Lateefah Simon will be allowed to retain her seat on the BART Board of Directors, agency officials said Wednesday, after she was briefly stripped of her seat due to a dispute over whether she lives in the district she represents.
In a joint statement, BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman and General Manager Bob Powers said they consulted with an attorney outside of the transit agency after Simon was stripped of her seat earlier this month.
According to Saltzman and Powers, a vacancy can only be declared by a majority vote by the BART board or a court order, while BART staff members do not have the legal authority to declare a seat vacant, as they did with Simon’s seat representing parts of San Francisco, Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
As a result, Simon will be allowed to retain her seat on the board while the dispute over her location of residence is resolved by “outside legal experts,” Saltzman and Powers said.
“Above all, with deep honor, I thank the constituents, community members, workers and BART riders who spoke up so forcefully and who deserve to have representation,” Simon said in a statement.” I will continue to do what I have always done — fight for transit justice, accessibility and equity for the people.”
Saltzman and Powers were contrite in their statement, calling the dispute “a very difficult situation, especially for Director Simon.”
“We want to express our deepest apologies to Lateefah and all stakeholders for how this has played out,” they said. “BART will continue to work with outside legal counsel through any next steps and we are committed to transparency throughout the process.”
BART officials announced March 10 that Simon would be removed from her seat because, the agency said, she did not live within the district she represented.
In a March 10 statement to supporters, Simon said she moved from a previous residence last year after her family received threats due to her support for police reform.
Simon also argued that she had consulted with BART officials prior to the move and was “assured that the building is within District 7.”
Many of Simon’s fellow directors and political officials in the Bay Area decried BART’s decision to strip Simon of her seat, arguing that her current residence is mere feet from the boundary of her district, which bisects the MacArthur BART station and sits adjacent to the district represented by Director Robert Raburn.
Simon’s supporters also argued that few are more qualified to sit on the BART board, since she is primarily dependent on the transit system because she is legally blind and cannot drive.
“Lateefah has been a tireless leader for those who have no alternatives to transportation than our BART system or public transit,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a Twitter post earlier this month. “She has delivered on equity, fairness and reforms that put people first.”
Simon was first elected to the board in 2016 and served as the board’s president in 2020.
The only winners will be the attorneys who are raking in the big bucks courtesy of the public…
“Transit Justice”?
Does that mean advocating for BART riders who paid their fare?
I didn’t think so.
No unfortunately we all know that that is not what it means.
….ok.. who is surprised? raise your hand…. I’m not ….
US Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) doesn’t live in the district she represents.
She lives withi
You just have to live in the state you represent in congressional districts , not in the district itself. The residents of a congressional district can decide whether they are comfortable have someone who lives outside their district, but within the state, represents them.
BART does not have the same provisions. You either live in the district you represent or you’re not eligible to represent those constitutes. A white women in the same situation would be labeled a Karen and crucified.
This is what WOKE gets you.
Black privilege. Scream racism and all decisions are reversed.
Agree 100 % !!!
Absolutely correct, Oh, Please.
If this had been a white male, they would have been thrown out, but because this is a black female … who is crying racism, sexism, ‘I didn’t know’, ‘I moved for my safety’, and whatever else crap she is spewing … She gets to stay.
Movin’ On up……..
So the experts at BART told her the house was in her own district. Reminds me of the prerecorded message they read to me when I called the IRS which said any information on how to do your taxes they provided on the phone may not be relied on as accurate and does not provide evidence of innocence in an audit. She was dealing with idiots.
She doesn’t live in the district she represents, but is allowed to continue serving that district. George Orwell was right: all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. I’m sure her race and sex had nothing to do with the decisions.
Anything else than re-instatement with back pay, damages and donations to the BLM would be racist. Only in America…….
I’m not commenting on the BART Board’s decision to reinstate Ms. Simon, as I haven’t studied the nuances of the situation. What I will say is that I’m sorry that Ms. Simon felt threatened enough to have to move out of her home. No elected official should have to endure threats to her safety and well being.
” I will continue to do what I have always done — fight for transit justice, accessibility and equity for the people.” YES! transit justice = No one get’s on the train without paying. Accessibility = the seats won’t be full of people using the train as a bedroom and bathroom. Equity = All people on the train have paid.
That is what it should mean but we all know that it doesn’t.
What a farce by the BART board! Caving into the crying because no one wants to be called out as being racist!
BS!!!!