Nikil Saval

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Nikil Saval
Saval in 2022
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 5, 2021 (2021-01-05)
Preceded byLarry Farnese
Personal details
Born (1982-12-27) December 27, 1982 (age 42)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseShannon Garrison
Children1
Alma materColumbia University (BA)
Stanford University (PhD)
Known forCo-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 sons.[16]

Books

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

References

  1. ^ a b c Lamster, Mark (February 2015). "2016 Dallas Festival of Ideas: The Physical City". The Dallas Morning News.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Bromwich, Jonah Engel (May 28, 2020). "The N+1 Candidate". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  12. ^ a b 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.
  16. ^ "About". State Senator Nikil Saval. Retrieved 5 April 2025.