Lateefah Simon
{{Short description|American activist (born 1977)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Lateefah Simon
| image = Rep. Lateefah Simon Official Portrait.jpg
| alt = Official House portrait of Simon smiling in front of the U.S. flag, wearing a white shirt and black suit with large gold buttons.
| caption = Official portrait, 2025
| state = California
| district = {{ushr|CA|12|12th}}
| term_start = January 3, 2025
| term_end =
| predecessor = Barbara Lee
| successor =
| birth_name = Lateefah Aaliyah Simon
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|1|29}}
| birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| otherparty = Working Families Party{{cite press release|title=Rep. Lateefah Simon to Deliver WFP Response to Trump's Address to Congress|url=https://workingfamilies.org/2025/02/rep-lateefah-simon-to-deliver-wfp-response-to-trumps-address-to-congress/|publisher=Working Families Party|date=February 26, 2025|access-date=February 26, 2025}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Kevin Weston|2012|2014|end=died}}
| children = 2
| education = Mills College (BA)
University of San Francisco (MPA)
| signature = Signature of Lateefah Simon.svg
| website = {{url|simon.house.gov|House website}}
}}
Lateefah Aaliyah Simon{{Cite web |title=Rep. Lateefah Simon - D California, 12th - Biography |url=https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/461790/Lateefah_Aaliyah_Simon.html |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=LegiStorm}} (born January 29, 1977) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for California's 12th congressional district since January 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first member of Congress known to be congenitally blind in both eyes, and the first Muslim member from California and outside of the Midwestern United States.{{Cite web |last=Michaels |first=Samantha |title=Lateefah Simon, on track to be a new House Dem: "I've never shied away from any fight" |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/11/lateefah-simon-house-barbara-lee-california/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Mother Jones}}{{Cite web |title=CAIR Action Congratulates Lateefah Simon on Historic Victory as First Muslim Elected to Congress from California |url=https://cairaction.org/press-release/cair-action-congratulates-lateefah-simon-on-historic-victory-as-first-muslim-elected-to-congress-from-california/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=CAIR Action}}
She served on the Bay Area Rapid Transit board of directors{{Cite web |date=2024-02-01 |title=Board of Directors {{!}} Bay Area Rapid Transit |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/bod |access-date=2024-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201003341/https://www.bart.gov/about/bod |archive-date=February 1, 2024 }} and on the board of trustees of the California State University system.{{Cite web |date=2017-11-13 |title=Lateefah Simon |url=https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/meet-the-board-of-trustees/Pages/simon.aspx |access-date=2024-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113101700/https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/meet-the-board-of-trustees/Pages/simon.aspx |archive-date=November 13, 2017 }} She served as a trustee of the San Francisco Foundation and president of MeadowFund, a community investment fund created by Patricia Quillin, the wife of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, and was president of Akonadi Foundation, an organization focused on racial justice in Oakland, California.{{cite web |title=Lateefah Simon, President |url=http://akonadi.org/staff/lateefah-simon-president/ |publisher=Akonadi Foundation |access-date=March 21, 2017}}{{Cite web |date=2025-01-20 |title=This High Achiever Aims Higher Still {{!}} University of San Francisco |url=https://www.usfca.edu/news/Lateefah-Simon |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=USFCA.edu}}In 2003, she became the youngest woman to receive a MacArthur Fellowship for her leadership of the Center for Young Women's Development (now the Young Women's Freedom Center) in San Francisco at the age of 19.{{cite news |title=Three Blacks Named MacArthur Fellows for 2003 Awarded $500,000 'Genius Grants' |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=krUDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Lateefah+Simon&pg=PA8 |access-date=March 6, 2023 |work=Jet |date=October 27, 2003}}{{cite web |title=Lateefah Simon |url=https://www.macfound.org/fellows/720/ |publisher=MacArthur Foundation |access-date=March 21, 2017 |date=October 5, 2003}}
Early life
Simon earned a Bachelor of Arts in public policy at Mills College, where she was the 2017 commencement speaker,{{cite web |title=Civil Rights Advocate Lateefah Simon to Deliver Mills College Commencement Address |url=https://www.mills.edu/news/2017/pressrelease-03222017-LateefahSimonToDeliverCommencementAddress.php |publisher=Mills College |access-date=March 22, 2017 |date=March 22, 2017}} a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco, and was a 2014 Social Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Fellow at Stanford University.{{cite web |title=About Lateefah |url=https://www.lateefahforbart.com/about |website=Lateefah for BART |access-date=March 21, 2017}}
Earlier political 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. 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 (CSU) Board of Trustees by Governor Jerry Brown.{{Cite web |title=Lateefah Simon |url=https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/board-of-trustees/meet-the-board-of-trustees/Pages/simon.aspx |access-date=June 5, 2020 |publisher=The California State University}}
Simon was elected to represent the seventh district on the Bay Area Rapid Transit District board of directors in 2016.{{cite web |title=Lateefah Simon |url=http://www.bart.gov/about/bod/bodMembersDetail_07 |publisher=Bay Area Rapid Transit |access-date=March 21, 2017}} Her motivations for running included her reliance on BART, as someone who is legally blind and unable to drive.{{cite news |title=Lateefah Simon seeks inspiration in promises made |url=http://www.sfgate.com/visionsf/article/A-2014-2015-Visionary-of-the-Year-Nominee-seeks-6716161.php |access-date=March 21, 2017 |work=SFGate |date=January 6, 2016}} In 2020, she was elected president of the board of directors.
U.S. House of Representatives
= 2024 election =
In February 2023, Simon announced that she was running for California's 12th congressional district.{{cite news |last1=Garofoli |first1=Joe |title=BART director, criminal justice reformer Lateefah Simon launches campaign for East Bay House seat |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/lateefah-simon-announces-congress-17804909.php |access-date=March 6, 2023 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=February 28, 2023}} The previous representative for the district, Barbara Lee, did not seek re-election to the seat and instead ran as a candidate in the 2024 United States Senate election in California. On November 2, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed Simon's candidacy.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/gavin-newsom-endorses-lateefah-simon-house-seat |title=Gavin Newsom endorses Lateefah Simon in race to fill Barbara Lee's House seat |newspaper=The Washington Examiner |date=November 2, 2023 }} Simon defeated CSU East Bay professor Jennifer Tran, a fellow Democrat, in the November general election.https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/california-12th-congressional-district-lateefah-simon-jennifer-tran-2024-election/
=Committee assignments=
= Caucus memberships =
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus{{Cite web |date=2025-02-07 |title=CAPAC Welcomes New Members for the 119th Congress {{!}} Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) |url=https://capac.house.gov/press-release/capac-welcomes-new-members-119th-congress |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=capac.house.gov}}
- Congressional Black Caucus{{Cite web |title=Congressional Black Caucus |url=https://cbc.house.gov/membership/ |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=cbc.house.gov}}
- Congressional Progressive Caucus (Vice Chair){{Cite web |title=Caucus Members |url=https://progressives.house.gov/caucus-members |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Congressional Progressive Caucus}}
Personal life
Simon is the mother of two children. Simon's husband, Kevin Weston, was a recognized journalist and activist who died from leukemia in 2014.{{Cite news |date=June 18, 2014 |title=Bay Area media pioneer Kevin Weston dead at 45 |work=The Mercury News |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/06/18/bay-area-media-pioneer-kevin-weston-dead-at-45-2/|access-date=June 5, 2020}} She is Muslim and legally blind.{{cite web|url=https://sfist.com/2024/03/06/lateefah-simon-commands-huge-lead-in-primary-race-for-barbara-lees-house-of-representatives-seat/|title=Lateefah Simon Commands Huge Lead in Primary Race for Barbara Lee's House Seat|date=March 6, 2024|access-date=January 1, 2024|last=Kukura|first=Joe|website=SFist}}{{cite web |last1=Owens |first1=Donna |title=Meet the woman Rep. Barbara Lee literally passed the congressional baton to |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/lateefah-simon-barbara-lee-congress-rcna142347 |website=NBCBLK |publisher=NBC News |access-date=26 February 2025}}
Electoral history
{{Election box open primary begin no change|title=California's 12th congressional district, 2024{{Cite web |year=2024 |title=Statement of Vote |url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2024-primary/sov/complete-sov-updated.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618164043/https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2024-primary/sov/complete-sov-updated.pdf |archive-date=June 18, 2024 |access-date=January 6, 2025 |website=sos.ca.gov |publisher=Secretary of State of California |page=82 |publication-place=Sacramento}}{{Cite web |year=2024 |title=Statement of Vote |url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2024-general/sov/complete-sov.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241230021501/https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2024-general/sov/complete-sov.pdf |archive-date=December 30, 2024 |access-date=January 6, 2025 |website=sos.ca.gov |publisher=Secretary of State of California |page=6 |publication-place=Sacramento}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Lateefah Simon|votes=86,031|percentage=55.9}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Jennifer Tran|votes=22,999|percentage=14.9}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Tony Daysog|votes=17,222|percentage=11.2}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Stephen Slauson|votes=9,710|percentage=6.3}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Glenn Kaplan|votes=6,799|percentage=4.4}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Eric Wilson|votes=4,252|percentage=2.8}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Abdur Sikder|votes=2,857|percentage=1.9}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Ned Nuerge|votes=2,535|percentage=1.6}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Andre Todd|votes=1,632|percentage=1.1}}
{{Election box total no change|votes=154,037|percentage=100.0}}
{{Election box open primary general election no change}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Lateefah Simon|votes=185,176|percentage=65.4}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Jennifer Tran|votes=97,849|percentage=34.6}}
{{Election box total no change|votes=283,025|percentage=100.0}}{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
Awards
- 2003 MacArthur Fellows Program
- 2007 Jefferson Award{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/style/article/Jefferson-Award-presented-to-Lateefah-Simon-2533767.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707004534/http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-10-21/living/17266313_1_east-bay-young-people-harris |url-status=live |archive-date=July 7, 2012 |title=Jefferson Award, presented to Lateefah Simon |date=October 19, 2007 |website=SFGate}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://simon.house.gov/ Congresswoman Lateefah Simon] Official U.S. Congress website
- {{Official website|https://www.lateefahsimon.com/|Campaign website}}
- {{C-SPAN|141335}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
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{{s-ttl|title=United States representatives by seniority|years=426th}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Lateefah}}
Category:21st-century African-American politicians
Category:21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
Category:Activists from San Francisco
Category:African-American members of the United States House of Representatives
Category:African-American Muslims
Category:American blind people
Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
Category:Female members of the United States House of Representatives
Category:Muslim members of the United States House of Representatives