Representative Darya Farivar

Darya Farivar is a Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives representing the 46th Legislative District in northeastern Seattle, which includes the Lake City neighborhood. Born and raised in this district to Iranian immigrant parents, she is the first Middle Eastern woman and first Iranian American woman elected to the Washington State Legislature, as well as the youngest person ever elected to serve the 46th legislative district.

Farivar is deeply committed to public service and advocates for lifting marginalized voices. Her legislative focus centers on the intersection of behavioral health, crisis response, the criminal legal system, and homelessness. She has been particularly involved in addressing issues related to the True Blood lawsuit and housing availability and affordability in her district.

Education and Early Career

Farivar graduated from the University of Redlands with a Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Disorders and a minor in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. During her time at university, she volunteered in the juvenile justice system and founded the institution's first Middle Eastern Student Association.

Prior to her election, Farivar worked extensively in advocacy and nonprofit sectors. From 2016 to 2018, she served as the advocacy program coordinator for Open Doors for Multicultural Families, a nonprofit based in Kent, Washington. She then joined Disability Rights Washington in 2018, where she worked as the organization's director of public policy, focusing on disability rights advocacy at the intersection of behavioral health, housing, and the criminal legal system.

Political Experience

Farivar was elected to the Washington House of Representatives in November 2022 and assumed office on January 9, 2023. During her first term in the 2023-2024 biennium, she introduced and shepherded five bills through the legislative process to be signed into law—a notable achievement for a first-term legislator. Her legislative efforts increased representation of marginalized people on state boards and commissions, expanded access to justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse, improved anti-trust enforcement, and supported successful reentry from prisons and treatment facilities to the community.

In 2023, Farivar collaborated with the Center for Children and Youth Justice and Stand for Children WA to approve legislation eliminating legal financial obligations in juvenile court, including fines, fees, and restitution. The bill established a Community Compensation Program to pay victims of crimes committed by juveniles.

Currently, Farivar serves as Vice Chair of the Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee and holds memberships on the Joint Administrative Rules Review Committee, Community Safety Committee, State Government & Tribal Relations Committee, and Rules Committee. She also serves as a board member of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability and previously held positions including Co-Chair of the Women's Commission for the City of Seattle and Policy Chair of the Special Education Advisory Council.