Note: This analysis uses AI to help identify potential outreach strategies for space science issues. Because it uses AI, it is important to understand the sources and limitations of this analysis.
Space-related committee assignments (if present), and additional sources (if present), are from congress.gov and a direct output of a targeted web search.
Opportunities, challenges, overall summary, and preparation recommendations are products of AI analyses. The biography uses AI to summarize key aspects of the member's Wikipedia page.
All AI-generated claims, assessments, and recommendations should be independently verified.
This is an experimental feature, and intended to provide guidance and inspiration for outreach strategies for your meeting. Feedback is welcome: casey.dreier@planetary.org.
Overall Summary
Representative Simon's primary legislative focus appears to be on social justice, domestic welfare, and environmental issues, with a stated preference for reorienting federal resources away from areas like military spending. Her lack of direct assignment to space-related committees in the 119th Congress suggests that NASA space science may not be a top-tier policy priority, and her strong emphasis on climate and environmental justice could lead to a narrower focus within Earth science over other space science disciplines.
Despite these competing priorities, there is a strong basis for engagement. Her district benefits significantly from hundreds of millions in NASA Science Mission Directorate contracts and grants, particularly to the University of California, Berkeley, supporting diverse fields like heliophysics, astrophysics, and planetary science. Representative Simon has publicly championed federal funding for scientific research, opposed cuts to "groundbreaking research" at local institutions, and advocates for innovation and economic growth, indicating a potential receptiveness to the local economic and scientific benefits of sustained NASA space science investment.
Preparation Recommendations
Consider researching specific researchers, students, or local businesses in her district involved in the listed NASA science contracts and grants. Sharing their stories can personalize the impact of NASA investment and connect directly to her stated support for local scientific research and economic growth.
Explore how NASA's space science activities, particularly those funded in her district, contribute to STEM education and workforce development, especially for underrepresented groups, aligning with her background in public policy, community development, and civil rights.
Look into how the significant NASA science funding already flowing into her district, particularly to institutions like UC Berkeley, can be framed as a successful federal investment that she can continue to champion through the appropriations process, reinforcing her role as a "champion for scientific research and innovation."
About Lateefah Simon
Earned a BA in Public Policy and an MPA; completed a Stanford University fellowship.
Led the Center for Young Women's Development, becoming a MacArthur Fellow at 26.
Served on the California State University and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) boards.
Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the SF Bay Area.
President of MeadowFund, a community investment fund with ties to tech philanthropy.
Opportunities
Support for Scientific Research Funding: Representative Simon has publicly announced and championed federal funding for scientific research projects at the University of California, Berkeley, within her district. She emphasized being "a champion for scientific research and innovation" and that it "drives our nation forward". (Representative Lateefah Simon, 2025-04-03)
Local NASA Science Investments: Her district benefits significantly from numerous NASA Science Mission Directorate contracts and grants awarded to the Regents of the University of California in Berkeley and Oakland, supporting projects in heliophysics, astrophysics, and planetary science. (USAspending, FY2022-FY2024)
Opposition to Research Funding Cuts: Representative Simon has actively opposed cuts to federal research funding, specifically highlighting the negative impact on "groundbreaking and life-saving research" conducted locally at institutions like UC Berkeley. (Representative Lateefah Simon, 2025-02-24)
Advocacy for Innovation and Economic Growth: Her platform emphasizes championing innovative leadership and fostering growth through technology to ensure her district remains a hub for investment in economic opportunities, aligning with the broader goals of scientific advancement. (Lateefah Simon for Congress, Undated)
Engagement in Appropriations Process: Representative Simon actively participates in the annual appropriations process by submitting funding requests for community projects in California's 12th Congressional District to the House Appropriations Committee for Fiscal Year 2026. (Representative Lateefah Simon, 2025)
Challenges
Competing Priorities Focus: Representative Simon's public priorities emphasize a broad range of social justice, economic, and environmental issues, which may compete for her attention and advocacy for federal funding. (Lateefah Simon for Congress, undated)
Preference for Domestic Social Spending: She has explicitly advocated for challenging military spending and reorienting federal resources towards domestic welfare, healthcare, and education, indicating a potential preference for these areas over other federal investments. (Lateefah Simon for Congress, undated; Rep. Lateefah Simon, 2025-07)
Lack of Direct Congressional Space Policy Role: Representative Simon holds no current assignments on space-related committees in the 119th Congress, which may limit her direct engagement or influence on NASA's space science and exploration policy. [cite: space_committees, 2025]
Strong Emphasis on Applied Climate and Environmental Justice: Her public statements highlight a primary focus on climate and environmental justice, including investments in clean energy research and infrastructure, which could lead to a narrower prioritization of Earth science over other NASA science disciplines or broader exploration. (E&E News by POLITICO, 2024-11; League of Conservation Voters, 2023-09)