Transcripts For KTVU KTVU 20240703

In politics and delve into the legacy she leaves behind. I remember the hours, days and the nights that we would have to work to try to work through and the challenges we come from different parties. We have different philosophies, but we put our state first. As reaction pours in about the news nationwide and the sign of a friend is someone who stands by your side to fight the good fight and the good days and on the bad. Dianne feinstein. She was all of this and more. Live from jack london square. This is mornings on two. The nine a somber start to the day this friday, september 29th. A live look at washington, d. C. Where flags are at half staff at the white house this morning following the news of senator Dianne Feinsteins death. We learned earlier today that the california senator actually cast a vote last night just hours before her death. A moment ago, we spoke with former San Francisco mayor willie brown. Incredible stories of her life, her political career and her as a person continue to emerge. Were glad youre with us today. The death of longtime california senator Dianne Feinstein at the age of 90 is still reverberating through the political world. And in the bay area in particular, senator feinstein was the oldest sitting senator having been elected back in 1992. Ktvu political reporter greg lee looks back on her storied political career. Trailblazer for icon political giant Dianne Feinstein dedicated her life to Public Service and broke many barriers along the way. She served 30 years in the us senate. The first woman to represent california in the Upper Chamber and the longest serving woman senator ever. Most of my positive energy toward this job. But her political career began decades earlier in San Francisco. The stanford alumni was elected to the board of supervisors in 1969, becoming the boards first female president in 1978. That year, a shocking act of Political Violence by both mayor moscone and supervisor harvey milk have been shot and killed. Feinstein was at city hall when the killings occurred. She found supervisor harvey milks body. George moscone, his murderer, at the hands of supervisor dan white, put her in the Mayors Office and sparked one of her biggest career fights. Gun violence, i believe to this day, if dan white didnt have a weapon that he wouldnt have done what he did. In 1992, she was elected to the us senate and soon pushed a federal ban on assault weapons. The 1994 landmark legislation was passed and lasted ten years. Feinstein has been advocating for its reinstatement ever since, along with other gun safety laws. If you give people the ability to easily purchase a weapon that can be devastating to large numbers of people, some of them will use that. She was also a leading voice in legalizing gay marriage in equal rights for the lgbtq community, authoring the respect for marriage act. Americans should be free to marry the person they love regardless of Sexual Orientation or race discrimination was not new for feinstein. She fought as the first woman in many roles and empowered many others. After my time, a majority were women. I appointed a woman city attorney, a woman treasurer with a front row seat to history alongside other trailblazing women, but a long way. We have come in this nation. Feinstein says her biggest regret was a vote to support the iraq war. She later took on the cia, spearheading an investigation into interrogation techniques after nine divided by 11, releasing this report is an important step to restore our values and show the world that we are, in fact, a just and Lawful Society city. She was unafraid to speak her mind to friends and foes. President s are supposed to bring people together, not drive them apart, feinstein would passionately take on what she saw as the biggest threats facing our country Global Warming is happening, aiming to prevent and combat wildfires and deal with the effects of drought. How many times must a man look up . In february 2022, feinsteins husband since 1980, richard blum , passed after a long fight with cancer. She released this statement. At the time, my husband was my partner and best friend for more than 40 years. He was by my side for the good times and for the challenge. His im going to miss him terribly. After three decades in the senate, feinstein announced in february 2023 she would retire for choosing not to run for reelection in 2024. Her health had been in decline and a bout with shingles led to a more than two month absence from the senate. When she returned, she faced questions and concerns about her health, but insisted on focusing on the work of solving problems and passing bills. Senator Dianne Feinstein leaves a legacy of service to the country and her community. She, a towering figure of San Francisco and california politics, whose life and career were both groundbreaking and historic. This is such a great country and its been factionalize ized and trivialized with rhetoric. We must stop that. We must come together as the great power that we are for the good of the nation. And i think of mankind. Thank you for your support. Well go now to senator Dianne Feinsteins hometown in the building where her political career started. We listened to now San Francisco mayor, london breed speaking on the senators death for people for neighborhoods, for bridge building, for all the things that have made our city such an incredible city over the years. And i want to just also take us back to when i was a kid and when i was excited about playing for Dianne Feinstein, the mayor of San Francisco, the first woman, an mayor of San Francisco. I was in the Ben Franklin Middle School band. I played french horn and we worked so hard to get ready to play for her right here at city hall. We were known as Dianne Feinsteins band, and any time there was any event activity or what have you, we basically were chosen as the band to perform for any occasion. And i remember for begging my grandmother begging her to get me some new pantyhose. I remember her begging my grandmother for something new to look nice for the mayor and she in fact bought the band sweaters that we wore that day. The band sweaters that we wore so proudly. And there was a level of pride to be in front of the mayor, to watch the mayor witness us play and to be she was so proud of us and she said so. And she took the time to talk to us. It express how amazing we were and to remind us that we were her band, jack martins was our conductor. He was our teacher. He was our friend. He loved her. So and in fact, when the 49 won the super bowl and she loved the San Francisco 49 ers, they had a big celebration at the fairmont hotel. And, you know that the Ben Franklin Middle School band was right there to play for her. She stopped by to say hi to us. She made sure she brought over joe montana and let me tell you, that was one of the best moments of my life. I still remember it today. Growing up in San Francisco, she was always someone we looked up to so much, so that when she ran for senator , we helped in her campaign. I remember doing the envelopes and doing whatever it took. She was the first woman to really step out and to do this extraordinary work, both as president of the board of supervisors, others as mayor of San Francisco, as the senator for the state of california, and just last night, she was on the senate floor casting votes because she truly believed in doing her duty, being an extraordinary Public Servant and it is clear that she cared about making a difference in the lives of so many. One of the first things that she did when she was on the when she began to serve as a us senator, we were experience saying in 1992, the tragedy of what happened with 101 california and the work that she did to get an Assault Rifle ban in place was extraordinary, especially at that time. She did it because she knew how important it was. She was constantly courageous and she continued to push the envelope, build relationships across the aisle. And she worked hard to work with other people because ultimately she she wanted to accomplish things. She is truly a role model. She is an amazing individual. And so many of us, especially in the city and county of San Francisco, know will miss her dearly. It wasnt just because of the work she did, it was because of the love and the compassion that she shared for so many people. And before i open it up to questions, ill just say you know, Dianne Feinstein never stopped being mayor, whether she was calling me to ask for something to be done or calling my chief of staff, sean ellsberg , who used to work for her and any little thing was not too little for Dianne Feinstein. If there was something wrong with a sidewalk, a corner, an issue, it did not matter. She took the time because she cared so deeply about about seeing San Francisco look and feel good and wanted to make sure that what we were doing here on the local level was a great example of how to make significant changes. And she wanted us to make those changes and make San Francisco look and feel good for everyone who was a part of the fabric of San Francisco. I also want to say that she built so many extra ordinary relationships and international relationships. She made San Francisco an International Destination when in fact the shanghai sister city relationship, senator Dianne Feinstein, developed that along with other sister city relationships to recognize the diversity and how important it is to bridge the gap between communities and our city. I can go on and on about how so many of the things that she did here locally as mayor set the tone for what San Francisco has become and will continue to be a beacon of hope for. So many people for years to come. And so i want to again, thank you all for being here to recognize senator Dianne Feinstein and her legacy in San Francisco. We are again honoring her by lowering the flags at half mast. We will have a condolence book on the fourth floor at noon for people who want to visit and sign the book and pay their respects. And we will share that book with the public and we will share that book with her family. And we are not aware of the specifics as it relates to her services. But we will definitely provide that information as soon as it is made available t us. So again, thank you all for being here today. I agree its not lost on me that on the San Francisco mayor london breed speaking on the death of california senator Dianne Feinstein from the very building where senator feinstein started her own political career. She served nine years on the board of supervisors. Then suddenly, november of 1978 was thrust into the role of mayor following the assassination of then mayor George Moscone and supervisor harvey milk. She served as San Francisco mayor for nine years, ran for governor, lost it and then came back and ended up winning a long Standing Senate seat. So many of her policies and politics were born from San Francisco. And we heard the mayor speaking about just that. Were continuing the following. The breaking news as the country is reacting to the death of longtime california senator Dianne Feinstein. Senator feinsteins career includes many firsts and ktvu is james torres is here with reaction coming in this morning. James sal, as you can imagine, reaction coming from not just all over the state but all over the country, too. But when were talking about some of our state leaders here is some of the words. And of course, the statements were seeing coming from people like governor gavin newsom, of course, the former speaker, nancy pelosi, also chiming in. Hillary clinton even offering some thoughts and prayers as well. Each of them using very similar language, of course, saying they are heartbroken to learn the passing of their friend, using words like mentor as well, calling her a trailblazer and saying that she created a really improved, made such a difference in the National Security and personal safety of this country. Of course, we also heard from President Biden as well, who just spoke about 30 minutes ago on the late senators legacy. She was a historic figure, trailblazer for women and a great friend, dianne made her mark and everything from National Security to the environment to gun safety to protecting civil is going to mir dearly and so will jill and i. Now, three politicians in particular, we kept a close eye on this morning. Of course, three politicians were looking to fulfill that, or rather fill that seat that senator feinstein would leave behind when she would complete her term in 2024, the first being adam schiff here, representative of california, saying today our nation lost a giant of the senate. California lost its trailblazing leader. And i lost a real friend and mentor. Im also going to bring up representative katie porter here who said senator feinstein, again using the word trailblazer for women in california politics. I wish her loved ones strength during this difficult time. East bay congresswoman barbara lee also chiming in here this morning, saying this is a sad day for california and the nation. My profound condolences go out to her family and her loved ones. Now, we also heard from House Speaker kevin mccarthy, also from california, also knows what its like to work closely with senator feinstein, except in this instance. Its, of course, across the aisle here. Here are some comments he said this morning from the floor. I worked with the senator for quite some time together on many different bills. But the one that i think stands out was our water legislation. It was historic. It was the first time in california history the more than 25 years that we were able to pass water. This is the win act. And i remember for the hours and the nights that we would have to work to try to work through and the challenges we come from different parties. We have different philosophy, but we put our state first and were hearing from politicians, both democrats and republicans, offering just very sweet words, sentiments honoring the legacy of the late senator and saying that there will never be one like her. Well send it back to you, garcia, andre and sal. All right. Thank you so much, james. We also spoke with california state senator scott wiener. He talked about his relationship with senator feinstein and discussed her political legacy in the city. San francisco was in her bones. She never truly stopped being mayor of San Francisco. She cared so, so deeply about this city, no matter how powerful she was in washington, she was always a San Francisco leader through and through. And for me, ive known her for quite a long time and she actually believed in me and supported me when i first ran for the board of supervisors. And no one really knew who i was and was just so kind to me. So just a wonderful human being and a great leader and a huge loss for our country. Im sad there will never be another Dianne Feinstein, state senator scott wiener says senator feinstein was instrumental in helping the Gay Community get through the hiv crisis when she was mayor of San Francisco in the 1980s. And we continue to follow the breaking news of senator feinsteins passing here now. California now in the midst of a once in a generation race to succeed feinstein in the senate, we will talk with the political analyst next about im all about fall, especially this new Pumpkin Spice frosty. Kathryn . so im taking some me time out here. Question for you sofries are a utensil, right . Good question. Ok. It is a good question can you give us an answer . choose wisely. Choose wendys new Pumpkin Spice frosty or cold brew. Ya know, if you were cashbacking you could earn on everything with just one card. Chase freedom unlimited. So, if youre off the racking. Or crab cracking, youre cashbacking. Cashback on flapjacks, baby backs, or tacos at the taco shack. Nah, im working on my six pack. Switch to a king suite, or book a silent retreat. Silent retreat . Hold up yeeerp . I cant talk right now, im at a silent retreat. Cashback on everything you buy with chase freedom unlimited with no annual fee. How do you cashback . Chase. Make more of whats yours. [luxurious music] treat yourself to rich, ghirardelli chocolate and luscious caramel. Experience ghirardelli caramel squares. In a bag and a bar. Makes life a bite better. Are touching on many of the subjects related to Dianne Feinstein, one of the most significant ones we havent touched on yet is the cia torture report that senator feinstein spearheaded. Talk a little bit about why that report was so significant. Sure. Andre and again, lets lets remember all of her deep service and may her memory be for a blessing with the when she was the head of the intelligence committee, the abuses in iraq, abu ghraib is the ones most notorious. Those abuses came to light and she was determined to do something about it. And she spearheaded doing a report which really laid bare the abuses of the cia, some of which probably violated the Geneva Convention about waterboarding and other acts. Thats right. The cia was committing against suspected terrorists to get information out of them after 911, right . Thats right. Thats exactly right. And there were abuses that went too far. And Dianne Feinstein was one who wanted to make that public. She organized the hearings about that. She had a report. Now, the republicans balked at because they were they wanted to support president george w bush. And it was a report that i think ultimately only democrats signed. But it was a very significant report because she did lay bare those abuses and warts and all. And that did lead to significant changes in what we have done since then. So in terms of our human rights record as americans, i was a very important step. It was an important step because americans didnt know that this was happening, that that the us was carrying out these type of acts to get information. She thought that she said this was a stain on our country and that effect and it certainly was right. George w bush was soft pedaling this. He used words to get around the torture word, but when it was exposed with photographs and testimony, it was just such an abuse. And this is a place where her moral strength came forward and come the consequences. She wanted to lay this bare and to ultimately protect us by staying within our traditions and values. Right. That a lot of that discussion at the time i remember it well came from the fact that that she launched this investigation. Thats right. Thats right. Right. She joined the Judiciary Committee. But for those who might not understand why was this significant for her to be on this committee while she was in senate . Right. Well, we have to go back a few years. And what had happened is that a guy named joe biden was the chair of the committee when a man named Clarence Thomas was nominated to be on the Supreme Court. And we might remember that as part of the thomas hearings, there was a huge hue and cry because anita hill, who had been a former aide to mr. Thomas, said that he had sexually abused her and that she testified. But what happened is it was an all male committee and everybody looked so bad and so uncomfortable, all dealing with professor hills testimony or these questions. Shes shes bringing up these very painful memories as she saw it. And you have men who didnt seem to connect properly with what she was saying. Thats right. People couldnt appreciate it. You know, we could go down the list of people who dont look good in some of the questions that they asked her very, very inappro cypriot and very and difficult territory that she had to cover. Well, so senator biden decided that he needed to have a woman on the committee, that it just was such a bad look and he turned to senator feinstein, who at the time was actually a relatively junior senator for at first she said no, because she was not a lawyer at. And its not its usually a lawyer. Senator grassley is not a lawyer. But normally lawyers, when you hear judiciary, you assume one one practices law, right . And normally thats true. But she stepped up, she stepped up and she served there ever since. And so that changed that look. And she was more sensitive. And so that where it came out, for example, is when Justice Kavanaugh was nominated. And it was senator feinstein who was instrumental in having professor blasey ford come forward with her testimony, who reached out to senator feinstein because of her stature and what shes done over the years in senate. Exactly right. Exactly right. And so professor ford was treated differently. She may not have been treated all that well, but she certainly was treated far better because of Dianne Feinstein and because of senator feinsteins intervention. So she certainly made a difference there. She was there for Ten Supreme Court nominations. So she has had an indelible figure on our on the judiciary for years to come. And the i guess the entire Supreme Court now are people who she passed on. Yeah, she would have been she would have been there sitting, questioning them the nomination committee. All right. Were in the midst now of a change thats going to be happening. Thats going to be picking up the discussion over this is going to be picking up over the next few days. Governor newsom, hes going to be under pressure now to name a replacement to this seat. What can you tell us about that, that whole process . Right. Well it is totally Governor Newsoms choice under normal circumstance agencies, this would be something that would be presumably relative easy. Governor newsom would think about people who are qualified for the position, and he would pick somebody. Well, he has boxed himself in. These are not normal times. No, this are not we dont do normal times anymore. No, no, we do not. So, Governor Newsom had already said that he wanted to appoint an African American woman to this place because kamala harris, when she stepped up to become a become Vice President , but he didnt replace her with an African American woman. He replaced her with senator padilla. So he made a promise. Newsom made a promise. Now we because senator feinstein said she wasnt running. Weve had three prominent members of the house of representatives, including congresswoman barbara lee, who are standing for election. And newsom has also said he doesnt want to pick one of the candidates. Right. So otherwise, barbara lee would be the natural person to pick. But if not her, then who . Right, right. So is there is there a method . Do you have to pick from a Certain Group or a certain position in politics for that job . Or could you pick anybody . I assume you could pick any any United States citizen who is maybe i guess theyd have to be a resident of fresno, california, and 30 years old. And so, you know what . You and i could we could we could be candidates. Fill the hole. Fill the hole. Right. Right. But but if Governor Newsom wants to pick an africanamerican woman who is willing to be the interim senator until november 2024, thats a vanishingly short list. Right. So he will have to think that through of what to do. Secretary of state shirley weber, mayor karen bass in los angeles, or shes new. Shes new to the job. Shes new to the job. She previously said she wasnt interested, but i was thinking of mayor breed london breed that is a we were watching her press conference and he said, you know what fits in certain ways certainly fit some of that. You know, maybe well put the breed. But but Governor Newsom can do whatever he wants. He could appoint his wife. He could appoint sal. I know that theyre friends and who knows . Who knows . All right. So well see what happens in the in a few days. We sure will. As we learn more about perhaps services for senator feinstein. Thats right. David levine, thank you so much. Thank you. My pleasure. All right. All right. Were looking live now. Hopefully we can show you that live picture or perhaps not travel. There is nothing like it dancing is my passion. But with my moderatetosevere eczema, it hasnt always been easy. I was constantly itching. Whatever i was doing now, im staying ahead of my eczema theres a power inside all of us to live our passion. And dupixent works on the inside, to help heal your skin from within. It helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. So, adults can have long lasting, clearer skin and fast itch relief serious allergic reactions can occur, that can be severe. 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She the myth that women cant play in the big leagues is perhaps pierced once and for all. Long before she became a United States senator in 1992, Dianne Feinstein was a political pioneer in her home state of california. In 1969, feinstein was elected to San Franciscos board of supervisors. A year later, she began her first term as the boards first female president. But it wasnt triumph that catapulted her into the spotlight. It was tragedy. Both mayor mosconi and supervisor harvey milk have been shot and killed. In 1978, San Francisco mayor George Moscone and supervisor harvey milk were murdered by a former colleague and friend of feinstein. It was their deaths, she said, that would ultimately shape her political philosophy. Feinstein became the first female mayor of San Francisco, serving two terms in. Eventually, it led her to washington, d. C, where she would become the longest tenured woman in the us senate. Born dianne emil jewish roots, feinstein was the eldest of three girls born to leon and Betty Goldman in San Franciscos upscale Presidio Terrace district. However, feinsteins childhood was far from idyllic. She described enduring physical and Emotional Abuse at the hands of her mother, who suffered from mental illness. But it was her close relationship with her father that feinstein credited for her success. Leon goldman was a conservative republican, but it was feinsteins paternal uncle, a democrat who introduced her to politics at an early age. Observing these two ideologies, feinstein learned how to take a moderate approach to political issues. I am honored to be elected to a full six year term. During her three decades in the us senate, feinstein was a woman of firsts. She became the first woman to chair the Senate Select committee on intelligence in 2002, feinstein voted in favor of the iraq war, a decision she would later come to regret. It is clear today we must change course. In 2014, feinstein defied president barack obama by publicly releasing what became known as the torture report. She helmed a six year review of the cias detention and interrogation program. It culminated in the dclass ified report and the passage of legislation ensuring that post nine over 11 interrogation methods are never used again. History will judge us by our commitment to a just society governed by law and the willingness to face an ugly truth. In 2017, feinstein became the top democrat on the Senate Judiciary committee, the first woman to assume that role. Shed been through Ten Supreme Court appointments, some historical others controversial is brett kavanaugh, who we want on the most Prestige Court in our country is he the best we can do . Its about the integrity of that Institute Mission and the integrity of this institution. Two years later, feinstein would face what she called her hardest vote in 26 years. The first impeachment of president donald trump. Theres a great weight to do the best thing for the United States of america. And thats not always easy to know. Shed said her proudest achievement was the enactment of the federal assault weapons ban in 1994. The fact is that the assault weapons ban worked. Weve seen and we continue to see the cost of inaction despite many on capitol hill questioning her mental fitness. Feinstein kept on fighting, refusing to step down early. She planned to serve out her term, which ended in 2024. All right. We continue following this mornings breaking news. As political colleagues remember us senator Dianne Feinstein after she died at age 90 . Ktvu is allie rasmus is live in San Francisco where senator feinstein lived and started her political career. Allie yes, weve been in San Franciscos north beach neighborhood all morning long talking not just to people who live and work here, but also hearing from to a current mayor of San Francisco and a former mayor of San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein. As weve heard this morning, started her early political career here in San Francisco, being elected to the board of supervisors here in 1969 when she was just 35 years old. Then about a decade afterwards, she was thrust into the mayors position, often unexpectedly when former mayor George Moscone and supervisor harvey milk were both assassinated at the time, feinstein was president of the board of supervisors and under San Francisco city charter. Whoever is president of the board of supervisors automatically becomes the mayor until an election can happen. And that is what happened with her. And she became mayor of San Francisco in 1979. She was reelected in her own right and served two terms. So she governed the city for a more than a decade as mayor here. And when we london breed this morning who spoke publicly about this a short time ago, she talked about how she and feinstein had these unexpected but similar paths into the role of mayor. As you recall, mayor london breed became mayor in San Francisco a few years back when she was president of the board of supervisors. And the mayor at that time, ed lee, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. So, again, she talked about the mentorship that Dianne Feinstein provided. She said in comments just within the last hour, quote, one of the first calls i got was from Dianne Feinstein. This is mayor london breed talking about this conversation she had with feinstein after she found out she was going to become mayor of San Francisco. Breed says, quote, she provided that support and mentorship to make sure i was prepared to step up at a difficult time in our city. Now we also heard from former San Francisco mayor willie brown, who was mayor of San Francisco, also for two terms in the 90s and into the early 2000s. And he talked about how Dianne Feinstein would frequent call him and give him some constructive criticism about how things were going in San Francisco. He said she never really left San Francisco, even after becoming a senator of california in washington, d. C. Again, as weve been reporting this morning, feinstein was in washington, d. C. When she passed away over night in her home there. And we are learning, weve learned this morning from former mayor willie brown that feinstein did cast a vote in the senate yesterday. She worked up until the very end and he said he got a phone call from his daughter, willie brown. Did whose daughter works with senator cory bookers office. His daughter was very moved and upset knowing that she had just seen feinstein on the senate floor the day before casting that vote, before she passed away overnight in washington, d. C. Now mayor london breed also talked about how anyone who wants to come and mourn the passing of Dianne Feinstein, they are going to have a condolence book on the fourth floor of San Francisco city hall. People can go there and sign their notes and remembrances, their memories, their notes of support and condolence to her family. And that will be at San Francisco city hall. Mayor london breed also talked about how the flags will be at half staff at San Francisco city hall in honor of the late senator live in San Francisco, ali rasmus, ktvu fox two news. Ali, thank you. We also spoke this morning with former bay area congresswoman Jackie Speier who worked on capitol hill with senator feinstein for years. She told us she wasnt surprised that senator feinstein returned to the senate after her two month illness. She did come back probably against her doctors wishes, but she was going to finish as she started. She wanted to complete her term. Now, she wasnt able to do that, but she did go back. She did assist in making sure there were more judicial nominations by President Biden, that were successfully pursued. So i think that she did it her way and i when i think of her, i think of her her steely presence. I mean, she was her own person. And no one was going to push her around. Speier also says she believes the calls for senator feinstein to resign after her illness were unfair and sexist because other male senators had been absent for far longer with illnesses with no cause for them to step down. Lets talk more about senator feinstein by welcoming political analyst Saint Marys College executive Vice President provost corey cook to the nine. Thanks for being with us. You work with the young minds of today. And i think its probably fair to say you are seeing the effect of senator feinstein in the classroom every day. Absolutely. I mean, certainly when we talk about california politics and we talk about San Francisco politics, its unavoidable to talk about her legacy and her role, particularly during a pivotal time in San Francisco history. Right. So after the zebra murders and the massacre at jonestown and obviously the assassination of the mayor and harvey milk, she played a pivotal role in the city. So when we talk about sort of the politics of this of this community, you cant avoid talking about her legacy. But also in terms of inspiring a generation of people to go into Public Service and not long after she became mayor, because of tragedy, she also really advocated for San Francisco during the aids crisis at a time the federal government was not giving the people all the problem the attention it deserved. Yeah, she doesnt get enough credit for being a leading voice on gay rights that she was throughout her career and so you had earlier scott wiener, talk about her role in his political career. Were you again, just looking around the bay area, you cant you cant talk about peoples own trajectory without talking about the role that Dianne Feinstein played, including the governor, who i dont think would be governor if it were not for Dianne Feinstein. So the number of people whose lives she affected, shes known for having an extraordinary staff. Those are folks whove been committed to Public Service, whove opened doors for other people. And so i have a lot of a lot of students that i work with on a on a daily basis are excited to go into Public Service. They see it as a career that they want to be involved in, whether thats elected office or Public Service more broadly. But but you know her her legacy is about her ethics and her commitments and knowing who she is. And i think one of the things that when you when you talk about Public Service today, a lot of things that young people are turned off about, about sort of traditional politics is the vitriol and the negativity and the inauthenticity of so much of the politics. You would you would never use any of those words to talk about. Feinstein and so, again, shes a she is a lesson for our students. So many and probably all of your students were born after she was elected to senate in 1992, year of the woman. Right. Do you get students who come to you who already know a lot about her, or are you are sort of opening that book . Well, in some cases, youre opening the book. Ill be honest, though, i, i teach about bay area politics. And so students know about her because literally we start our class with the iconic video of her announcing the steps of city hall, steps of city hall. I mean, what people dont know is that she had decided to step away from public life before that. She had actually decided that she shed run for mayor twice, had not been successful, and sort of decided after going through a own tragedy in her own life, that she was sort of done with Public Service and then thrust, you know what, nine days after the jonestown massacre, standing on the steps of city hall, we actually start our class talking about that period in San Francisco history and how that sort of moment opened up the doors for so many people. And really made San Francisco what it is today. She also ran and lost for governor. Thats right. But then she came back. Do you talk in your class about , you know, failure because so often we only talk about success . Well, and again, her career is one of resilience, right . So, again, she ran for mayor twice and was defeated before she became mayor. She ran for governor in a in a really competitive and actually really transformative 1990 election against governor pete wilson. And that was a that was a critical election in understanding californias political trajectory. Right. Because california was a reliable red state through the 1990 election, it began to change in that period between 1990 and 1992. Californias politics began to shift. She was instrumental in that. So, yeah, absolutely. The resilience of, again, going through such, you know, so many devastating defeats that people announced their political career was over after losing in 1990 and yet elected again to an interim term in 1992, the full term again in a very competitive race in 1994. Again the polls back at the time wasnt clear she was going to pull off the victory in 1994. Thats thats 30 years ago. Its remarkable. Do you ever in your classes talk about what is happening today in washington . Im imagining you do. And if you do, did you ever focus on the calls for her to step down . People saying she is selfish for holding on. That was a lot of the talk in the past, you know, two, three plus years. Well obviously and i and i agree with i think a lot of that was was sexy. And i think a lot of that was, again, if you see other senators who are advancing age, who are going through health issues, also missing votes, missing votes, you know, calls for them to step down. So certainly that was the case. But it points to how how pivotal that one vote was as well. And so, again, part of the concern today of what happens now, again, i hope well take a moment and really reflect on her legacy before focusing too much on the election. Thats four months ahead and all of that. But part of the reason why the National Reporting is so focused on what will Governor Newsom do is because its a its a tied senate and so her vote was critical and it was obviously also the case that the republicans werent willing to give any ground on any sort of opportunity for somebody to fill her seat, particularly on the judiciary. And so as a result, it was it was anything but sexist for her to say in the senate, im sorry, anything but selfish for her to stay in the senate. Corey cook, thank you for joining. We could talk about this for a long time. Youre right. I hope we get to see each other again under better circumstances. Thank you so much for joining us. It well as californias other us senator, alex padilla gotkeup when he paid tribute to his late colleague on the senate floor this morning. It is with profound found sadness. That we bid farewell to my dear friend colleague and outright champion for the state of california for sen. Senator Dianne Feinstein. She understood the importance of working together to find Common Ground and to get things done for california, for the country , and most importantly, for the american people. Her ability to bridge divides and find that consensus, especially on the thorniest of issues, was a testament to her. Her dedication to the principles of our democracy. She a vase of white rose was placed on Feinsteins Senate seat to honor her. Were taking a quick break. Well be right back with our coverage. Son who passed away last night at the age of 90 at her washington, d. C. Home. We learned after casting a ballot last night in the senate. And we also understand that her senate desk was draped in black and topped with that vase of white rose in honor of her memory. Welcome back. Thank you for joining us again. More insight now is david levine, who is a professor at uc college of law in San Francisco, about the passing of feinstein. What this all means. David, i always found it interesting politics in San Francisco. Its whether you progressed and even more progressive, right . Dianne feinstein was a centrist heading in when she started serving Public Service here in San Francisco. How was she able to pull that off in a city where even now the fight is being even more progressive than the other person . Right. Well, she always was seen as a little right of center for San Francisco. Right for anywhere else. She would be far left. But in San Francisco, she was a little right of center. She was probably seen as a little too propolice. You know, she used to like to listen to the police radio and id go and appear at things rouz and she would ride with the police. So she was just considered just a little, little bit right of center as far as that goes. She was a little probably a step behind on same sex marriage issues. She vetoed legislation that would have given same sex Partners Health benefits in San Francisco. So before the great change took place. So in certain ways, she was just a little a little an inch to the right. Right. In San Francisco politics, again, if we went anywhere else right. She thats not where you would place her. But would you consider her time, her ten years as mayor of success when she was here in San Francisco . Oh, sure. Oh, sure. Because people speak of some of the many of the things she did separate from maybe the police or perhaps gay marriage. Right . Oh, no. She was she was actually voted once most effective mayor in the United States, which is unusual in this area where you are a centrist. So thats what i find interesting about the way she governed her philosophy for governing here in San Francisco. I think whether she was effective. Right. Well, i think it was the ability to get together with people all that the that i think there are stories out there of how she got people together, got them in the same room, got them to agree. And i think that she was able to reach across within San Franciscos politics and then certainly within federal politics in the senate. She did that time and time again. Sometimes people criticized her that she was a little too friendly across the aisle, but that was part of her effectiveness that is coming from where she was, which was she was a moderate democrat. But being able to reach out to her left and to her right to get things done. Well, david, with her passing, are we seeing this is, what, 20, 30 years ago . You might remember in politics, you know, someone in the middle, no matter what party theyre in and theyre able to reach a compromise e way. But its like shes a dying breed. So to speak, because you dont really see that anymore. Its either youre one extreme to the other or, you know, and seeing how she was a centrist was able to accomplish things for both sides, bringing both parties together. There are too few of them these days. Yeah, i think about the fact that mitt romney has thrown in the towel. Hes hes done. You cant take it anymore. Right . Exactly. Exactly but exactly. But something in the same realm, obviously, from the right of center, but in that same realm of being willing to work across the aisle, we need those people. Now, there are Different Reasons politically, we gerrymandering, for one, the effect of cable news. It makes it harder for people to hold a centrist position and to work across the aisle. And were going to see whether thats going to succeed or not in the coming days when were facing this Government Shutdown. Yeah, Government Shutdown this weekend, 1201 on saturday. Lets talk about next steps here, because obviously you need every vote you can right now in such a slim margin in congress. So is the timeline now for Governor Newsom to appoint a replacement at that much more urgent . Do they need that person to be in that seat to vote right away . From the point of view of senator schumer, the majority leader . Absolutely positively. He doesnt have a lot of votes to spare. He needs a new senator from california to maintain that majority because hes got waverers. Senator sinema from arizona, senator manchin from west virginia, notoriously wavering. Yeah, right. Those are not votes in the bank. You cant guarantee those. Absolutely not. Youre going to increase their ability to leverage a threat of voting the other way when you dont have somebody in senator feinsteins seat. So schumer needs those people right away. President biden needs that person because he would like to get the Judiciary Committee filled to full strength so that he can continue to roll out lower court judges, which hes been doing quite successfully because of the balance of power in the judiciary. And senator schumers leadership. So they need that as well. And california needs it because once we get past the shutdown, the next issue is the fiscal year for the federal government starts october one. Thats why were at the threat of the shutdown. And they have not yet passed the appropriations bills. And that needs to happen. But in particular, what happens is the allocations of money happen in those bills. And so whether you need that, you need someone in that seat to get hundreds of millions of dollars or not, are we going to get our fair share as the largest state in the union if we only have one senator there rather than two . So its vitally important from all of those perspectives that Governor Newsom make a selection very quickly. And right now, i can tell you that the last time this happened, newsom it took him five weeks to appoint senator alex padilla to Kamala Harriss seat when she became Vice President , who became President Bidens running mate. Right. There wasnt quite the same urgency. I think right now thats the. Yes, right. So i assume it will happen relatively quickly. You know, when exactly. I dont know. But i assume in quicker than five weeks, because in five weeks for sure. David levine, you know, people always ask me, kevin, what does being the ceo of cashbacking mean to you . It means cashbacking every opportunity. Did you cashback on this . Like i wouldnt cashback . Cashbacking by the basket, i see you. Ugh. I dreamt you didnt cashback this flight. Oh good. If youre buying it, flying it, or wining n dining it, then you gotta be cashbacking it. Come on now. Cashback on everything you buy with chase freedom unlimited with no annual fee. How do you cashback . Chase. Make more of whats yours. Caleb williams is transferring. To wendys for the new loaded nacho cheeseburger. Hold up those crunchy boys and say queso queso [camera flash] thats a nice shot, man. You wanna get in the next one . Of course nope. Starters only. Starters only. Choose wisely. Choose wendys new loaded nacho cheeseburger. Einstein who passed away this morning. She was a historic figure, a trailblazer for women and a great friend. Diane made her mark on everything from National Security to the environment to gun safety to protecting civil liberties. The country is going to miss her dearly. It is that word trailblazer. We are hearing so often from people who watched her political rise who were part of her ascent, and also people who were touched by her influence. Weve heard from so many. You know, i remember hearing scott wiener early, early in our coverage and he said, you know, he was talking with her and he was kind of showing her, oh, this is my pitch for the senate. She goes, okay, you need to strike this, strike this. So interesting. And i thought, thats exactly so its those details were learning today, the inspiration that shes given to so many people around, so many people serving in politics right now. You cannot really refute the things that she has done over her 50 years serving the public. It is truly, truly an impressive career that shes given to the public. Thank you so much for joining us. We will have more coverage at noon on