Twenty five years before she was sworn in as the mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaaf, drove with a friend to Los Angeles for the state Democratic Party convention. It was April 1990 and Schaaf, who was about to enroll in law school, was on her way to the first convention where eligible delegates could endorse candidates. “I was so excited to go to that Democratic convention and cast my ballot to endorse Dianne Feinstein for governor,” Schaaf told me. “I wanted us to see the first woman governor of California,...

The San Francisco Fleet Week will return to the Bay Area this week. The celebration of America's sea services will continue through Oct.10. Service members and their equipment are already arriving. On Sunday, the first of two U.S. Navy ships arrived in the San Francisco Bay: the U.S.S. John P. Murtha. The ship is a 684-foot amphibious transport dock and is currently carrying 120 Marines on board. This ship will be docked at Pier 30-32 on San Francisco's Embarcadero and boat tours will be available to the public starting Wednesday,...

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein will lie in state at San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday ahead of funeral services Thursday. The public can pay their respects at City Hall from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT Wednesday, the late Democratic senator’s office said. The Thursday funeral service will be closed to public due to limited space and will be livestreamed at City Hall and online. Following the service, the longtime senator will be buried at a private, family-only ceremony. A plane from the president’s military fleet carrying the body of...

Rep. Nancy Pelosi sat on board a plane from the president's military fleet on Saturday as it transported the remains of Sen. Dianne Feinstein to San Francisco, in preparation for her upcoming funeral service. Feinstein — who passed away in her Washington, D.C. home on Thursday after attending to a series of votes on Capitol Hill — shared a long friendship with Pelosi, who has spoken emotionally on her passing since the event took place. "With Dianne, it's obviously official, it's political, and it's very personal," Pelosi said on Sunday,...

“She was a political giant, whose tenacity was matched by her grace. She broke down barriers and glass ceilings, but never lost her belief in the spirit of political cooperation.”

— Gov. Gavin Newsom, on U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died Thursday night after the former San Francisco supervisor and mayor served more than 30 years in the Senate.

With the passing of long-serving Senator Dianne Feinstein Friday morning, Governor Gavin Newsom has the rare second chance to pick California’s next senator. His first opportunity, which came when Kamala Harris resigned to become Vice President, was to appoint Alex Padilla, as a nod to racial identity politics. In March of 2021 Newsom repeated his pledge to racial identity politics when he promised to appoint a Black woman to replace Dianne Feinstein. Newsom can now make good on that pledge. Several black women are under consideration: Karen Bass, the current...

Senator Dianne Feinstein's death at age 90 seems to have agitated further the debate about Congressional age and term limits. On the one hand, the long-term Democrat from California is lauded for being the first female mayor of San Francisco, then one of the first female state senators, elected on the same night as former Senator Barbara Boxer. Feinstein leaves behind an impressive record. On the other hand, criticism of her age and, in the end, the need for assistance fuels the call for mandatory retirement. Despite Feinstein's age when...

This is just a short diary because I wanted to honor these two strong, smart, hard-working and dedicated public servants on DKos. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is tonight accompanying the body of her close friend, former Senator Dianne Feinstein, back to San Francisco. Per CNN, they are flying on a plane from the President’s military fleet. While I don’t know for sure, I wouldn’t be surprised if Congresswoman Pelosi first attended the last-minute House vote on the short-term bill to avert a government shutdown before getting on the plane....

The slow demise and death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) while still in office are the latest excuses for elites to restrict the choice of voters. Feinstein spent 30 years in the U.S. Senate and noticeably deteriorated physically and mentally over her final years. Friday, she succumbed at age 90, a small and shriveled shell of herself. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is expected to announce his replacement this coming week. Born in 1933, Feinstein began her political career 53 years ago as a member of the San Francisco Board of...

The death of longtime California Senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, on Thursday night, prompted a response from state, federal and San Bernardino County officials. Feinstein, who planned to retire at the end of her term after facing concerns about her health and calls to resign, died at her home in Washington, D.C., according to her office. Feinstein served as the U.S. Senator for California for 31 years. The county on Friday ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at all county government facilities as a mark of respect for Feinstein, who...