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OAKLAND, CA - Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed Lateefah Simon for election to California’s 12th Congressional District. He released the following statement:

“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 Governor Newsom. “From working closely with Lateefah and watching her deliver real, progressive change in her community, I have come to understand her as a true force of nature. She is a dedicated and honorable public servant, a devoted community woman, and a role model to many. Her voice is unwavering in the face of adversity, and I know that she will continue to use that voice on behalf of the people of California’s 12th Congressional District.”

“I have had the privilege of working closely with the Governor to advance justice on behalf of the people of California,” said Lateefah Simon. “The Governor is a leader, through and through and I am proud to have earned his support as I fight to bring the voices of California’s 12th Congressional District to Washington. There is no one who better understands the urgency of this moment for our state – and thus the imperative of sending a powerful delegation of progressive Californians to Congress. I’ll be proud to continue our partnership when elected.” 

The Governor joins an ever-growing list of statewide, federal, and local elected officials supporting Simon’s campaign to serve California’s 12th Congressional District in Congress.

Lateefah Simon has been Governor Newsom’s senior advisor on police reform since 2020 and is lauded as a civil rights advocate, veteran organizer, and nonprofit professional. 

Simon currently serves as a member of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors and the president of MeadowFund. Previously Simon served as the president of the racial justice organization the Akonadi Foundation, where she worked to support youth of color in the Oakland, California area. Simon first began her career in advocacy at age 16 with the Young Women’s Freedom Center.

By age 26, she became the youngest woman ever to receive a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. Vice President Kamala Harris, then serving as San Francisco’s district attorney, chose Simon to lead the creation of Back on Track, a program designed to reduce recidivism rates among youth who had interacted with the criminal justice system. Simon was born legally blind and was inspired to run for the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors of 2016 in order to improve public transportation in northern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in public policy from Mills College and a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.

California’s 12th Congressional District is home to over 750,000 people across Alameda County, and includes Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Piedmont, and San Leandro.

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