[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 179 (Tuesday, November 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1511-E1512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF ANN ELIASER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 13, 2018

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise with my colleague, Congressman Mike 
Thompson, to honor the life and legacy of a trailblazing, 
transformative leader, Ann Eliaser, who passed away on October 24 in 
her beloved city of San Francisco.
  Ann was a woman of exceptional vision and determination, who 
fearlessly spoke truth to power to reshape the face of our state and 
national politics during her decades in the political arena. She was 
driven by the extraordinary strength of her convictions and by her 
remarkable independence of thought, making history as she rose through 
the ranks of the state Democratic Party.
  Ann did not merely observe political history; she shaped it. As a 
California delegate at the Democratic National Convention and as the 
California Democratic Party's National Committeewoman, she played a 
vital role in determining who sat at the decision-making table in our 
state and country. She fought relentlessly for candidates who would 
champion Democratic values, regardless of conventional wisdom or 
political popularity. Her advocacy was critical to the success of 
leaders up and down the ballot, from Presidents Harry Truman and Jimmy 
Carter to local politicians in our city of Saint Francis.
  Ann was a San Francisco native, who dedicated her full life and 
spirit to building better futures for the people of the Golden State. 
As an appointee to the San Francisco Board of Permit Appeals, she held 
our city's business leaders accountable for ensuring fair pay and 
better working conditions for employees. As the first woman member of 
the Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, she fought relentlessly to 
protect the beauty of God's creation for generations to come. Through 
her leadership on numerous city, state, national and international 
boards, she advocated relentlessly for our nation's fundamental promise 
of liberty and justice for all, fighting to overturn the death penalty, 
end unjust wars and support the State of Israel.
  Ann's deep belief that strength lies in diversity was essential in 
bringing more women and greater diversity into the halls of power in 
our country. Her courage to defy history and demand a seat at the table 
has inspired and empowered generations of strong women leaders, leaving 
a beautiful and lasting legacy for our nation.
  Ann's many friends will forever remember and cherish her profound 
love for family. May it bring some measure of comfort to Ann's 
daughter, Mary Powell, her grandchildren Blair Shane and Alexander 
Rosenblatt, her four great-grandchildren, and all who were blessed to 
know and love her, that so many grieve with them and pray for them 
during this sad time.

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