Advocate, artist, grandmother: National leaders and family gather to honor Feinstein’s legacy

BRIAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. LET’S GIVE YOU A LIVE LOOK RIGHT NOW. THE PROCESSION THAT HAS THE CASKET OF THE LATE SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN HAS ARRIVED AT SAN FRANCISCO’S CITY HALL. OUR VERY OWN MELANIE WINGO IS LIVE THERE AT THE SCENE. MELANIE, WHAT ELSE ARE YOU SEEING. FEINSTEIN ARRIVED HERE AT CITY HALL SECONDS AGO, SECONDS BEFORE YOU CAME TO ME LIVE. AND I’VE STEPPED AWAY SOMEWHAT FROM THE VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE STEPS OF CITY HALL. I DO WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL OF ALL WHO ARE GATHERED HERE, MEMBERS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT CITY LEADERS, CIVIC LEADERS, ALL COMING TO PAY RESPECTS TO SENATOR FEINSTEIN. IT’S BEEN QUITE A AN INTERESTING SORT OF SHOW HERE IN THE PAST FEW MINUTES AS WE WATCHED WHILE SEVERAL MOTOR CYCLE SAN FRANCISCO POLICE OFFICERS DID A COUPLE OF LAPS AROUND CITY HALL AND THE BLOCKS SURROUNDING CITY HALL CLEARING THE WAY ALMOST IN A PROCESSION TYPE SHOW. AND THEN WE WATCHED AS THAT HEARSE PULLED UP AGAIN JUST MOMENTS AGO RIGHT HERE TO THE STEPS OF CITY HALL. AND WE DO EXPECT HER CASKET TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THIS HEARSE MOMENTARILY. AND THEN BROUGHT UP INTO CITY HALL WHERE THE SENATOR WILL LIE IN STATE HERE IN THE CAPITOL EXCUSE ME, THE CITY HALL ROTUNDA FOR NUMEROUS CITY LEADERS, DIGNITARIES. WE HAVE SEEN HERE GATHERED ON THE STEPS. AND AS YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF CITY HALL, WE’RE WATCHING, AS YOU ARE WATCHING ON YOUR SCREEN, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE OFFICERS. THESE ARE THE MOTORCYCLE OFFICERS WHO WERE RIDING ALONG. THEY ARE NOW ASSEMBLING IN FRONT OF CITY HALL. ALSO, JUST A BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE OUT HERE AS WELL TO LADDER TRUCKS FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HOISTED A GIANT AMERICAN FLAG EARLIER TODAY. DOWN THE STREET FROM WHERE WE’RE SET UP, I CAN SEE ALL OF THE MOTORCYCLES BELONGING TO THESE MOTORCYCLE OFFICERS PARKED AND THEY ARE CONDUCTING SOMEWHAT OF A PROCESSION HERE AND STAND IN FRONT OF CITY HALL AS WELL. ALL OF THIS IN THE LEAD UP TO SENATOR FEINSTEIN’S BODY LYING IN STATE HERE AT CITY HALL. THAT IS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY. THIS IS A SERVICE. THIS IS A CEREMONY TYPE THING THAT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. WE’RE NOT SEEING AN EXTRAORDINARY NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO APPEAR TO BE WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC, ALTHOUGH WE ARE SEEING SOME GATHERING NOW AS THE OPEN CITY HALL VIEWING OF THE CASKET WILL START TODAY AT 9:00. BUT THIS PROCESSION LASSEN INVOLVING THE SENATOR’S BODY BEING TAKEN UP INTO CITY HALL, JUST BEGINNING RIGHT NOW AS THAT PROCESSION CAME AROUND THE CORNER HERE AND STOPPED. AND AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE’RE WATCHING IT LIVE. THEY ARE ABOUT TO OPEN THE HEARSE HERE WITH THE SENATOR’S BODY. SO BRITTANY AND MIKE, IT IS QUITE A A CEREMONY FILLED WITH WITH, YOU KNOW, RESPECT AND. ADD THERE. THIS IS AN HONOR FITTING OF HER LEGACY. SHE, OF COURSE, MEANT A GREAT DEAL TO THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO, HAVING SERVED AS MAYOR AND GOING ON TO DO SUCH GREAT THINGS FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, FOR. YEAH, MELANIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT LIVE REPORT. OF COURSE, WE’RE GOING TO STICK WITH THIS SHOT RIGHT HERE AS THEY PREPARE TO BRING THE LATE SENATOR OUT OF THE HEARSE. AND AGAIN, THIS IS A PART OF A PUBLIC I KNOW MELANIE SAID THAT SHE DOESN’T SEE A LOT OF PUBLIC FOLKS THERE JUST YET. THIS IS VERY MUCH THE CEREMONIAL PROCESS OF IT ALL. THIS IS A FUNERAL SERVICE THAT IS GOING TO BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC THAT TIME IS WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR, AROUND 9:00 THIS MORNING. AND THERE YOU SEE THE CASKET OF THE LATE SENATOR FEINSTEIN BEING BROUGHT OUT OF THE HEARSE AT THIS MOMENT. THEN THEY WILL ALL BE ESCORTED HER TO THE ROTUNDA OF CITY HALL, WHERE SHE WILL BE LYING IN STATE FROM 9:00 THIS MORNING UNTIL 7:00 TONIGHT. IT’S SUCH AN IMPACT FUL MOMENT IN US HISTORY WATCHING THIS UNFOLD LIVE, WATCHING IT UNFOLD IN SAN FRANCISCO. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE AMERICAN FLAG IS DRAPED OVER HER CASKET. I KNOW THAT WE HAVE MELANIE WINGO AND OUR PHOTOJOURNALIST IS LIVE ON THE SCENE. BUT FROM THEIR MICROPHONE RIGHT NOW, ALL YOU CAN HEAR IS THE WHIRRING OF HELICOPTERS. IT’S A SILENCE, AS IT SHOULD BE, AS IT SHOULD BE. YEAH, ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEBODY. AGAIN, THIS SENATOR FEINSTEIN WAS THE LONGEST SERVING SENATOR IN US HISTORY. SHE WAS ALSO THE OLDEST. SHE DIED JUST LAST WEEK, 90 YEARS OLD. SHE HAD CAST HER VOTE THAT MORNING. AND THEN THE THAT EVENING SHE NEEDED MEDICAL CARE. AND REALLY, THIS UNFOLDED PRETTY QUICKLY. AND, OF COURSE, YOU SEE THAT AS THEY BRING HER UP THE STEPS LEADING INTO CITY HALL. YOU HAVE SERVICE MEMBERS ON EITHER SIDE SALUTING HER. AND AGAIN, THIS IS A HISTORIC MOMENT, SOME SALUTING HER, OTHERS CIVIL UNIONS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS HAVING THEIR HANDS OVER THEIR HEART. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HER CASKET GOING UP THE HALLS OF UP THE STEPS OF CITY HALL, IT’S SO IMPACTFUL. SHE WAS THE CITY’S FIRST FEMALE MAYOR. SHE WAS ON THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. SHE WAS ITS PRESIDENT. SHE LED THAT CITY THROUGH SO MANY TOUGH TIMES, THROUGH THE 70S AND 80S. YEAH. AND THEN BECAME SENATOR IN 1992. AND OF COURSE, THIS IS HER HER HOMETOWN. IT SOUNDS LIKE JUST THERE IN MELANIE’S MICROPHONE. YOU COULD HEAR THE HONOR GUARD BEGINNING. THAT’S WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE, SOME SORT OF SALUTE HAPPENING FOR HER AT THIS POINT. MELANIE, ARE YOU THERE? RIGHT NOW? WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO CONFIRM EXACTLY WHAT MIGHT BE TAKING PLACE AT THIS MOMENT? YEAH, I AM HERE RIGHT NOW AND JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHERE I’M LOCATED AND I’M JUST BEYOND THIS GATHERING HERE, HERE ON THE STEPS OF CITY HALL IN SAN FRANCISCO THAT YOU SEE, IT’S A BEAUTIFUL CEREMONY. IT’S IN THE LEAD UP TO THE SENATOR’S BODY BEING TAKEN INTO CITY HALL, WHERE SHE WILL LIE IN STATE THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY SO THAT THE PUBLIC CITY, DIGNITARIES, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THOSE WHO WANT TO PAY RESPECT, RESPECTS TO SENATOR FEINSTEIN, MAY GO THROUGH AND FILTER THROUGH CITY HALL ALL DAY LONG TODAY. IT’S QUITE A SHOWING HERE. IT’S REALLY AN IMPRESSIVE, SEEMINGLY WELL COORDINATED SITUATION. WE SAW THROUGHOUT THE MORNING THIS MORNING, HEAVY LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE, OF COURSE, MAKING SURE THIS AREA WAS CLEAR AND MAKING SURE THE STREETS SURROUNDING CITY HALL WERE EVEN CLEANED UP AND AND THEY WERE GUARDED BY OFFICERS AS WELL. THE CASKET FOR THE SENATOR FROM MY VANTAGE POINT, HAS MOVED UP. I AM JUST BEYOND LIKE I SAID, A LARGE CROWD. AND I’M TRYING TO REMAIN SOMEWHAT QUIET SO THAT THIS VERY SOMBER, VERY RESPECT SHOW CAN GO FORWARD. I’M GOING TO LET THE ANCHORS TAKE IT FROM HERE. YES. MELANIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. RIGHT NOW, WE DO HAVE A LIVE PICTURE UP OF LATE SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN’S CASKET. YOU CAN SEE MULTIPLE PEOPLE HOLDING THAT CASKET DRAPED WITH THE AMERICAN FLAG. IT IS NOW MAKING ITS WAY INSIDE THE SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL ROTUNDA. WE KNOW THAT’S WHERE SHE WILL LIE IN STATE FROM THIS MORNING. ALL THE WAY THROUGH 7:00 TONIGHT. AND THAT IS WHEN THE PUBLIC CAN COME TO PAY THEIR RESPECTS. AT THIS POINT, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE FIGURING OUT LOGISTICS WITHIN THIS HONORABLE AND SOLEMN AND SOBERING MOMENT BECAUSE SPINNING TO PLACE HER CASKET, THIS IS ANOTHER LIVE LOOK OUTSIDE, JUST REITERATING THE FACT OF HOW SIGNIFICANT THIS IS IN THIS MOMENT, WATCHING HER CASKET GO. AND WHEN YOU CAN SEE THERE NOW BEGINNING TO PLAY IT, TO PLACE IT INSIDE OF THAT ROTUNDA AND ADJUST IT INTO ITS SPOT, THE AREA IS WELL LIT. IT IS BEING HELD BEHIND, PULLS THERE SO THAT PEOPLE CAN’T GET TOO CLOSE, WHICH IS HOW IT SHOULD BE. BUT THE BEAUTY OF THIS HAPPENING IN CITY HALL CHAMBERS, IN THE PEOPLE’S BUILDING, IN A CITY THAT SHE SO HELPED FOR DECADES, WHICH THEN PAVED HER WAY TO MAKE IT TO THE STATE LEVEL AND THE NATIONAL LEVEL AND PAVING THE WAY FOR SO MANY WOMEN. THAT SALUTE MEANS EVERYTHING. I MEAN, WITHOUT A DOUBT, A POLITICAL GIANT NOT JUST WITHIN CALIFORNIA, BUT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT ACROSS THE NATIONAL LANDSCAPE WHEN THE SENATOR PASSED AWAY LAST WEEK, WE DID A NUMBER OF INTERVIEWS DURING OUR MORNING SHOW AND THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON KCRA 3. AND EVERYONE TO A T DOESN’T MATTER WHAT SIDE OF THE AISLE THEY THEY SAT ON, THEY ALL SAID THAT SHE WAS A GIANT IN THE SENSE OF NOT JUST BREAKING DOWN DOORS, BUT SHE WAS ABLE TO REACH ACROSS THE AISLE. SOMETIMES SHE WORE OFF THE FEATHERS OF FOLKS WITHIN HER OWN DEMOCRATIC PARTY. BUT SHE DEFINITELY HELD STEADFAST TO HER IDEALS, IDEALS AND HER GOAL. AND AGAIN, AS YOU SAY, THE SENATOR LYING RIGHT NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ROTUNDA. VERY INTERESTING AS WELL, BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, SHE WAS THE MAYOR FOR TEN YEARS. SHE IS NOW LYING IN STATE RIGHT BELOW HER OFFICE THAT SHE OCCUPIED AS MAYOR. SO, AGAIN, A VERY FITTING TRIBUTE TO THE LATE SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN, WHO PASSED AWAY LAST FRIDAY AT THE AGE OF 90. AND WE DO WANT TO REMIND FOLKS THAT YOU CAN GO VISIT HER PUBLICLY AS SHE IS LYING IN STATE. FOLKS CAN START MAKING THEIR WAY INSIDE AT 9:00 THIS MORNING. AND THAT’S GOING TO LAST UNTIL 7:00 AT NIGHT TONIGHT. AND THERE’S ALSO GOING TO BE A CONDOLENCE BOOK THAT FOLKS CAN SIGN. SO, AGAIN, THIS PORTION IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND JUST A BEAUTIFUL SHOWING THERE OF HER CASKET RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF CITY HALL ROTUNDA. AND WE ALSO HAVE TO REMIND YOU, THERE’S A MEMORIAL SERVICE SET FOR TOMORROW THAT’S ON THE STEPS OF SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL. THE PUBLIC ALSO INVITED TO ATTEND THAT. THAT BEGINS AT 1:00 PM. WE ALSO NOW KNOW WHO WILL BE SPEAKING AT THIS SERVICE, SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR, LONDON BREED VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER. REPRESENTATIVE NANCY PELOSI, AS WELL AS FEINSTEIN’S GRANDDAUGHTER. THERE WILL ALSO BE RECORDED REMARKS FROM PRESIDENT BIDEN. AND OF COURSE, WE WILL HAVE MUCH MORE THROUGHOUT TODAY. AND THIS MORNING IS SENATOR FEINSTEIN LAYS IN STATE AT SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL. YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ALL OF THE MEMORIAL EVENTS BY DOWNLOADING OUR KCRA THREE APP.

The late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein was toasted Thursday at a memorial service as a leader with uncommon integrity and a defender of American values — as well as a talented artist and a grandmother who gave crooked haircuts in her kitchen.President Joe Biden, who sent recorded remarks, was among the short list of speakers who praised Feinstein at the private memorial service outside San Francisco City Hall. Vice President Kamala Harris, herself a product of San Francisco politics, and other national leaders spoke in person to send off the first female mayor of San Francisco and longest-serving woman in the U.S. Senate.”She was always tough, prepared, rigorous, compassionate. She always served the people of California and our nation for the right reasons,” Biden said. “God bless a great American hero. She was something else, and she was a dear friend.”The service marked the end of two days of events in the city that launched Feinstein’s political career amid tragedy. Hundreds of everyday people streamed into City Hall on Wednesday to pay their respects to the woman who shattered numerous glass ceilings.On Thursday, it was time for national leaders and Feinstein’s family to share tributes to the woman they knew. They did so with personal and warm anecdotes that reflected Feinstein’s kindness, wit, and passion for the city in which she was born and raised, California and the country.Video below: Remembering Dianne Feinstein: A look back at her political career in CaliforniaEileen Mariano recalled how Feinstein, her grandmother, created the AMBER Alert program and protected California’s deserts. But she was also a woman who hated losing at chess, cut hair crookedly and sang Mariano to sleep with “You Are My Sunshine.”She taught Mariano to put in the work and to keep going no matter what.”That, and she would also say to me, if you ever go out of town, no matter where you’re going, it doesn’t matter if you’re going to a city or the desert or a beach or the mountains, always pack a black pantsuit. There is no occasion to which you can’t wear a black pantsuit,” Mariano said.About 1,500 people were invited to the private memorial, where two large outdoor screens showed photos of Feinstein over the years. Guests seated in white chairs sweltered on an unseasonably hot day as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight team soared overhead, occasionally interrupting speakers with the roar of their jets.The flight demonstration squadron is in the city as part of Fleet Week, an annual San Francisco celebration started by Feinstein in 1981 when she was mayor.California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, and former Gov. Jerry Brown were in the audience, though neither offered remarks. Feinstein was the officiant at Brown’s 2005 wedding to his wife, Anne Gust, a matchmaking effort referenced by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another San Franciscan, in her remarks.More than three dozen U.S. senators and representatives attended the service.Several speakers reflected on Feinstein’s dedication to the job.Harris said after she was sworn in as a U.S. senator, Feinstein congratulated her with a glass of California chardonnay and a binder full of her legislative initiatives.The vice president also recalled being a young prosecutor on Nov. 3, 1992, when she drove from Oakland into San Francisco to celebrate Feinstein and Barbara Boxer winning election to the U.S. Senate — making California the first state to send two women to the chamber. Harris then reflected on her journey back to San Francisco for Thursday’s memorial, this time on Air Force Two.”Dianne, the women of America have come a long way. Our country has come a long way. And you helped move the ball forward and our nation salutes you,” she said.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, meanwhile, recalled Feinstein fracturing her ankle on a walk in Lake Tahoe and, instead of going to the doctor, proceeding with a planned summit to talk about policy issues related to the prized natural resources straddling California and Nevada.Video below: Rep. Nancy Pelosi pays respects to late Sen. Dianne FeinsteinHe said one of his proudest moments was working with Feinstein to pass legislation banning the manufacturing and sale of certain types of semi-automatic guns. The legislation expired a decade later, in 2014. But he said he was also indebted to her as a father of two daughters.”Because of Dianne, my daughters grew up in a world that’s a little bit fairer, a little more just and more accepting of women in leadership,” he said.Feinstein, who died last week at her home in Washington, D.C., of natural causes, spent much of her career in the U.S. Senate but will be known as the forever mayor of San Francisco, a role she inherited in tragedy.She was president of the Board of Supervisors in November 1978 when a former supervisor assassinated Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly gay supervisor, at City Hall. Feinstein, who found Milk’s body, became acting mayor and won election twice to serve as mayor until 1988.

SAN FRANCISCO —

President Joe Biden, who sent recorded remarks, was among the short list of speakers who praised Feinstein at the private memorial service outside San Francisco City Hall. Vice President Kamala Harris, herself a product of San Francisco politics, and other national leaders spoke in person to send off the first female mayor of San Francisco and longest-serving woman in the U.S. Senate.

“She was always tough, prepared, rigorous, compassionate. She always served the people of California and our nation for the right reasons,” Biden said. “God bless a great American hero. She was something else, and she was a dear friend.”

The service marked the end of two days of events in the city that launched Feinstein’s political career amid tragedy. Hundreds of everyday people streamed into City Hall on Wednesday to pay their respects to the woman who shattered numerous glass ceilings.

On Thursday, it was time for national leaders and Feinstein’s family to share tributes to the woman they knew. They did so with personal and warm anecdotes that reflected Feinstein’s kindness, wit, and passion for the city in which she was born and raised, California and the country.

Video below: Remembering Dianne Feinstein: A look back at her political career in California

Eileen Mariano recalled how Feinstein, her grandmother, created the AMBER Alert program and protected California’s deserts. But she was also a woman who hated losing at chess, cut hair crookedly and sang Mariano to sleep with “You Are My Sunshine.”

She taught Mariano to put in the work and to keep going no matter what.

“That, and she would also say to me, if you ever go out of town, no matter where you’re going, it doesn’t matter if you’re going to a city or the desert or a beach or the mountains, always pack a black pantsuit. There is no occasion to which you can’t wear a black pantsuit,” Mariano said.

About 1,500 people were invited to the private memorial, where two large outdoor screens showed photos of Feinstein over the years. Guests seated in white chairs sweltered on an unseasonably hot day as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight team soared overhead, occasionally interrupting speakers with the roar of their jets.

The flight demonstration squadron is in the city as part of Fleet Week, an annual San Francisco celebration started by Feinstein in 1981 when she was mayor.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, and former Gov. Jerry Brown were in the audience, though neither offered remarks. Feinstein was the officiant at Brown’s 2005 wedding to his wife, Anne Gust, a matchmaking effort referenced by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another San Franciscan, in her remarks.

More than three dozen U.S. senators and representatives attended the service.

Several speakers reflected on Feinstein’s dedication to the job.

Harris said after she was sworn in as a U.S. senator, Feinstein congratulated her with a glass of California chardonnay and a binder full of her legislative initiatives.

The vice president also recalled being a young prosecutor on Nov. 3, 1992, when she drove from Oakland into San Francisco to celebrate Feinstein and Barbara Boxer winning election to the U.S. Senate — making California the first state to send two women to the chamber. Harris then reflected on her journey back to San Francisco for Thursday’s memorial, this time on Air Force Two.

“Dianne, the women of America have come a long way. Our country has come a long way. And you helped move the ball forward and our nation salutes you,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, meanwhile, recalled Feinstein fracturing her ankle on a walk in Lake Tahoe and, instead of going to the doctor, proceeding with a planned summit to talk about policy issues related to the prized natural resources straddling California and Nevada.

Video below: Rep. Nancy Pelosi pays respects to late Sen. Dianne Feinstein

He said one of his proudest moments was working with Feinstein to pass legislation banning the manufacturing and sale of certain types of semi-automatic guns. The legislation expired a decade later, in 2014. But he said he was also indebted to her as a father of two daughters.

“Because of Dianne, my daughters grew up in a world that’s a little bit fairer, a little more just and more accepting of women in leadership,” he said.

Feinstein, who died last week at her home in Washington, D.C., of natural causes, spent much of her career in the U.S. Senate but will be known as the forever mayor of San Francisco, a role she inherited in tragedy.

She was president of the Board of Supervisors in November 1978 when a former supervisor assassinated Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly gay supervisor, at City Hall. Feinstein, who found Milk’s body, became acting mayor and won election twice to serve as mayor until 1988.

This post was originally published on this site