Nikil Saval

Nikil Saval
Saval in 2022
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 5, 2021 (2021-01-05)
Preceded by	Larry Farnese
Personal details
Born	(1982-12-27) December 27, 1982 (age 42) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Shannon Garrison
Children	1
Alma mater	Columbia University (BA) Stanford University (PhD)
Known for	Co-editor of n+1

Nikil Saval (born December 27, 1982) is an American magazine editor, writer, organizer, activist, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represents the 1st district in the Pennsylvania State Senate.

Early life and education

Saval was born in Los Angeles, California, to parents from Bangalore^[1] and grew up in West Los Angeles.^[2] He graduated from Columbia College of Columbia University with a B.A. in 2005 and received a Ph.D. in English from Stanford University in 2014.^[1][3]

Writing career

Saval was a co-editor of n+1,^[4] as well as a contributor to The New York Times, and The New Yorker, covering architecture and design.^[5] He currently serves on the board of directors of n+1.^[6]

In his 2014 book Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace, Saval traces the evolution of the office workplace, from 19th-century counting houses to modern cubicles, exploring how these workplaces—and the lives of the workers within them—can be improved.^[7] The book was named a New York Times notable book of 2014.^[8]

Political career

Activism

Saval was a co-founder of Reclaim Philadelphia, an organization that formed out of the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign. His group helped elect Larry Krasner to district attorney of Philadelphia.^[9] In 2018, Saval became the Ward Leader of Philadelphia's 2nd Ward.^[10]

Pennsylvania State Senate

In 2020, he challenged Democratic incumbent Larry Farnese for his seat in the Pennsylvania State Senate,^[2] earning the endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders in May 2020.^[11] Saval based his campaign around a Green New Deal, prison reform, guaranteed affordable housing, redevelopment of Philadelphia schools, and Medicare for All.^[12] He beat Farnese in the primary and became de facto State Senator-elect, as he had no opposition in the general election.^[12][13]

He was a member of the Democratic Socialists of America from 2014 through at least 2020.^[11]

In 2022, Saval introduced the Whole-Home Repairs Act, legislation which aims to provide eligible residents with grants of up to $50,000 to make health-and-safety focused home repairs. Small landlords would also be eligible to apply for similar loans under the same program, and the state government would also invest in training qualified home-repair workers. This program is partly intended to help low-income residents become eligible for federal grants from the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which subsidizes energy-efficiency upgrades for poorer residents. Despite Saval himself’s position on the left wing of the Democratic party, Saval’s bill has received signals of support from several Republican committee chairs.^[14]

In 2024, Saval supported a legislative proposal to increase housing supply in Pennsylvania by reducing onerous zoning regulations that restrict housing. The bill would permit duplexes in small towns and fourplexes in mid-sized towns previously zoned exclusively for single-family housing, as well as permit accessory dwelling units in all areas zoned for single-family housing.^[15]

Personal life

Saval is married to Shannon Garrison.^[1] The couple live in Philadelphia with their son.^[2]

Books

• Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace (2014), ISBN 9780385536578

References

1. Lamster, Mark (February 2015). "2016 Dallas Festival of Ideas: The Physical City". The Dallas Morning News.
2. Washington, John (December 20, 2019). "Nikil Saval Is the Most Interesting Politician in America". The Nation.
3. Kane, Joan (July 2003). "College Honors 78 Students at Awards and Prizes Ceremony". Columbia College Today. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
4. "Nikil Saval". Fresh Fiction. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
5. Gajjar, Saloni (November 13, 2020). "Nikil Saval went from magazine editor to 1st Asian American in Penn. State Senate". NBC News. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
6. "About". n+1. 7 December 2013.
7. Garner, Dwight (2014-04-24). "The Office Space We Love to Hate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
8. "100 Notable Books of 2014". The New York Times. 2014-12-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
9. "Accomplishments". Reclaim Philadelphia. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
10. Brennan, Chris; Walsh, Sean Collins (February 7, 2020). "Vince Fumo's old district is the scene of the latest battle between old and new Philadelphia politics". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
11. Bromwich, Jonah Engel (May 28, 2020). "The N+1 Candidate". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
12. Tanenbaum, Michael (June 2, 2020). "Progressive Nikil Saval unseats incumbent Sen. Larry Farnese in Pa. Senate's 1st District primary". Philadelphia Voice. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
13. McCrone, Brian X. (June 3, 2020). "Socialist Is Projected Winner Over Incumbent Democrat for Philly State Senate Seat". NBC Philadelphia. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
14. Cohen, Rachel M. (2022-04-17). "How to fight the affordable housing and climate crises at once". Vox. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
15. "Pa. zoning laws are strangling home construction, and lawmakers want changes". Philadelphia Inquirer. 2024-03-21.

External links

• Profile at the Pennsylvania State Senate
• Campaign website
• Reclaim Philadelphia