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A tragedy ushered Feinstein into the mayor’s office in 1978. As president of the Board of Supervisors, she announced the news that Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been shot and killed. Feinstein, along with Barbara Boxer, would later go on to make history, as California’s first women elected to the Senate in 1992, in what was known as the Year of the Woman, following the controversial Senate confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.
Despite her groundbreaking achievements over more than five decades in public office, Feinstein was sometimes criticized as being too conservative, or for staying in office too long.
None of that matters to Paula Farmer, who came to pay her respects.
“It’s just been an amazing run. And no matter the conflict that people have had with her last years, I think that the work that she did outweighed all of that,” Farmer said.
Among the first to pay tribute to Feinstein was U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who appeared visibly shaken by the loss of her friend.
“She was a person of greatness. She was a stateswoman. She was a national figure. But she was as personal as the poorest person in our city. She always cared,” Pelosi said after signing a book of condolences.
“As mayor of the city, she came in under the most gruesome circumstances, and yet she gave comfort and strength to the city at that difficult time,” Pelosi added. “She and I were not on the same place on the political spectrum. So we had our fun with it all. My family loved her. We were neighbors, we were friends.”
Pelosi will be among those eulogizing Feinstein at a memorial that will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Other speakers will include Vice President Kamala Harris, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and recorded remarks from President Joe Biden.
The memorial, which was originally planned to be open to the public, will now be open only to invited guests “due to increased security,” representatives from Feinstein’s office said in a statement Wednesday evening. The service will be livestreamed here.
This story has been updated.
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