BART director’s move ends dispute
BART board Director Lateefah Simon has moved to Emeryville, ending a months-long dispute with the regional rail agency over whether she could continue to serve on the board.
The agency prematurely ousted Simon, the sole Black board director who presided over the BART board during the height of the pandemic, in March after it discovered she changed her residence. Simon moved last year from a North Richmond home to an apartment complex near BART’s MacArthur Station that was technically a stone’s throw out of her district’s boundaries.
The ouster was shortlived. After an outpouring of public support for Simon to keep her District Seven seat, BART reinstated Simon while it sought outside legal opinions. BART General Manager Bob Powers and board President Rebecca Saltzman issued a public apology to Simon.
Emeryville is part of BART’s District Seven.
“I’m pleased we were able to resolve the concern raised about my residency and District 7,” Simon said in a statement. “I will continue to fight for transit equity at BART and look forward to continuing to serve the people of District 7.”
Simon told The Chronicle she moved her family in response to death threats and harassing messages related to her police reform advocacy and after receiving assurances from senior BART officials that it would keep her in her district. The district included a portion of MacArthur Station, but not the adjacent apartment complex built on a former BART parking lot where Simon briefly resided.
Saltzman said Simon’s move to Emeryville effectively settled the matter and ends any ambiguity over whether Simon resides in her district. Saltzman said outside legal counsel “has advised that the BART Board of Directors are not required to take any action on this matter.”
“Lateefah has shown tremendous grace throughout this situation, and I look forward to continuing our work to deliver reliable, safe, accessible and equitable public transit to the Bay Area,” Saltzman said in a statement.