Mourners flocked to San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday to pay their respects to the late US Senator Dianne Feinstein, paying tribute to her as the brave, smart, and glue that held the city together after two political assassinations that catapulted her to the mayor’s office. and national highlights.
“She’s not afraid to do men’s work. He is not afraid of being a senator. He’s not afraid to go after what he wants,” said Lawanda Carter, 48, of San Francisco. “And that’s the encouragement for us women now to have courage.”
Carter was among scores of everyday San Franciscans and political leaders alike who carried flowers, bowed their heads, or clasped their hands in prayer as they stood before Feinstein’s casket, which was draped in an American flag and displayed behind a velvet rope.
Many said they had never met Feinstein but wanted to honor a tireless public servant who fought for equality for women, members of the LGBTQ community and racial minorities.
Feinstein died early Friday in her Washington, DC, home of natural causes, said Adam Russell, a spokesman for her office. He is 90 years old.
Eileen Mariano, granddaughter of the late US Senator Dianne Feinstein, stands near Feinstein’s casket during a day of repose at San Francisco City Hall. APMourners poured into San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday to pay their respects to the late US Sen. Dianne Feinstein.POOL/AFP via Getty Images
She was the first female mayor of San Francisco and one of California’s first two female US senators, a job she first won with Barbara Boxer in 1992, dubbed the “Year of the Woman.”
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, also from San Francisco, and Mayor London Breed were among the officials who paid their respects.
Feinstein spent most of her career in the US Senate but will forever be known as the mayor of San Francisco, a role she inherited in tragedy.
He was president of the Board of Supervisors in November 1978 when a former supervisor killed Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the city’s first gay supervisor, at City Hall.
Feinstein, who founded Milk, became acting mayor and won two re-elections to serve as mayor until 1988.
Georgia Otterson, 76, a health care administrator, said Feinstein was not as politically liberal as she would have liked, but the late mayor earned her respect for the way she held the broken city together.
“We are all mourning together, holding candles. If memory serves me, Joan Baez sang,” Otterson said of the night’s impromptu march from the notoriously gay Castro District to City Hall. “And he’s holding us back.”
As a centrist Democrat, he was criticized by some more liberal voters, including for his longtime support of the death penalty, and as the country became more polarized, for his collegial relationship with Republicans.
But the straight, white woman has largely earned the gratitude of a city that celebrates its racial and sexual diversity.
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, consoles her eldest daughter as she, along with her husband Paul Pelosi, Eileen Mariano, and Rick Mariano, Dianne Feinstein’s son-in-law, look over the coffin of the late politician. POOL/AFP via Getty Images Feinstein, who was the longest-serving woman in the US Senate, died on September 28, 2023 at the age of 90 after several months of declining health. PETER DASILVA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
He steered San Francisco through the HIV and AIDS crisis, bringing attention to an epidemic neglected by President Ronald Reagan.
He also secured federal and private funding to save the city’s iconic cable cars from dying of decay.
Feinstein presided over the city when it hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1984.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed places her hand on the casket of late US Senator Dianne Feinstein.APNancy Pelosi blows a kiss and then hugs the late senator’s casket as she pays her respects.AP
Another San Francisco tradition — “Fleet Week” — was started by Feinstein in 1981, and this year’s annual celebration of air shows, naval ships and military bands is dedicated to her.
Breed remembers seeing Feinstein when he was a black kid growing up in public housing and playing French horn in a high school band that regularly performed at mayoral events.
Take a look at the life of Senator Dianne Feinstein
US Senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, a California Democrat who broke gender barriers over five decades in politics, died Thursday night following a health scare.
Feinstein was born on June 22, 1933, to parents Leon and Betty Goldman. His father was a surgeon and professor at a medical school in San Francisco. Reports say his mother was abusive with a violent temper.
Feinstein graduated from Stanford University in 1955 with a degree in history. She married a prosecutor, Jack Berman, in 1956 and the two divorced three years later. They share a daughter, Katherine Anne.
She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and became its first female president in 1978.
US Senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, a California Democrat who broke gender barriers throughout her political career, died Thursday night following several health scares. AP
From there, Feinstein served as San Francisco’s first female mayor from 1978 to 1988. Feinstein continued to break barriers by becoming one of California’s first two female senators, the first woman to chair the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve on the Judiciary Committee. Top Democrat in 2009.
Feinstein has been a vocal advocate for gun control, consistently pushing for stricter measures since the assault weapons ban ended in 2004.
He also led a multi-year review of the CIA’s detention and interrogation measures after 9/11 as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The California Democrat is the Senate’s oldest member and has announced plans to retire at the end of his term.
In 1962, she married Dr. Bertram Feinstein, a neurosurgeon 19 years his senior. Bertram died in 1978 after a battle with cancer. In 1980, she married investment banker Richard Blum, and thanks to his wealth, she is one of the richest members of the Senate. He died in February 2022.
Feinstein is survived by her daughter, Katherine Feinstein, a San Francisco County Superior Court judge; his son-in-law, Rick Mariano; and her granddaughter, Eileen Feinstein Mariano.
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“He was very proud of us and he said that, and he took the time to talk to us, to say how great we were, and to remind us that we were his band,” Breed said at a press conference the day after Feinstein’s death.
She was the first female mayor of San Francisco and one of California’s first two female US senators. Getty ImagesMembers of the public line up to wait their turn to pay their respects as the remains of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein lie in state in the Rotunda of City Hall in San Francisco.AP
Mourners Wednesday expressed their pride for Feinstein.
“He kept moving up. I’m proud of him, very proud of him,” said Dorothy Hudson, 81, a retired federal government employee. “He’s very good, very smart. He opened doors to tell people, ‘You can do it.’”
Cari Donovan of San Francisco laid a bouquet of red and pink lilies and daisies on the floor before the casket.
He lingered, crying quietly for a woman he had never met but who was so important in his life.
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“He fought for and fought for the rights of many people,” Donovan said. “I am really grateful. And I really want his family to know how much he means to me.
The social worker said she talks to her 28-year-old daughter about the battle Feinstein went through so that a younger generation of women can dream bigger. “She is a lioness.”
While Feinstein’s career sent her to Washington, she remained deeply involved in the affairs of San Francisco, the city where she was born and raised.
He often calls his surrogates — including Gavin Newsom — to complain about potholes or trash and to offer advice and encouragement.
John Konstin Sr., owner of John’s Grill, a favorite downtown tourist destination and watering hole for city politicians, recalled Feinstein ordering potholes filled, trees cut and ugly scaffolding taken down before San Francisco hosted the 1984 Democratic convention.
“He asked, ‘How long has this scaffolding been ready?’ And my dad said ‘Maybe 10 years,’ and the next day it came down,” said Konstin, 59. “It was half a block of scaffolding.”
The restaurant, which celebrated its 115th anniversary on Wednesday, honored Feinstein with flowers under her portrait hanging on the wall.
Feinstein steered San Francisco through the HIV and AIDS crisis, bringing attention to an epidemic neglected by President Ronald Reagan. Getty Images After lying in state inside San Francisco City Hall, the late US Senator Dianne Feinstein is carried into a hearse on October 4, 2023. Getty Images
Feinstein’s body will remain at City Hall until the evening and a funeral service is scheduled for Thursday outside the building.
Speakers will include Vice President Kamala Harris, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, and Feinstein’s granddaughter Eileen Mariano.
President Joe Biden will deliver a speech via video recording.
Among the first to say goodbye on Wednesday were Jose Romero Cooper and Mark Cooper.
While Feinstein’s career sent her to Washington, she remained deeply involved in the affairs of San Francisco, the city where she was born and raised. Freddie Lee/FOX News Dianne Feinstein’s daughter Katherine Feinstein (C), granddaughter Eileen Mariano (R), and son-in-law Rick Mariano (L), watch as the senator’s casket is carried into the funeral home. Getty Images
The married couple waited in line before the doors opened to the public.
“All I would say is: ‘Thank you for everything, for being strong,'” said Romero Cooper, 61, an American flag scarf draped around his neck.
He stood before the casket, bowed and crossed himself, then walked away with tears streaming down his face.
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