BART director Lateefah Simon eyes Congress seat

BART board Director Lateefah Simon has jumped into the race to replace East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee — marking the first of what's likely to be a series of political movement stemming from the impending retirement of longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Simon, who was elected to BART's board in 2016 after years working for social justice programs, announced her candidacy Tuesday. The move came just three days after Lee, a progressive Democrat who has served in Congress for a quarter century, held a rally in Oakland to formally launch her campaign to replace Feinstein.

In a news release announcing her run for Congress, Simon — who is a friend of Vice President Kamala Harris — highlighted her background both as a young, single mother who has been in the juvenile justice system and as an activist fighting for people with no voice.

“I've spent my life fighting for those folks, and I will work to take our shared stories and experiences to the halls of Congress so I can continue our fight,” she said. “That's how we make change on a national level. And that's why I'm running for this seat.”

Earlier this month, Feinstein, 89, announced she won't seek reelection in 2024, ending a storied three-decade career in the U.S. Senate, while also opening up a coveted seat and giving upand-coming politicians a oncein-a-career chance to run without campaigning against an incumbent. Southern California Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff entered the race to replace Feinstein before she officially announced her retirement, while Lee waited until shortly after.

Now, Simon wants the seat in Congress that Lee is about to give up.

Simon, who had her oldest daughter when she was 18, served as the executive direc

tor of the Young Women's Freedom Center before then San Francisco District Attorney Harris tapped her to lead an anti-recidivism program for young adults in the early 2000s. The two

women have been friends ever since.

Simon also was at the center of a months-long BART controversy last year when she moved into a new apartment in Oakland without realizing her new home was located a block outside her district's boundary. BART stripped her of her board seat, but

then faced intense backlash over the decision to remove its only Black board member. The transit agency backtracked and gave her back her seat before turning the matter over to outside legal counsel. Simon ultimately moved to Emeryville to fix the issue, incurring costs for breaking her Oakland lease.

State Sen. Nancy Skinner and Assemblymember Mia Bonta were quick to throw their support behind Simon's bid for Congress.

“There are few people in this country more qualified to lead on racial justice, women's issues, and criminal justice reform than Lateefah Simon,”

Skinner said in a news release. “I cannot wait to see what she accomplishes for this community, and for all Americans, once she's in Congress.”