U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the longest-serving woman senator in the country's history and the first woman to be San Francisco's mayor, has died at the age of 90, her office confirmed Friday, Sept. 29.
“Senator Feinstein never backed away from a fight for what was just and right. At the same time, she was always willing to work with anyone, even those she disagreed with, if it meant bettering the lives of Californians or the betterment of our nation,” James Sauls, Feinstein's chief of staff, said in a statement.
Feinstein, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992, was a trailblazing politician -- the first woman to be president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who became mayor in 1978 after the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.
The senator's legacy of legislation included the enactment of a federal assault weapons ban in 1994, the creation of the nationwide Amber Alert network for missing children, and the release of a report into the CIA's detention and interrogation practices that led to the passage of laws to ensure that some post-Sept. 11 interrogation methods would never be used again.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, himself a former San Francisco mayor, was among the local politicians to issue statements Friday morning mourning Feinstein's death. Her passing means that Newsom will now be charged with appointing her replacement.
"Dianne Feinstein was many things -- a powerful, trailblazing U.S. Senator; an early voice for gun control; a leader in times of tragedy and chaos. But to me, she was a dear friend, a lifelong mentor, and a role model not only for me, but to my wife and daughters for what a powerful, effective leader looks like," Newsom wrote.
U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Menlo Park, said Feinstein "stood as tall as our redwoods in representing the nation-state of California that she so loved."
“California has lost its great Senator, a woman of many firsts and a woman of enormous integrity. Dianne Feinstein was a courageous leader, going up against the NRA to ban assault weapons, a defender of LGBTQ rights, a voice against torture, and a mentor to countless women," Eshoo said in a statement.
The San Francisco Police Officers Association also issued a statement regarding her death on Friday, recognizing her as a stalwart leader and champion for San Francisco.
“Our nation lost a dedicated and principled leader last night, and San Francisco lost one of its daughters and one of its fiercest champions,” the statement read. "Senator Dianne Feinstein was a true public servant who dedicated her life to serving and improving the lives of others. As Mayor, she led San Francisco with a steady hand out some of our darkest hours, building a stronger and more vibrant city.”
Other local public officials issued statements in reaction to Feinstein’s death on Friday.
“Senator Feinstein was a trailblazer for women in politics (and an) icon in California who overcame adversity (and) tragedy and dedicated her life to service to others.” wrote Assembly member Marc Berman in a statement on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “Before we speculate about the future, I hope everyone takes the time to honor her remarkable life.”
State Sen. Josh Becker also lauded Feinstein for her many years of leadership.
"She entered Congress and went to work on some of the major issues facing our nation, including gun safety and LGBTQ+ rights," Becker said in a statement on X. "She served CA (with) dignity and helped cement CA's influence nationwide. Sen. Feinstein will be missed."
Assembly member Diane Papan said that Feinstein would leave an “indelible mark on the history of our nation, our state and our region.”
“Her legacy is palpably felt in our made and natural environments thanks to her policy achievements and by every woman who has ever run for office due to her shattering of many glass ceilings. She will be greatly missed,” she said.
California Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement in response to the passing of Feinstein:
“Dianne Feinstein was a true giant. She helped save our city, becoming Mayor after horrific political assassinations (and) leading us during the worst of the HIV/AIDS health disaster. As our Senator, she led on gun safety (and) so many issues.
"There will never be another Dianne Feinstein,” he added.
Comments
Registered user
another community
on Sep 29, 2023 at 3:34 pm
Registered user
on Sep 29, 2023 at 3:34 pm
Her legendary leadership will not find an equal in my lifetime. There were times when I disagreed with some of her policy leanings, especially in her last years. At a time of utter chaos and tragedy, and without a script, she announced to the Bay Area and the world that the City had lost two prominent figures -- the Mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone, and the figurative "Mayor Of Castro Street", Harvey Milk -- both murdered at City Hall. Her poise while she was delivering a horrific message and then taking the helm as Mayor is what catapulted her into a lifetime of political service that never rested. She was incredibly intelligent, and when faced with an unknown subject that required a position and action, she studied the matter from all sides before coming to a (usually) qualified decision. No, she was not perfect. Nobody is. But I firmly believe that no one will ever be able to fill her shoes.
Registered user
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Sep 29, 2023 at 8:21 pm
Registered user
on Sep 29, 2023 at 8:21 pm
I greatly admired Senator Dianne Feinstein. She leaves a tremendous legacy of achievement and honor, especially in the U.S. Senate.
Registered user
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Sep 30, 2023 at 2:20 am
Registered user
on Sep 30, 2023 at 2:20 am
Before the Oakland Firestorm, if you lost everything in a disaster, you had to replace your residence within 2 years or insurance proceeds were taxed as ordinary income. Think about that. It’s not unusual for only 10-15% of homes to be replaced within 2 years, and insurers can drag settlements out so long, many people haven’t settled by then. If you are then taxed as if those funds are income, you lose much of it all over again.
You also had to account for every fork and spoon you lost, calculate the “adjusted basis” and pay tax for the difference between it and insurance proceeds. For every last thing. The capper is that this resulted in such complicated returns it frequently put already exhausted disaster survivors through tax audits.
Oakland survivors listened to survivors from prior disasters who warned them it would happen. Dianne Feinstein in turn listened to them and her office, along with Pete Stark’s, crafted legislation to change IRS tax law so that:
1) survivors who lost everything in federally declared disasters had 4 years to replace homes without tax consequences
2) any insurance proceeds on personal property had no tax consequences, which is important since insurance usually only pays on a dwelling after people put up the deductible themselves (they can’t just replace a cheaper home to avoid it)—thus it gives people some funds to use as they need for recovery
3) ditto on scheduled property
I’m sure hardly anyone nationally who’s gone through a disaster since 1991, appreciates what a major thing Feinstein (and the two other sponsors, their staff, and the fire victims who worked on getting it passed) did to change federal tax law to allow them to recover better from a major loss. Few probably appreciate how difficult it can be to pass any law, much less such a specific tax code change.
When the neighbors thanked her, Feinstein told them “THIS is why I do this!”
She did WAY more for this country than these memorial articles say.
Registered user
another community
on Sep 30, 2023 at 10:57 am
Registered user
on Sep 30, 2023 at 10:57 am
She was a class act. I enjoyed chatting with her in the streets of SF. Rest in peace Ms. Feinstein.
Registered user
College Terrace
on Oct 2, 2023 at 12:44 am
Registered user
on Oct 2, 2023 at 12:44 am
1. She dated my dad twice at Stanford. Perhaps he was the one that got away... she loved to match make, hence forth.
2. Her mayoral on boarding in SF, unfolding of a severely dark, deadly epidemic of Aides/HIV . Bath house closures a major decision city wide. Epicenter to a global deadly health crisis.
Her legacy, in my mind, is handling the Aides crisis in our city by the bay. A deadly health crash by this disease infecting, killing so many of our residents. . Her backbone of a city, on the rise from a WWII economy to tourism. And confronting a unknown sudden deadly, horrific disease .
It was a scary, awful, dark time for the Bay Area and thus Globally. Seriously, toilet seat sheet covers was her doing!!