Trailblazing California Senator Dianne Feinstein Dies at 90

Mina Kim

Sep 29, 2023 at

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Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., listens to Peiter Mudge Zatko, former head of security at Twitter, testify during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled Data Security at Risk: Testimony from a Twitter Whistleblower, in Hart Building Tuesday, September 13, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Senator Dianne Feinstein died Thursday night. Her death was confirmed by family members Friday morning.

The Senate’s oldest serving member, and California’s first female senator, Feinstein had announced that she would retire at the end of her term. Her long and storied political career began in San Francisco. She came to national prominence in the midst of tragedy: as the president of the Board of Supervisors, it was Feinstein who announced to the world that Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been assassinated. Feinstein served as mayor of San Francisco for 9 years.

Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992. During her tenure she championed the 1994 assault weapons ban and in 2014, as chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a damning report on the use of torture by the CIA post 9/11.

We’ll talk about Feinstein and her legacy.

Guests:

Jim Lazarus, longtime aide to Senator Feinstein

Jackie Speier, former Democratic Congresswoman who represented California's 14th Congressional District (parts of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County) and served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Oversight committee

Jerry Roberts, author of "Dianne Feinstein: Never Let Them See You Cry" and former managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle

Barbara Boxer, former Democratic Congresswoman who represented California's 6th Congressional District and also served as California Senator

Willie Brown, former San Francisco Mayor

Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk and co-host of Political Breakdown

Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED and co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown show

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