CA: Policing debates, more than vanished ridership, could shape BART board elections

Aug. 14--For months, BART Board President Lateefah Simon waffled on whether to run for re-election. A staunch social justice activist, she has often sparred with the agency's powerful police union and other opponents -- and received death threats for championing reform. 

But when Simon filed her papers on a recent Wednesday, she'd already mapped out a campaign. She wants to expand BART's unarmed safety staff, including new teams of ambassadors to patrol the trains. Simon will also push for more transit service to accommodate people who don't own cars, a personal issue because she is legally blind and does not drive. Read More