Anamarie Avila Farias

Anamarie Ávila Farías
Official portrait, 2024
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 15th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 2, 2024
Preceded byTim Grayson
Personal details
Born1973 (age 52–53)
Martinez, California
PartyDemocratic
SpouseIsidro Farias

Anamarie Ávila Farías 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 Board of Education, the California Housing Finance Agency board, and the Martinez City Council.

Early life

Ávila Farías was born in Martinez, California[2] She is the granddaughter of immigrants from Mexico who came to the United States through the Bracero Program.[3]

Early political career

Ávila Farías 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.[4]

In 2017, Ávila Farías 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.[5]

In 2022, Ávila Farías made a Facebook post encouraging boycotting the 4th of July because of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling.[6]

2016 Contra Costa County Supervisor campaign

Ávila Farías ran for Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in 2016, losing to incumbent Federal Glover.

California State Assembly

Ávila Farías 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.[4] Ávila Farías and Republican Sonia Ledo advanced to the general election.[7] Ávila Farías was elected.[8] As of the end of the 2025 session, Ávila Farías 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]

In January 2026, Ávila Farías introduced a bill to bar people employed by ICE between September 2025 and January 2029 from working in law enforcement or the public school system in California.[11]

Electoral history

Martinez City Council

2012 Martinez City Council election[12]
Candidate Votes %
Anamarie Ávila Farías 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

2016 Contra Costa County Supervisor 5th district election[13][14]
Primary election
Candidate Votes %
Federal Glover 13,101 34.2
Anamarie Ávila Farías 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 Ávila Farías 31,856 46.5
Write-in 311 0.5
Total votes 68,538 100.0

California State Assembly

2024 California State Assembly 15th district election[15][16]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sonia Ledo 30,962 31.9
Democratic Anamarie Ávila Farías 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 Ávila Farías 131,850 64.1
Republican Sonia Ledo 73,762 35.9
Total votes 205,612 100.0
Democratic hold

References

  1. ↑ "Contra Costa County Live Election Results 2024". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  2. ↑ "California State Assemblymember Anamarie Avila Farias - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  3. ↑ Niño, Pilar (December 2, 2024). "Latina representará al Distrito 15 en la legislatura de California". KSTS (in Spanish). Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Lauer, Katie (February 26, 2024). "Assembly District 15: Four women vying to fill Tim Grayson's seat". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ "Anamarie Ávila Farías". Digital Democracy. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Assembly Member Ávila Farías". California State Assembly. State of California. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  10. ↑ "2025 Legislation". Assembly District 15, Anamarie Ávila Farías. California State Assembly Democratic Caucus. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
  11. ↑ DiNatale, Sara (January 27, 2026). "California bill would ban ICE agents from jobs in teaching and policing". SF Chronicle. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  12. ↑ "2012 Nov 6 • General - City Council Member • City of Martinez". Contra Costa County. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  13. ↑ "2016 Jun 7 • Primary - County Supervisor • County Supervisorial District 5". Contra Costa County. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  14. ↑ "2016 Nov 8 • General - County Supervisor • County Supervisorial District 5". Contra Costa County. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  15. ↑ "March 5, 2024, Presidential Primary Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  16. ↑ "November 5, 2024, General Election - State Assemblymember" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
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