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Lateefah Simon returned to the BART Board of Directors last Thursday for the first time since she was briefly removed due to a dispute over whether she lives in the district she represents.
BART officials announced March 10 that Simon would be stripped of her seat representing parts of San Francisco, Contra Costa and Alameda counties.
On March 23, however, the agency reversed course and reinstated Simon after BART officials consulted with an attorney outside of the transit agency and determined that BART staff members do not have the legal authority to declare a seat vacant, as they did with Simon’s seat.
Vacancies can only be declared by a majority vote by the board or a court order, Board President Rebecca Saltzman and General Manager Bob Powers said last week in a joint statement announcing Simon’s reinstatement.
After missing the board’s previous meeting on March 10, Simon thanked her supporters during the board’s Thursday night meeting and emphasized her intent to continue serving her district.
“I feel like I still have so much work to do … and I want to be a part of this community of service,” Simon said.
In a March 10 statement to supporters, Simon said she moved last year from her previous residence after her family received threats due to her support for police reform.
The conflict arose from her new residence being, she said Thursday, “a block away” from the border of her district, which bisects the MacArthur BART Station and Highway 24.
Simon asserted in her March 10 statement that she had consulted with BART officials prior to moving and was “assured that the building is within District 7.”
Simon and BART officials have both stated that they plan to consult with outside legal counsel to determine how she can remain on the board going forward.
She added that public transit is a “deep lifeline” to many in her district as well as for her as a legally blind person who cannot drive.
“This is my duty as a transit-dependent person to be a part of a community that keeps folks alive, that keeps folks working, that keeps people being able to experience the beauty of the Bay Area, and I’m committed to that,” she said.
Simon was first elected to the board in 2016 and served as the board’s president in 2020. She is the only Black member of the nine-member board.
