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Feinstein remembered as SF’s forever mayor

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Skip to main contentYou are the owner of this article.Edit ArticleAdd New ArticleYou have permission to edit this article.EditHomeNewsCultureSportsForumHomesSpecial SectionsNob Hill GazetteSFWeeklyOnline FeaturesWhen California Sen. Dianne Feinstein talked, people listened, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi recalled over the roar of Feinstein’s beloved Blue Angels on Thursday.The former San Francisco mayor’s memorial filled Civic Center plaza with an array of dignitaries, elected officials, and Feinstein family members — the crowd braving nearly intolerable heat in a city more accustomed to cool gray fog.The event was pierced by the presence of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, whose planes rumbled through a clear sky for Fleet Week — an event Feinstein helped bring to San Francisco more than 40 years ago and has since become a fixture of The City.Feinstein died of natural causes at her home in Washington D.C. last week. Her memorial service came the day after Feinstein lay in state in the rotunda at City Hall, drawing thousands to pay their final respects to the longtime leader. She was set to be buried Thursday in a private ceremony with close family and friends.The memorial service was closed to the public for security reasons — the list of speakers included Vice President Kamala Harris — but still drew more than 1,000 people to the City Hall, where she rose to political prominence.Though remembered nationally as a titan of the Senate, Feinstein’s long political career began in San Francisco, where she was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1969.As the president of the Board of Supervisors, she was elevated to mayor when former Supervisor Dan White assassinated Mayor George Mascone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978.In doing so, she became The City’s first female mayor. Though her ascension was a matter of unfortunate circumstance, Feinstein quickly gained credibility as a unifying force during a dark time.Several speakers noted the path Feinstein carved for women in leadership locally and in the Senate, where she became the first female chair of the Senate judiciary committee.After 10 years of having Feinstein as their city’s mayor, Pelosi said, “School children were saying ‘Can a man be mayor of San Francisco?’”Like Feinstein, Mayor London Breed took the helm of The City during a time of tragedy. For Feinstein, it was the murder of Moscone, but for Breed, it was the unexpected death of Mayor Ed Lee. It was Feinstein’s words to Breed, the latter recalled, that meant the most.“It was her advice to heal and lead that gave me strength,” Breed said.Vice President Kamala Harris — whose own roots are tied to San Francisco — pointed to The City as the source of Feinstein’s prowess and approach to politics on the national stage. San Francisco politics is “rough and tumble,” Harris said, and forces elected officials to engage on even the most intricate issues.California Sen. Dianne Feinstein will lie in state at San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday, with a memorial service a day later at the buildingThe San Francisco supervisor told her daughter a conversation with the late US senator was like being complimented by Taylor SwiftOne of the year's worst heat waves will bear down on The City midweek“This environment, I do believe, guided Dianne’s style of leadership, even after she reached the heights of national and global power,” Harris said.Feinstein was also remembered for her tireless work ethic in the Senate, to which she was elected in 1992. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer of New York recalled working together on a hallmark piece of legislation for Feinstein — the 1994 assault weapons ban.Schumer recalled Feinstein “working” the bill harder than anyone he’d ever seen, “resisting every broadside from the (National Rifle Association) because she knew her cause was just from her own experience.”Whether in San Francisco or on the international stage, Feinstein was also remembered as a political force.Pelosi pointed to a meeting with herself, Feinstein, and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the U.S. Capitol in 2015, during which they aired grievances about China’s treatment of Tibetans and the Dalai Lama.“When Dianne spoke, people listened,” Pelosi said.Despite a career replete with victories, Feinstein also had her fair share of losses.Just prior to Milk and Moscone’s assassination, she was prepared to bow out of politics after two unsuccessful bids for mayor. She also saw a setback in 1990 when she lost a bid for governor of California.Her losses were also personal. Feinstein’s husband of more than a decade, Bertram Feinstein, died of cancer in 1978. She remarried in 1980 to Richard Blum, with whom she remained until he died last year.Still, she persevered as she always had.Schumer recalled when, during a 2008 walk around Lake Tahoe, Feinstein slipped and broke her ankle. Somehow, she managed to uphold her commitments for the day.“Asked how she got through the day, she only offered three words,” Schumer said. “’I just did.’”ashanks@sfexaminer.comOur PartnersIn 1970, one of two chartered twin-engine planes flying the Wichita State University football team to Utah crashed into a mountain near Silver Plume, Colorado, killing 31 of the 40 people on boardSorry, an error occurred.Get StartedLog InYou are logged in&nbsp;Switch accountsHave an account? 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Skip to main contentYou are the owner of this article.Edit ArticleAdd New ArticleYou have permission to edit this article.EditHomeNewsCultureSportsForumHomesSpecial SectionsNob Hill GazetteSFWeeklyOnline FeaturesWhen California Sen. Dianne Feinstein talked, people listened, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi recalled over the roar of Feinstein’s beloved Blue Angels on Thursday.The former San Francisco mayor’s memorial filled Civic Center plaza with an array of dignitaries, elected officials, and Feinstein family members — the crowd braving nearly intolerable heat in a city more accustomed to cool...

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Adam Shanks

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Feinstein remembered as SF’s forever mayor

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