Summary
Lateefah Aaliyah Simon (born January 29, 1977) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative-elect for California’s 12th congressional district. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
She serves on the Bay Area Rapid Transit board of directors, on the board of trustees of the California State University system, and as the president of MeadowFund, a donor-advised fund created by Patricia Quillin, the wife of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings. Simon was previously the president of Akonadi Foundation, an organization focused on racial justice in Oakland, California. In 2003, she received a MacArthur Fellowship for her leadership of the Center for Young Women’s Development (now the Young Women’s Freedom Center) from age 19.
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About
Lateefah Simon is a 30-year veteran organizer and nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and social justice. Lateefah began her career of advocacy at age 16 as an outreach coordinator for the Young Women’s Freedom Center.
At age 18, she gave birth to her eldest daughter, Aminah, and quickly learned as a young single mother that government wasn’t working for people like her. A year later, she became Executive Director of YWFC and spent the next decade earning national acclaim for her advocacy on behalf of marginalized young women. In 2003, at age 26, Lateefah became the youngest woman to receive a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship.
Lateefah was later chosen by then-San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris to lead the creation of Back on Track.
Back on Track was a highly effective, first-of-its-kind anti-recidivism initiative for young adults charged with low-level offenses.
Lateefah also served as Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, where she launched successful community-based initiatives such as the Second Chance Legal Services Clinic.
She would go on to become Program Director of the Rosenberg Foundation, where she launched a fund to incubate and accelerate bold ideas from the next generation of progressive leaders in California.
In 2016, galvanized by the death of Oscar Grant, Lateefah ran and was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors.
Born legally blind, Lateefah relies solely on public transportation to go about her day and sought to make BART more affordable for working families and transit-dependent people like herself.
Lateefah was also appointed by then-Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the Board of Trustees for the California State University, the nation’s largest public university system, where she offered strategic advice on policy matters related to racial justice in higher education.
Lateefah graduated from Mills College with a B.A. in Public Policy, and was selected as her class commencement speaker. She later earned her MPA from the University of San Francisco. In 2016, Lateefah became president of the Akonadi Foundation, an Oakland-based racial justice organization. In 2020, she was appointed a senior advisor on police reform for California Governor Gavin Newsom. Lateefah also serves on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Foundation, on the Advisory Committee for Human Rights Watch U.S, as an Oxfam Ambassador, and the Board of Directors for Rosenberg Foundation and Tipping Point Foundation.
Web Links
Politics
Source: Campaign
During the tenure of Kamala Harris as San Francisco District Attorney, Simon led the creation of the city’s Back on Track program for young adults charged with low-level felony drug sales. Simon also previously worked as the executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 2016, Simon was appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees by Governor Jerry Brown.
Simon was elected to represent the seventh district on the Bay Area Rapid Transit District board of directors in 2016. Her motivations for running included her reliance on BART, as someone who is legally blind and unable to drive. In 2020, she was elected president of the board of directors.
Lateefah Simon at the Oakland Pride Parade during her campaign for Congress
In February 2023, Simon announced that she was running for California’s 12th congressional district. The current representative for the district, Barbara Lee, who did not seek re-election to the seat and instead ran as a candidate in the 2024 United States Senate election in California; Lee did not advance in the Senate primary. On November 2, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed Simon’s candidacy.
Finances
Source: Vote Smart
New Legislation
Issues
Public Safety
With a 30-year commitment to public safety and justice, Lateefah brings unmatched experience and leadership to this race. Starting her career as a senior leader in the San Francisco’s District Attorney’s office, she served as the Chief of Reentry under then-District Attorney Kamala Harris, where she crafted the award-winning Back on Track program, reducing crime and recidivism through education and job training for nonviolent offenders. This model has been widely recognized and replicated as a national success in criminal justice reform.
Before her work in the District Attorney’s office with Kamala Harris, Lateefah led the Young Women’s Freedom Center, a beacon of hope for justice for young women. Through employment and empowerment programs, she helped create pathways out of the criminal justice system, reducing recidivism and changing lives. Her visionary leadership earned her the prestigious MacArthur ‘Genius’ Award and she became the youngest woman ever to receive the award.
Lateefah’s public safety experience extends to her leadership on the BART Board of Directors, where she implemented progressive policing policies by launching the Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau (PPCEB). This initiative, the first for a U.S. transit agency, in addition to its sworn officers, deploys non-sworn Transit Ambassadors and Crisis Intervention Specialists to provide welfare checks, handle Code of Conduct violations, and de-escalate situations. The PPCEB’s efforts have freed up sworn officers to respond to emergency calls faster—resulting in one of the region’s fastest response times for tier 1 emergency calls, averaging just over 4 minutes.
Lateefah will champion legislation that closes loopholes in federal gun laws, stops the flow of illegal firearms into the community, and provides resources for mental health, addiction treatment, and programs geared towards preventing recidivism. Lateefah will advocate for investment in public safety measures in California’s 12th district, combining her track record of effective leadership with her vision for a safer, more just community.
Affordable Housing
Housing is a fundamental right, and real solutions are needed to address the housing crisis in our district. With a focus on urgency and innovation, Lateefah is leading efforts to build affordable housing and transit-oriented development. Her work on the BART Board will add over 1,000 new bedrooms to the district, providing critical relief for working families, seniors, and individuals struggling to find stable, affordable homes.
Lateefah will leverage her strong relationships in the House and Senate to champion resource procurement for Oakland’s housing crisis. Working with elected colleagues in California, she will aggressively pursue the $4.5 billion needed to build and operate permanent supportive housing for all homeless residents in the district.
In Congress, Lateefah will advocate for policies that end landlord discrimination, ensure that federal funds are allocated towards making public housing a positive, community-oriented, and safe space, and increase rental subsidies so that residents can stay in their homes. She will continue to support legislation like SB 567, the Homelessness Prevention Act, to ensure that renters’ and tenants’ rights are protected and financial burdens on tenants are alleviated, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet.
Lateefah will uplift bills like the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act as key tools for addressing this issue. The bill expands and strengthens the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, encouraging more investment in the development and maintenance of affordable housing. She also supports the plan announced by Vice President Kamala Harris to build 3 million homes over the next four years, provide assistance for first-time home buyers, and encourage local governments to remove the barriers to construction. For the district, it means more homes for those with the greatest needs and a meaningful response to the housing shortage. Lateefah supports this legislation because it will create more opportunities for families to live close to work, with access to public transportation, and in diverse communities. This district can become a model for equitable, affordable housing solutions with focused effort.
Homelessness
As the state faces its biggest challenge in homelessness, Lateefah understands that the government must do its part to tackle the moral crisis on our streets. Our unhoused neighbors deserve to receive compassionate care and adequate support to get out of homelessness. As a member of Congress, she will fight to leverage federal funds to transform empty government buildings like the old County Jail in Oakland into dignified emergency shelters for those living on the streets. Lateefah will ensure that the East Bay gets the resources to build more transitional housing units. Lateefah knows mental health is front and center of this issue, and she will continue to fight to strengthen mental health services as she has on the BART Board. Lateefah will champion efforts to get federal aid to increase mental health and social worker staffing and get them the support they need because she recognizes that they are at the frontlines of this crisis.
Affordability and Job Creation
For nearly 30 years, Lateefah has been a steadfast advocate for economic justice by building and running organizations and initiatives focused on providing opportunities for working-class and middle-class communities to prosper. As someone who has helped create hundreds of jobs and is supported by labor unions across the district, Lateefah understands job creation’s social and economic impact as a key to creating safer communities. She is committed to building an economy that works for everyone by cutting costs and protecting consumers, including supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ pledge to tackle food inflation and lower grocery prices by banning corporate price-gouging. Her unwavering commitment will continue in Congress, ensuring every American can access good-paying jobs. She supports a living wage, aid to small businesses, and investment in infrastructure projects that create jobs and stimulate local economies. Lateefah will push for economic policies that ensure the wealthiest Americans and corporations pay their fair share to reduce income inequality so families have an opportunity no matter their neighborhood.
As a nationally recognized community organizer, Lateefah has lived a life on the front lines and understands the power of collective action, bargaining, and protecting the right of workers to unionize. That is why, once in Congress, Lateefah will continue to fight for the rights of workers by enacting comprehensive labor law reforms to ensure collective bargaining and workplace democracy for all workers, establish a 12-week paid federal Family and Medical Leave program, and strengthen laws to prevent big corporations from engaging in wage theft, misconduct, illegal employment of children, workplace violations, and retaliation based on workers’ immigration status.
Healthcare for All
Access to affordable, high-quality healthcare is a fundamental human right. Lateefah will fight to expand and protect healthcare coverage, advocating for a public option and ultimately working towards an affordable single-payer health system. Building on Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s staunch support for the Affordable Care Act, Lateefah will work to lower prescription drug prices by expanding Medicare drug price negotiation to cover all drugs, close the Medicaid coverage gap, expand Medicare to include dental, vision and hearing, and lower the Medicare eligibility age.
Lateefah will also work to address health crises by investing in maternal and infant mortality, particularly in communities of color, and mental health and substance use treatment and prevention, particularly for the opioid epidemic. Lateefah will fight to codify every American’s right to reproductive health care to protect abortion, contraception, and IVF access across the United States.
Reproductive Freedom
Throughout her career, Lateefah has been a fierce advocate for women’s reproductive freedom, fighting to ensure that all women have the right to make decisions about their own bodies. If elected to Congress, she will fight like hell alongside Democrats to win back a woman’s right to choose. Lateefah knows this battle is not just about healthcare—it’s about dignity, equality, and justice. She will be relentless in pushing back against every effort to strip away these rights and will fight tirelessly to guarantee that every woman, no matter where she lives or how much she makes, has access to safe and legal abortion.
Racial and Social Justice
A lifelong resident of the Bay, Lateefah has dedicated herself to fighting for racial and social justice in Oakland and her community and has no plans to end her fight for equity and equality when she reaches the halls of Congress. As a Black woman and a single mother of two, Lateefah has seen firsthand how the most marginalized and disadvantaged communities, often immigrant communities and communities of color, are the first to have their civil and social rights put on the chopping block by conservative legislators.
In Congress, Lateefah will continue to fight for structural changes to improve the lives of her constituents and people across the United States. She will support legislation to prohibit the use of the death penalty at the federal level and require re-sentencing of those currently on death row. She has decades of experience working to empower and protect survivors of trafficking and violence with the Young Women’s Freedom Center and started the nationally recognized Back-on-Track program in then-DA Harris’ office to prevent recidivism. This background has given her both the motivation and expertise to create and advocate tirelessly for racial justice legislation.
Immigration
Lateefah knows the value immigrants bring to our communities and our economy. She will work to create a fair and humane immigration system that would disentangle the criminal system from the immigration system and expand legal pathways to work authorization and citizenship.
That simply recognizes a few basic principles: America has been the world’s envy for decades because people have aspired to pursue the American Dream. A fair and humane immigration system only works when there are no backlogs that prolong waiting periods for asylum applicants and employment-based immigration.
Dreamers are Americans; their home is here. We must defend these young people who have so much to offer our country by defending DACA and leading the way in enshrining it in law. Every year, Dreamers contribute millions of dollars in taxes to America’s social safety net programs like Medicare and Social Security. Lateefah believes Dreamers should have a pathway to citizenship and have access to the social safety net that their tax dollars go to.
LGBTQ+ Rights
Lateefah has been a lifelong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, fighting for full equality and protection under the law. She will not only support but champion policies that combat discrimination, protect transgender rights, and ensure access to healthcare and social services for LGBTQ+ people. She will support the protection of LGBTQ+ people and people with HIV from discrimination at work, school, and in public spaces and codify the rights of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people, including gender-affirming care and health care, and prohibit conversion therapy. Her advocacy is a testament to her commitment to equality and inclusion for all.
Disability Rights
Lateefah is committed to advancing the rights of people with disabilities, including those with chronic illnesses, physical disabilities, and intellectual differences. If elected, she will be one of the few disabled voices in Congress; she will fight for full ADA compliance across all public spaces, ensuring accessibility is a right, not an option.
Her platform puts disabled individuals at the center, advocating for stronger enforcement of disability rights, expanded resources, and the removal of barriers to self-determination. Lateefah envisions a future where disabled people can live with dignity, independence, and equal opportunities to shape their own lives.
Her goal is clear: to ensure that disabled people have the access, opportunity, and self-determination to live prosperous and dignified lives.
Voting Rights and Democracy Reform
To strengthen our democracy, Lateefah will prioritize protecting and expanding voting rights. She will support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, push for automatic voter registration, and advocate for measures that reduce barriers to voting. Lateefah will support ranked-choice voting and ending partisan gerrymandering. She will aim to reduce money’s influence in politics by eliminating secret corporate spending in elections, promoting transparency and accountability in government, and supporting a ban on stock trading and ownership for members of Congress and the Federal Judiciary.
In an age of partisan judiciaries, politicization of judicial interpretation of laws, and a Supreme Court that has exposed itself to be vulnerable to external lobbying and gift-giving, Lateefah will work to provide sorely needed reform to the Supreme Court and the lower courts. She will support expanding the number of justices on the bench, implementing term limits, and creating new judgeships across the federal system. Lateefah will also support and help impose an enforceable code of conduct on the Supreme Court, including instituting accountability measures and restrictions on gifts and requiring judicial disclosures and recusal.
Global Security
Inspired by the legacy of Congressman Ron Dellums and Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Lateefah is committed to challenging the unchecked growth of military spending and refocusing our national priorities. For far too long, billions have been funneled into an overinflated defense budget that fuels the military-industrial complex without making our communities any safer.
As a supporter of the People Over Pentagon movement, Lateefah believes it’s time to reinvest in the people’s needs. Instead of wasting billions on outdated weapons and corporate contracts, funds could be used to power homes with renewable energy, hire more teachers, reduce college costs, and ensure our veterans receive the healthcare and dignity they deserve. These investments, not military overspending, strengthen our country.
A strong advocate for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Middle East, Lateefah believes proper security comes from diplomacy—not war profiteering and unchecked military budgets. Lateefah will carry Dellums’ and Lee’s anti-war values, fighting to cut wasteful defense spending and redirect those resources toward critical areas like healthcare, education, and housing. She will strive to build a world where peace and justice prevail over war and violence.
Innovation
Alameda County stands as a beacon of innovation in technology and the knowledge economy, including in the biotech space. These industries offer vast opportunities, generating thousands of jobs, driving significant advancements in healthcare, and bolstering national security. Now more than ever, Alameda County has the potential to foster a thriving economy that benefits all residents by fully embracing the opportunities presented by the knowledge economy.
Lateefah’s office will champion innovative leadership, fostering growth through technology and ensuring our district remains a hub for investment in economic opportunities that create an inclusive economy for our communities. She believes in uplifting aspiring entrepreneurs, generating future jobs, and enhancing economic mobility for all residents. The Bay Area has long been a global leader in technological advancement, and Lateefah is committed to embracing the new landscape of innovation, which includes cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Lateefah hopes to establish clear regulatory frameworks to create an environment fostering technological progress and consumer protection. This vision includes implementing strong safeguards to secure personal data, promoting equitable access to technology, and expanding affordable internet access to ensure everyone can benefit.
By investing in sustainable practices and supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs, Lateefah aims to cultivate a robust economy that leaves no one behind. She will lead the transformation of Alameda County into a thriving ecosystem where innovation drives prosperity, opportunity, and community empowerment. This vision for innovation is a beacon of hope for a brighter future for all.
Transportation and Infrastructure
Through her experience on the BART Board of Directors and her daily commutes on public transportation, Lateefah knows how transportation touches every person’s life. In CA-12, many residents use a bike or walk to get around, and the safety of our streets must reflect that. As Congresswoman, she will push for federal transit grants to shrink driving lanes, lower curb radiuses, and protect bike lanes. She will work to end the 80-20 split that allocates 80% of funding to highways and only 20% to transit. To reduce our reliance on cars, Lateefah will increase funding levels for transit infrastructure and create incentives to reduce parking minimums in high transit areas. Her office will ensure that public transportation will continue to become more equitable, accessible, and safe for all community members.
Climate and Environmental Justice
The climate emergency is the biggest existential threat to our globe. In CA-12, we are experiencing the harrowing impacts of extreme weather patterns, deadly heat waves, and rising sea levels on our coastal cities, inland communities, and hillside residents. Communities of color, people living in low-income zip codes, and fenceline communities have been hit hardest by the impacts of climate change. Folks who were redlined into neighborhoods with high biohazards, communities dealing with fires at refineries, and people living in housing ill-equipped to deal with unhealthy air quality during wildfire season are still impacted and can’t catch up. As a mother of two, Lateefah fears what her daughters and their kids will face if we don’t act with strong, bold solutions.
That is why, once elected to Congress, Lateefah will stand up to the fossil fuel industry and work with colleagues to build on the progress made in the Inflation Reduction Act and pass the Green New Deal. Critical to this work is the transition to net-zero emissions and our continued investment into clean energy alternatives. Lateefah will work to streamline the energy transmission permitting process, which is critical to facilitating the development of clean energy infrastructure and reducing bureaucratic barriers, while also investing in clean energy research, development, and manufacturing to expand climate technology and bring more clean energy jobs and critical funding to Alameda County. She will advocate for energy-efficient mass transit systems and support safe pedestrian and bike infrastructure and other non-polluting mobility options for our communities.
Lateefah understands that our fight for climate justice has left the most at-risk communities behind in its wake. That is why she will work to guarantee new requirements for how Superfund sites are cleaned to ensure that climate change and impacts on vulnerable communities are considered, expand clean energy transition initiatives, and provide additional tax incentives for families to bring energy-efficient appliances into low and middle-income homes. She will ensure that federal agencies work with state and local governments to implement climate change policies that protect and fund California’s natural resources and public lands, secure access to clean water, and make clean, affordable power available for all Californians.
Building a Care Economy
As a teenage mother and single mother of two, Lateefah understood early on that the care economy is not built to work for poor and working-class families or care for children and babies in marginalized communities. Paid family leave, affordable child care, and affordable home health remain out of reach for those who need it most, and families with young children and caretakers with sick relatives are often forced to take on substantial debt to provide the most basic care for their loved ones.
As Congresswoman, Lateefah will fight for a future with affordable, high-quality child care and pre-K, long-term care, and paid leave while supporting care workers and family caregivers. She will work to restore the Child Tax Credit and expand it further to provide up to $6,000 in tax cuts to families with newborn children – a critical relief for young parents who need to buy diapers, clothes, car seats, and more for their children, and an integral investment in our children and families. She will build on the historic investments from the American Rescue Plan to strengthen home care systems by raising pay, improving benefits, and expanding opportunities for caregivers who serve more than 7 million Americans with disabilities and seniors in their homes or communities. Lateefah understands that care is critical and will work day in and day out to ensure everyone has access to the new care economy.
More Information
Wikipedia
Lateefah Aaliyah Simon[1] (born January 29, 1977) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative-elect for California’s 12th congressional district. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
She serves on the Bay Area Rapid Transit board of directors, on the board of trustees of the California State University system, and as the president of MeadowFund, a donor-advised fund created by Patricia Quillin, the wife of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings.[2] Simon was previously the president of Akonadi Foundation, an organization focused on racial justice in Oakland, California.[3] In 2003, she received a MacArthur Fellowship for her leadership of the Center for Young Women’s Development (now the Young Women’s Freedom Center) from age 19.[4][5]
Early life
Simon earned a Bachelor of Arts in public policy at Mills College, where she was the 2017 commencement speaker,[6] a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco, and was a 2014 Social Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Fellow at Stanford University.[7]
Career
During the tenure of Kamala Harris as San Francisco District Attorney, Simon led the creation of the city’s Back on Track program for young adults charged with low-level felony drug sales.[2] Simon also previously worked as the executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 2016, Simon was appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees by Governor Jerry Brown.[8]
Simon was elected to represent the seventh district on the Bay Area Rapid Transit District board of directors in 2016.[9] Her motivations for running included her reliance on BART, as someone who is legally blind and unable to drive.[10] In 2020, she was elected president of the board of directors.[9]
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In February 2023, Simon announced that she was running for California’s 12th congressional district.[2] The current representative for the district, Barbara Lee, who did not seek re-election to the seat and instead ran as a candidate in the 2024 United States Senate election in California; Lee did not advance in the Senate primary. On November 2, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed Simon’s candidacy.[11]
Personal life
Simon is the mother of two children.[7] Simon’s husband, Kevin Weston, was a recognized journalist and activist who died from leukemia in 2014.[12]
Awards
- 2003 MacArthur Fellows Program[5]
- 2007 Jefferson Award[13]
References
- ^ “Rep. Lateefah Simon – D California, 12th – Biography”. LegiStorm. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c Garofoli, Joe (February 28, 2023). “BART director, criminal justice reformer Lateefah Simon launches campaign for East Bay House seat”. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ “Lateefah Simon, President”. Akonadi Foundation. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ “Three Blacks Named MacArthur Fellows for 2003 Awarded $500,000 ‘Genius Grants’“. Jet. October 27, 2003. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ a b “Lateefah Simon”. MacArthur Foundation. October 5, 2003. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ “Civil Rights Advocate Lateefah Simon to Deliver Mills College Commencement Address”. Mills College. March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ a b “About Lateefah”. Lateefah for BART. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ “Lateefah Simon | CSU”. The California State University. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- ^ a b “Lateefah Simon”. Bay Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ “Lateefah Simon seeks inspiration in promises made”. SFGate. January 6, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ “Gavin Newsom endorses Lateefah Simon in race to fill Barbara Lee’s House seat”. The Washington Examiner. November 2, 2023.
- ^ “Bay Area media pioneer Kevin Weston dead at 45”. The Mercury News. June 18, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- ^ “Jefferson Award, presented to Lateefah Simon”. SFGate. October 19, 2007. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012.
External links
