Assembly race". Contra Costa Herald. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ "Anamarie Avila Farias". Digital Democracy. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "Assembly Member Ávila Farías". California State Assembly. State of California. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Legislation". Assembly District 15, Anamarie Avila Farias. California State Assembly Democratic Caucus. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "2012 Nov 6 • General - City Council Member • City of Martinez". Contra Costa County. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ^ "2016 Jun 7 • Primary - County Supervisor • County Supervisorial District 5". Contra Costa County. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ^ "2016 Nov 8 • General - County Supervisor • County Supervisorial District 5". Contra Costa County. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ^ "March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ "November 5, 2024, General Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 7, 2025.