One week before addressing the Democratic National Convention to help America better know her former supervisor, Vice President Kamala Harris, the East Bay’s next congressional representative, Lateefah Simon, paid a visit to NUHW’s Emeryville office.
“What should I be thinking about [in Congress’?” Simon, who sits on the BART Board of Directors, asked after NUHW staffers had gathered around her. “The more information you give me to read, the more information I retain.”
The answers included ongoing contract negotiations for mental health professionals at Kaiser Permanente, accomplishing mental health parity on the federal level, and helping California become the first Medicare for All state in the union.
Simon also received a detailed briefing about Providence, the largest hospital chain on the West Coast. Providence has been cutting medical services to the communities it serves in California, most recently reducing hours in the intensive care unit at Petaluma Valley Hospital and announcing the closure of its rehabilitation center in Eureka.
“The work that y’all are doing, I want to see it,” said Simon, who was stunned to learn about the ICU closures. “I want it to be top of mind. When I get to Congress, I definitely want to focus on health care.”
Simon has been a champion for working families dating back to when she went to work for Harris in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, starting the city’s Back on Track program for young adults charged with low-level felony drug sales.
She considers Harris a mentor and spoke on the last night of the Democratic Convention about Harris’s impact on her life. Another mentor to Simon has been Representative Barbara Lee of Oakland. With Lee retiring this year, Simon is almost sure to replace her as the Democratic candidate in an overwhelmingly Democratic district.
Simon wasn’t the only candidate to address NUHW members in August. Three candidates for the next governor of California — former State Controller Betty Yee, former Senate President Toni Atkins, and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis — addressed Kaiser Permanente stewards in Southern California via Zoom during their monthly meeting.
All three candidates, as well as State Schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond, will participate in a governors forum during NUHW’s Leadership Conference on September 29. The stewards were happy to hear from the candidates as they continue contract negotiations with Kaiser before their contract expires at the end of September.
