WASHINGTON DC—On September 28, Senator and San Francisco native, Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) passed away. She was 90 years old. On September 29, Feinstein’s Chief of Staff, James Sauls made the following statement, in part. The full text of Sauls’ statement may be viewed on Dianne Feinstein’s website or on the X social media platform.

“Sadly, Senator Feinstein passed away last night at her home in Washington D.C. Her passing is a great loss for so many, from those who loved and cared for her to the people of California that she dedicated her life to serving.”

Staunch Feinstein supporters, former President Barack Obama, Vice President, Kamala Harris, and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) also publicly gave tribute to Feinstein.

As the longest serving female Senator in history serving from 1992 until her death, Feinstein had offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Diego.

Feinstein led the way to California legalizing gay marriage and ensured the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2009, Senator Feinstein became the first woman to serve as Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Feinstein was appointed to the House Intelligence Committee beginning in 2009. It was a position she held for six years. It was 2009 when Feinstein aided then President Barack Obama in the passage of The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

In 2017, Feinstein became the first woman to secure a position on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Intelligence.

On August 1, 2018, the San Francisco Chronicle detailed information reported in a column written by Phil Matier and Andy Ross. In the column, the writers reported that the Chinese spy, Christie Fang who had reportedly targeted California politicians while working as a driver for Senator Dianne Feinstein and dating, Rep. Eric Swalwell. The case against Swalwell was dropped on a technicality in May 2023.

In the later years, Feinstein fought for the immigrants. She was an advocate for finding a pathway for undocumented minors to become citizens through The Dream Act.

In February 2022, Feinstein penned a letter to President Biden to begin the reversal of Trump’s Title 42 Act that kept undocumented immigrants in Mexico during processing. Trump passed this law at the onset of COVID-19 to protect Americans from disease and slow the influx of immigrants at the border. Feinstein called these practices, “Inhumane Immigration Policies,” in her letter to Biden.

Historical data on San Francisco shows the San Francisco Bay area as a booming area in the 1980s. Records indicate that it was the massive entourage of Asian immigrants in the 1990s that began the decline in the Bay area. The San Francisco Bay area which has been known to be one of the most beautiful places in the world has worsened during Feinstein’s reign as Senator with homelessness taking over a good portion of the city.

Governor Gavin Newsom is tasked with the job of appointing a temporary Senator to serve from now until the 2024 election. Newsom has publicly stated in the past that he would temporarily appoint a black female to fill Senator Feinstein’s position until the 2024 election as Feinstein’s term does not end until 2025. Reports indicate that the person chosen for this appointment will have to agree that it is only temporary.  This Senate seat will be in the 2024 election.