The Seattle Times editorial board makes no recommendation for Legislative District 46, Position 2

Voters have two choices in the 46th Legislative District for House seat Position 2: Democratic incumbent Darya Farivar and Republican Simone Barron.

Neither candidate seeking to represent Roosevelt, Northgate and Lake City earned The Times’ endorsement.

Farivar, first elected in 2022, does not match the editorial board’s priorities on a number of key issues.

The board supported changes to police pursuit laws, which were eventually adopted by the Legislature. Farivar voted against the measure, saying she wanted to see more data.

Farivar voted for a bill that passed the House and failed in the Senate to extend unemployment benefits to striking workers. Such a proposal would jeopardize the finances of the unemployment trust fund and recast the social safety net.

State child endangerment law makes accidental or negligent drug poisonings a felony — but only if the incident involved methamphetamine. A bill to add fentanyl passed the Senate by 48-1 but didn’t get out of a House committee. This was a mistake. Yet Farivar expressed skepticism about the Senate proposal, saying it “feels more punitive than productive.”

State lawmakers can’t be expected to possess deep knowledge about every piece of legislation, but Farivar displayed a worrying lack of understanding of fundamental issues.

Asked how Washington should make up for lagging gas tax revenues, she said: “I don’t know what the answer is to the gas tax but I do know there are experts in the Legislature who are actively working on this.”

She wondered if the state was doing enough to intercede in pending school closures even as local districts such as Seattle Public Schools contributed to the problem by making poor financial decisions. And she did not know that charter schools must accept all students.

For her part, Barron showed limited knowledge of statewide challenges. She told the board that she did not support public schools, contending that taxpayer money should be allowed to fund private and religious institutions. Not supporting public education should be a deal-breaker for voters.

The Times endorsed the other representative in the 46th Legislative District, Gerry Pollet in Position 1. He will have to shoulder a heavy burden as voters are left with unsatisfactory choices for Position 2.