Lateefah Simon

Crime Survivor Support and Stability Act of 2026

in committee

Same-Day Paratransit Innovation Act

in committee

Connecting Communities Through Transit Planning Act of 2026

in committee

“Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the retirement of a towering figure in the Bay Area, the Chief Executive Officer of La Clinica de La Raza, Inc., Ms. Jane Garcia. Ms. Garcia was born in El Paso, Texas in 1953. Like far too many Americans, Ms. Garcia grew up uninsured, only visiting doctors in times of great desperation and sickness. Ms. Garcia's challenging experience inspired her to pursue an education in public health. In 1975, Ms. Garcia moved to the East Bay. In 1977, she began her Master of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. During her studies, Ms. Garcia interned for a local healthcare clinic based in East Oakland. Called La Clinica de La Raza, the clinic offered comprehensive free medical services to a largely Latino population that was underserved by the healthcare system. In 1982, Ms. Garcia would rise to the role of CEO of La Clinica, which was then a small, community-based project with a $2 million budget. During her nearly 45-year tenure, La Clinica grew into an expansive community healthcare system with an annual budget exceeding $175 million, a designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center, and a staff of more than 1,200 committed caregivers. La Clinica expanded its care options to include a range of culturally appropriate and accessible primary and preventative care services. La Clinica now serves over 82,000 patients a year across 35 sites in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano Counties. More than 386,000 annual patient visits are made to La Clinica sites around the Bay Area. Ms. Garcia's leadership has ensured that care is not only accessible, but culturally relevant and meets patients where they are, with dignity and respect. In addition to her work with La Clinica, Ms. Garcia has been widely recognized as an authority on issues of health and health equity. Ms. Garcia's fierce advocacy was instrumental in ensuring continued state funding for prenatal care for immigrant women. Ms. Garcia is a founding member and served as Chair of the California Primary Care Association, representing community health centers across the state of California. She has also served as Chair of the California Endowment, Alameda Alliance for Health, Community Health Center Network, Community Clinic Consortium, and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the California Primary Care Association and Aliados Health. Ms. Garcia has received an array of honors for her decades-long commitment to community health and service. She has been awarded the Common Cause Award for Public Service Achievement, the National Association of Community Health Centers' Betsey K. Cooke Advocacy MVP Award, induction into both the Alameda and Contra Costa County Women's Hall of Fame, recognition as a Most Admired CEO and one of the Most Influential Women in Business by the San Francisco Business Times, designation as UC Berkeley School of Public Health Alumna of the Year in 2019 and one of the school's 75 Most Influential Alumni, and received the 2025 Samuel Merritt University Health Impact Award. In 2025, Ms. Garcia was selected by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks as Woman of the Year for California Assembly District 15. In 2026, she was selected by Assemblymember Mia Bonta as Woman of the Year for California Assembly District 18. Throughout her many decades of work in the Bay Area, Ms. Garcia has proven time and time again to be a committed and indefatigable leader and advocate in the field of community healthcare. Her visionary leadership has resulted in transformational change for thousands of California's most vulnerable and underserved residents. I sincerely thank Ms. Garcia for her tireless work and wish her the very best in her retirement. ____________________”

2026-05-12 · Healthcare

“Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Grand Lake Theater, a historic movie palace located in Oakland, California. The Grand Lake Theater opened its doors to patrons on March 6, 1926, boasting a Neoclassical facade designed by famed Bay Area architects the Reid Brothers and a striking, 52-foot-tall rooftop sign complete with 2,980 colored bulbs. At the time of its opening, the Grand Lake was the largest theater West of the Mississippi River. Its 2,200 seats and full theatrical stage hosted silent movies, and many stars of the vaudeville era, including the Jazz Age comedy duo Burns and Allen. With the increasing popularity of so-called ``talking pictures,'' the Grand Lake transitioned to exclusively screening movies in the late 1920s. Even during the 1940s, at a time when the city of Oakland played host to 49 different cinemas, the Grand Lake stood apart for its opulence and architectural flair. The Grand Lake was not immune from the difficulties brought on by the decline of theater attendance in the post-war era. In December of 1979, the theater's ground lease was purchased by Allen Michaan's Renaissance Rialto theater group. Mr. Michaan invested heavily in the historic theater's restoration, expanding the number of available movie screens by renovating the original retail wing of the building into two smaller movie palaces in the Egyptian and Moorish styles and restoring the enormous rooftop display, the largest surviving rotary contact incandescent sign in the world. In the early 1980s, a Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ was installed in the main auditorium, delighting movie-goers with vintage music on Friday and Saturday evenings. In 2021, Mr. Michaan purchased the actual property of the Grand Lake from the descendants of its original owners, ensuring its future preservation. The Grand Lake Theater is a beloved icon of Oakland and anchor of the vibrant Grand/Lakeshore neighborhood. In recent years, the Grand Lake has played host to a vast array of community events, charity fundraisers, and film premieres, most recently debuting the films ``Freaky Tales'' and ``Sinners,'' the Oscar-nominated movie by Oakland director Ryan Coogler. The historic theater has been the winner of the East Bay Express's ``Best Place to See a Movie'' readers' poll for over a decade and, in 2025, was named by Variety as one of ``The 21 Coolest Movie Theaters in the World.'' I congratulate the Grand Lake Theater on 100 years of entertaining and dazzling the people of Oakland and the East Bay, and here is to another century of fun, community, and entertainment. ____________________”

2026-03-03 · Government Reform

“Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a long-time leader of the Oakland faith community, Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr., who passed away on September 19, 2025, at the age of 94. Dr. Smith was born on May 19, 1931, in Kansas City, Missouri. He began preaching in 1948, his first year after graduating high school. Dr. Smith went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Western Baptist College, a Bachelor of Divinity [[Page E1164]] and Master of Theology in Church and Community from the Missouri School of Religion, a Master's in American Church History from the American Baptist Seminary of the West, and a Doctor of Ministry from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Smith became the senior pastor at Allen Temple Baptist Church in 1971. In that position, he expanded the church's membership from 500 to 4,500. He placed a particular emphasis on ministering to underserved communities, especially those in East Oakland. His ministry always had a firm foundation in advocacy and social justice. Dr. Smith used his voice and his pulpit to uplift the poor, the downtrodden, and the left behind, bringing the concerns of his congregation to the attention of local leaders and fighting for positive change. But Dr. Smith was not only a giant in the City of Oakland. His powerful oratory and spiritual leadership was recognized across the country and around the world. Dr. Smith was elected president of the Progressive Baptist State Convention of California in 1979, and in 1986 he became president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. In 1989, he delivered powerful testimony before the United Nations, denouncing the evils of Apartheid South Africa. He was twice recognized by Ebony magazine as one of the ``Most Influential Black Americans'' and was named one of its ``15 Greatest Black Preachers.'' He lectured at Cambridge, Oxford, and Baylor University and was professor emeritus of preaching and church ministries at the Berkeley School of Theology. Throughout his distinguished career, he wrote 16 books. Dr. Smith was a friend and guide to all those he met, no matter their position. He took time to listen and speak to all those who sought his guidance, always abiding by one of his personal mottos: ``I wish I could make it plain.'' He made no efforts to attract renown and yet became one of the most influential and well-known Black pastors and activists of his generation. Dr. Smith is survived by his beloved wife, Reverend Bernestine Farley, his five children, Amy, James, Jr., Ronald Craig, Shri, and Anthony, as well as his fourteen grandchildren and sixteen great- grandchildren. Dr. Smith was a trail blazer and personal inspiration. I am deeply grateful for his decades of service to my community. His loss is felt profoundly by the many people whose lives he touched. ____________________”

2025-12-09 · Civil Rights