In the wake of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s death, San Franciscans remembered her as a champion for women’s rights and a loving mother, but also as a politician who didn’t always align with San Francisco’s progressive factions.
Feinstein, the longest-serving woman in the U.S. Senate and its oldest member, marked 30 years in office last year but had been facing calls to resign amid health problems and her advancing age.
The Democratic senator died at her Washington, D.C., home on Thursday night, according to a statement from her office.
Don Abbott, who has lived in Hayes Valley since 1997, said Feinstein’s death was sad, but he is looking forward to having a representative who aligns more closely with his political stance.
“I wasn’t a fan of hers because she was too down the middle,” Abbott said. “It’s sad, of course, but I think someone else will do a better job.”
Jaime Fingal, who was visiting San Francisco from Southern California, said Feinstein was an icon.
“She was the reason I became a Democrat,” Fingal said. “She fought for women’s rights. She fought against gun rights. I could be dabbing my eyes with a tissue over her passing.”
Jorge Jacobo, who lives in Redwood City but works in San Francisco, said he remembers Feinstein for her commitment to abortion access.
“She was a pioneer in women’s rights,” Jacobo said.
While Feinstein faced criticism for not stepping down when she became infirm, Aamina Zahid said she respected Feinstein’s commitment.
“It reminded me of [Ruth Bader Ginsberg],” Zahid said. “She fought to the end.”
Dianne Feinstein’s Former San Francisco Mansion
Anglia Benjamin Yancey, who knew Feinstein personally and lives in her former home at 30 Presidio Terrace, said Feinstein was a trailblazer, both in politics and in life.
Benjamin Yancey and her husband bought the home at 30 Presidio Terrace in 2013. Feinstein’s daughter Katherine moved in 2009, when Feinstein moved to a home near the Lyon Street Steps.
“She was a strong woman and a loving mother to her daughter and stepdaughters,” Benjamin Yancey said. “She was a very busy woman, and yet she’d make time to go to all her children’s and grandchildren’s concerts.
“It’s sad her last year was rife with illness,” Benjamin Yancey said.
Benjamin Yancey said she first met Feinstein in 1988 at Stars, a restaurant near City Hall that closed in 2003, when Feinstein sat next to her at lunch.
“The encouragement of another female was great. She was mayor at the time. She was a brilliant woman,” Benjamin Yancey said. “Our conversations were never political. She was family first, politics second.”
Benjamin Yancey said the last time she spoke to Feinstein was at a concert where Feinstein’s stepdaughter Eileen played the violin in 2018.
“We just talked about normal things, [like] how wonderful her grandchildren are,” Benjamin Yancey said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom must now appoint Feinstein’s replacement.
Newsom had promised to nominate a Black woman to the Senate if Feinstein were to leave office.
Newsom said earlier in September that he would make an “interim appointment,” a decision that may be unpopular.
The governor made no immediate announcement Friday on an appointment, and his office did not respond to a request for comment on the timing of selecting a replacement for Feinstein.