<h2>Lateefah in the News</h2>

News

Born

raised

married

Children

party

education

Footer

News Post

<p><strong>“I’ve spent my life fighting for folks without a voice.</strong> I will take the shared stories and experiences of this community to the halls of Congress so I can continue our fight. That’s how we make change. And that's why I'm running for re-election.”</p>

Page Intro

<h2>Thank you for your support!</h2>

Donate

Issues Post

<h1>JOIN TEAM LATEEFAH!</h1>

Header

<p>Donate today to support Lateefah’s campaign.</p>

<h2>LET’S RE-ELECT LATEEFAH TO CONGRESS!</h2>

<h4>Contribute now to support our campaign!</h4>

Landing Popup

<p>Our campaign has connected with thousands of residents across the district and built a coalition of over 150 organizations, both locally and nationwide. With over three decades of on-the-ground advocacy, we have the experience and the coalition to fight and win real change.</p>

<h2>Lateefah's Priorities</h2>

Issues

Events Post

DONATE

Lateefah Simon Birthday Card

Lateefah's Birthday Card!

CONTACT

GET INVOLVED

MEET LATEEFAH

Home

NEWS

PRIORITIES

<p><strong>We were impressed by Simon’s pragmatic approach to such divisive issues as crime and homelessness.</strong> In addition to pushing for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="" href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/bart-police-salary-trains-18161630.php">significant raises for BART police officers</a>, she supported an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="" href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Need-help-on-BART-Team-of-ambassadors-15045489.php">alternative BART ambassador program</a>. And she wants to leverage federal funding to turn empty government buildings, such as Oakland’s old county jail, into emergency shelters for homeless people.&nbsp;</p>

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has b

<h4>SF Chronicle Endorsement: The obvious choice to replace Barbara Lee in Congress is also the best one</h4>

<p><strong>If you want to link an external news source,</strong> open up the accordion for this item on the sidebar and switch the Post Publishing Setting to “Custom Link”.</p>

<h4>New shoreline park to bring nature, 'justice' to East Oakland residents</h4>

<h4>WATCH: Rep. Lateefah Simon speaks at “No Kings” protest in Oakland</h4>

<p><strong>Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) endorsed Lateefah Simon’s campaign for Congress</strong>, throwing her support behind Simon to succeed her in California's 12th Congressional District. Congresswoman Lee’s U.S. Senate campaign will also be opening a joint campaign headquarters with Simon’s congressional campaign in downtown Oakland.</p>

<h4>Congresswoman Barbara Lee Endorses Lateefah Simon to Succeed her in California’s 12th Congressional </h4>

<p>Today EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, endorsed Lateefah Simon for election to California’s 12th Congressional District. <strong>Lateefah Simon is the first non-incumbent candidate to be endorsed by EMILYs List for the 2024 cycle.&nbsp;</strong></p>

<h4>EMILYs List Endorses Lateefah Simon for Election to California’s 12th Congressional District</h4>

<p>Lateefah Simon, a&nbsp;BART board director, police reform advocate and former recipient of a MacArthur Foundation genius grant, is the first major candidate to launch a campaign to replace Rep. Barbara Lee as the East Bay’s representative in the House&nbsp;on Tuesday — <strong>and she is clearing the field of potential rivals.</strong></p>

<h4>BART Director, Criminal Justice Reformer Lateefah Simon Launches Campaign for East Bay House Seat</h4>

<p>Write a little something about your issue here. You can only write about a paragraph here, but you can turn on <strong>an option to create full issues pages</strong> on the options sidebar of the issues page.</p>

Write a short blurb about an issue your campaign is highlighting. Try to keep the text a similar size between the various issue blurbs.

<h2>Reproductive Freedom</h2>

<h4>	Bay Area lawmakers rebuke Trump over Iran strikes, war authority</h4>

<p><strong>Of the candidates running, Lateefah Simon is the most qualified.</strong> A strong ally to the LGBTQ community, Simon, currently a director on the BART board, has experience with government agencies such as the transit service, as well as with nonprofits like the Young Women's Freedom Center, which she stated she grew into one of the country's leading juvenile justice reentry youth-run organizations that serves gender nonbinary and trans young people.</p>

<h4>Bay Area Reporter Editorial: Simon, Low for Congress</h4>

<h2>Disability Rights</h2>

<h2>Healthcare for All</h2>

<p>Only one of the candidates is mounting a substantial campaign. BART Director Lateefah Simon has dwarfed all the others with the depth of her support. <strong>We endorse her — not because the seat is essentially hers to lose, although it is, but because she is the best candidate.</strong></p>

<h4>East Bay Times Editorial: Elect Lateefah Simon for Barbara Lee’s East Bay congressional seat</h4>

<p>Rep.&nbsp;Lateefah Simon, D-Oakland, speaks Sunday at Oakland Technical High School during a noncooperation training organized by Bay Resistance. The training presented&nbsp;strategies for resisting President Donald Trump on mass&nbsp;deportations and a possible National Guard deployment in San Francisco and Oakland.&nbsp;</p>

<h4>Bay Area training provides ‘concrete skills’ to defy Trump on deportations, troops</h4>

<p>Today Lateefah Simon announced that she <strong>raised over $300,000 from over 1,000 individual contributors</strong> in the first month of her campaign to represent California’s 12th Congressional District.</p>

<h4>Lateefah Simon Raises over $300,000 in First Month of Congressional Campaign</h4>

<p><strong>BART Board Director Lateefah Simon joins KQED's Political Breakdown</strong> to discuss growing up in San Francisco, her early work with Kamala Harris, facing threats in office and her run for Congress.</p>

<h4>Lateefah Simon on Her Work with Kamala Harris and Run for Congress</h4>

<p>“Lateefah is a visionary. But more than a visionary, she is a proven leader who effects the kind of change that makes her vision a reality” said&nbsp;<strong>Governor Newsom</strong>.</p>

<h4>Governor Gavin Newsom Throws Support Behind Lateefah Simon’s Bid for Congress</h4>

<h2>LGBTQ+ Rights</h2>

<h4>Lawmakers Push Back Against Trump Coal Terminal Plans in West Oakland</h4>

<h4>Congresswoman Lateefah Simon Rejects the Coal Terminal in Oakland</h4>

<h4>Oakland Rep. Lateefah Simon promotes bill to give cities chance to keep sports teams</h4>

<h2>Homelessness</h2>

<p>On the 24th day of the second-longest <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/10/24/g-s1-94806/government-shutdown">federal government shutdown</a>, Rep. Lateefah Simon and seven mayors from her congressional district gathered in Oakland on Friday afternoon to urge Republicans to work with Democrats and restore benefits for the East Bay’s most vulnerable residents.</p>

<h4>East Bay leaders call for federal government shutdown to end</h4>

<p>“I’ll be there in the morning to fight this cruel, ugly, nasty, immoral bill,” Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Oakland, told KQED while heading to the airport on Tuesday shortly after Senate Republicans passed the bill.</p>

<h4>‘Cruel, Ugly, Nasty, Immoral’: Democrats Slam Mega-Bill Ahead of House Vote</h4>

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

firstName

lastName

phoneNumber

zipOrPostalCode

email

<h4>Event title here</h4>

<h4>Bay Area House Democrats claim victory as White House reverses $1.9 billion cut in health funding</h4>

<h2>Voting Rights and Democracy Reform</h2>

<h4>Oakland secures $1M in federal funding for Ceasefire</h4>

<p>Today<strong> </strong>Lateefah Simon announced <strong>she has earned the endorsement of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County</strong>, a coalition of 27 affiliated unions representing East Bay workers in a variety of construction trades.</p>

<h4>Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County Endorses Lateefah Simon for Congress</h4>

<p>Today Lateefah Simon announced she has earned the endorsement of the National Union of Healthcare Workers <strong>— her first major labor endorsement in the race for California’s 12th Congressional District.</strong></p>

<h4>Lateefah Simon Announces First Major Labor Endorsement: National Union of Healthcare Workers</h4>

<h4>At the Young Women's Freedom Center, Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves</h4>

<h2>Transportation and Infrastructure</h2>

<p>On Saturday afternoon, East Bay Congresswoman Lateefah Simon held a roundtable discussion with federal and county employees, along with local union representatives, to discuss how the shutdown is impacting working families on the ground.</p>

<h4>East Bay Rep. Lateefah Simon meets with Bay Area workers impacted by government shutdown</h4>

<h4>Oakland's Rep. Simon demands answers from Labor Department</h4>

<h2>Climate and Environmental Justice</h2>

<p>"...Simon is defying expectations in her first few weeks in Congress, including some of her own. She has had to adjust on the fly to a Washington consumed with disaster relief politics, rapid-fire executive orders, the unchecked power of the Muskocracy, a Republican trifecta of government control and the daily lurch of chaos."</p>

<h4>Oakland’s new representative in Congress is adjusting to a new normal: Absolute chaos</h4>

<p>Oakland’s Lateefah Simon, following in Barbara Lee’s footsteps, “prebutted” Trump’s creepy Tuesday address.</p>

<h4>The Democratic Leader You Did Not Know We Had</h4>

<p><strong>BART Director Lateefah Simon rallied supporters today to officially launch her run for Congress in downtown Oakland.</strong> KCBS Radio's Mike DeWald reports, Simon is hoping to replace longtime East Bay Representative Barbara Lee.</p>

<h4>KCBS: BART Director Lateefah Simon just launched her campaign for Congress</h4>

<h2>Affordability and Job Creation</h2>

<p>IDEA requires that disabled students have access to public education, discourages segregating disabled kids from their peers, and that qualifying students have access to <a href="https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-difference-between-ieps-and-504-plans?utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_source=google-search-grant&amp;utm_campaign=g_en_legal_504_iep_lj&amp;utm_content=fam%20lj%20legal%20iep%20core%20nb&amp;utm_term=individual%20education%20plan_exact%20match&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=11422660996&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADo4Wqejxe4IPZce_5SruW6vq4wNt&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA0KrJBhCOARIsAGIy9wCagt7U7FpYe8p12XHgufU4cwuhjpV7l-eMI-jaSFxu1wVnVvi_kBoaAt7NEALw_wcB">individualized education plans</a>, more commonly known as IEPs. IDEA does not apply to education in private schools.</p><p>“Before our disabled elders secured our rights under the law, disabled kids were locked out of systems and out of their potential,” Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Ca.), who is blind, told me in a statement.</p>

<h4>This Disability Education Law Just Turned 50. Disability Advocates Want More.</h4>

<h4>Rep. Simon Announces $850K For Plaza Next To Ashby Bart</h4>

<p>Oakland Congresswoman Lateefah Simon met with BART officials at Oakland's 19th Street station on Wednesday to see BART stations and other developments for the critical transit agency facing massive deficits and still lingering low ridership.&nbsp;</p>

<h4>Oakland congresswoman is on a mission to save BART, mass transit</h4>

<h4>Berkeley, Albany split $500,000 in federal funding for fire training</h4>

<p>Newly Elected WFP Champion to Respond to Trump and Musk’s Attacks on Working People.</p>

<h4>Rep. Lateefah Simon to Deliver WFP Response to Trump’s Address to Congress</h4>

<p>About halfway through President Donald Trump’s contentious address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Lateefah Simon decided she’d heard enough.</p>

<h4>Rep. Lateefah Simon Rebukes Trump in Fiery Speech, Calls for Bold Progressive Action</h4>

<p>The measure would allow for transit systems to spend federal crime prevention dollars on outreach workers and reduce the use of police in nonviolent situations.</p>

<h4>Rep. Simon introduces a bill to nationalize BART’s ambassador program</h4>

<p>District 12 Congresswoman Lateefah Simon made a stop in Emeryville last night for her ongoing town hall tour.</p><p>Simon’s district includes all of Emeryville as well as Berkeley, Alameda, Albany, Piedmont, and most of Oakland and San Leandro.</p>

<h4>Congresswoman Lateefah Simon Hosts Fiery Town Hall at Emeryville Senior Center</h4>

<h2>Global Security</h2>

<h2>Innovation</h2>

<p>Congresswoman Lateefah Simon gave a fiery speech about Trump and the Republicans who control both houses of Congress: “They smile while children are separated from their homes.”</p>

<h4>Oakland turns out for ‘No Kings’ protest against Trump</h4>

<h4>Lighting upgrades coming to East Bay BART stations</h4>

<p>Congresswoman Lateefah Simon recently toured the Port of Oakland and convened a roundtable with labor, small business, and Port of Oakland stakeholders to discuss the impacts of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.</p>

<h4>Congresswoman Simon Visits Port of Oakland, Convenes Roundtable on Tariffs</h4>

<h4>Rep. Simon, UCSF announce $1 million in federal funds for cancer research center</h4>

<h2>Public Safety</h2>

<p>BART director Lateefah Simon announced her bid to fill U.S. Rep. Lee's seat this week. <strong>Simon has been politically active in the Bay Area for two decades and is recognized nationally as a civil rights leader.</strong> She joins us in the studio to discuss the transit agency and her run for Congress.</p>
<p><strong>CLICK TO WATCH</strong></p>

<h4>KQED Newsroom: U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee | Lateefah Simon</h4>

<p><strong>Today Lateefah Simon announced she has earned the support of over 40 elected leaders since launching her campaign a month ago</strong>. Her early endorsements include Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Attorney General Rob Bonta, ten members of the State Legislature, and over a dozen current and former elected leaders from CA-12.</p>

<h4>Lateefah Simon Announces Over 40 Endorsements from Current and Former Elected Leaders</h4>

<h2>Affordable Housing</h2>

<h2>Racial and Social Justice</h2>

<h2>Building a Care Economy</h2>

<p>A letter led by California Rep. Lateefah Simon demands answers from Trump’s labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.</p>

<h4>House Dems Blast Labor Department for Abandoning Disabled Workers</h4>

<p><strong>Lateefah Simon has been in the business of politics and community organizing for 30 years.</strong>&nbsp;The longtime Bay Area advocate announced a run for Congress earlier this year. Today, she has received a major endorsement from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://emilyslist.org/">EMILYs List</a>—&nbsp;which&nbsp;“is the nation’s largest resource dedicated to electing Democratic pro-choice women to office.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<h4>After&nbsp;Decades Uplifting Community Voices, This&nbsp;Bay Area Advocate Wants To Represent Them In Congress</h4>

<h2>Immigration</h2>

<p>Today Lateefah Simon, candidate for California’s 12th Congressional district, announced that <strong>she raised over $140,000 from individual contributors in the first 24 hours</strong> after launching her campaign. Lateefah received contributions from 320 donors. Lateefah does not accept corporate PAC money and is running a people-powered grassroots campaign.&nbsp;</p>

<h4>Lateefah Simon Raises over $140,000 in First 24 Hours of Congressional Campaign</h4>

<h4>San Leandro shoreline project receives $1.09 million in federal funding</h4>

<h4>	Voting rights ruling is a 'devastating' and personal blow, Rep. Simon, Mayor Lee say</h4>

Lateefah Simon is a 25-year veteran organizer and nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and social justice.

Lateefah Simon for Congress

IconCheckCircle1

Check Circle 1

Gamay is published by <a href="https://www.dardenstudio.com/gamay" target="_new">Darden Studio</a>. <a href="mailto:office@dardenstudio.com">Contact them</a> to recieve a 50% off discount for use of the fonts outside of your Run website.

JOIN TEAM LATEEFAH!

JOIN TEAM LATEEFAH!

A FIGHTER FOR ALL OF US.

news & press

Lateefah in the News

Rep. Simon Announces $850K For Plaza Next To Ashby Bart

Lighting upgrades coming to East Bay BART stations

Oakland's Rep. Simon demands answers from Labor Department

Thank you for your support!