Feinstein was the first woman member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the first woman to chair the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. Feinstein was introduced to politics by an uncle who began husband, Feinstein told writer Jerome Brondfield: "I Feinstein took charge of the effort, and helped win federal funding for the bulk of the rebuilding job. extended medical and welfare benefits to partners in same-sex couples American politician, mayor, and senator. In 2012, she set the record for the most popular votes in any U.S. Senate election in history, with 7.75 million, making her the first Senate candidate to get 7 million votes in an election. Feinstein is the first woman to have chaired the Senate Rules Committee (200709) and the only woman to have chaired the Select Committee on Intelligence (200915). [131] She and Democratic National Committee chairman Charles Manatt signed a contract in 1983, making San Francisco the host of the 1984 Democratic National Convention. She immediately changed her He was 86. In 2012, Feinstein claimed the record for the most popular votes in any U.S. Senate election in history, having received 7.75 million votes. Feinstein's paternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Poland, while her maternal grandparents, who were of the Russian Orthodox faith, were from Saint Petersburg, Russia. [70][71], In February 2019, when youth associated with the Sunrise Movement confronted Feinstein about why she does not support the Green New Deal, she told them "theres no way to pay for it" and that it could not pass a Republican-controlled Senate. In 1992, when she " ", ( ). [105], Feinstein has opposed a number of reforms to cannabis laws at the state and federal level. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times. [101], Feinstein introduced the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which became law in 1994 and expired in 2004. Experts say it's time for a change", "Dianne Feinstein Jewish Women's Archive", "Past Recipients of the Nathan Davis Awards", "Richard Blum dies: S.F. Harkin (1939) said, "Just by being on the Senate floor, [85], Feinstein co-sponsored PIPA on May 12, 2011. [148] Her net worth increased to between $43 and $99 million by 2005. [3] The record was previously held by her California colleague Barbara Boxer, who received 6.96 million votes in her 2004 re-election. 1957), has been the presiding judge of the San Francisco Superior Court for twelve years, through 2012.[9][10]. . She attended a Roman She served on the board until 1966.[25]. senators from California. In the 1960s she worked in city government, and in 1970 she was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Combining marriage and family with a career, Feinstein was employed by a Born in San Francisco, Feinstein graduated from Stanford University. Also in 1984, Feinstein proposed banning handguns in San Francisco, and became subject to a recall attempt organized by the White Panther Party. [107] Feinstein cited her belief that cannabis is a gateway drug in voting against the amendment. In 1956, she married Jack Berman (died 2002), a colleague in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. Because of her position, Feinstein became a target of the New World Liberation Front, who placed a bomb on her window sill which failed to explode and who later shot out the windows of a beach house which she owned.[16]. In 1956 Feinstein married Jack Berman, a man who would eventually become [111], On June 7, 2017, Feinstein and Senator Bernie Sanders issued dual statements urging the Senate to forgo a vote for sanctions on Iran in response to the Tehran attacks that occurred earlier in the day. She won the Democratic Party's nomination, but lost the general election to Republican Senator Pete Wilson, who resigned from the Senate to assume the governorship. Their daughter, Katherine Feinstein Mariano (b. [88] Foreign Policy wrote that she had a "reputation as a staunch defender of NSA practices and [of] the White House's refusal to stand by collection activities targeting foreign leaders". Dianne Feinstein , the 89-year-old senator from California who has served in the chamber for three decades, said she will not seek re-election in 2024. never been more than two serving at any given time. Approval ratings[edit] Source Date Approve Disapprove Undecided Survey USA January 17, 2011 43% 48% 10% Public Policy Polling at the Wayback Machine (archived May 15, 2011) February 2, 2011 50% 39% 11% The Field Poll February 2, 2011 48% 33% 19% The Field Poll June 21, 2011 46% 31% 23% The Field Poll September 16, 2011 41% 39% 20% Public Policy Polling November 16, 2011 51% 38% 11% Committees[edit] Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Defense Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development (Chair) Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Refugees Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law Committee on Rules and Administration Select Committee on Intelligence (Chair) Political positions and votes[edit] Main article: Political positions of Dianne Feinstein, Anti-war activist Todd Chretien protests outside of Senator Feinstein's office in San Francisco Feinstein voted for the extension of the PATRIOT ACT and the FISA provisions. Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein, born Dianne Emiel Goldman[2] (/fanstan/; born June 22, 1933) is the senior United States Senator from California. Feinstein was seen as a relatively moderate Democrat in one of the country's most liberal cities. Turned down Protecting Marriage Equality, 2022: Senator Feinstein authored the Senate version of the Respect for Marriage Act (Public Law 117-228), a bill to repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, enshrine marriage equality in federal law and provide additional legal protections for marriage equality. Although she ran a tough campaign [145][146] In 1962, shortly after beginning her career in politics, Feinstein married her second husband, neurosurgeon Bertram Feinstein, who died of colon cancer in 1978. New York: Scribner's Sons, 1992. from San Francisco's Sacred Heart High School, she attended two became the first women senators ever elected in California. also active in student government. In the primary, she had defeated California State Controller Gray Davis. . . While they were of German-Jewish ancestry, they practiced the Russian Orthodox (Christian) faith, as was required for Jews in Saint Petersburg. she was guest of honor, she applied the Heimlich maneuver to save a during her youth, which resulted in her deep respect for different She won the recall election and finished her second term as mayor on January 8, 1988. The family explained at the time that they needed more space for their five grandchildren; the mansion is 9,500-square-feet. Richard Blum, husband of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a longtime University of California regent and a stalwart of Democratic politics in California, died Sunday of cancer Feinstein revealed sensitive details about the hunt for serial killer Richard Ramirez at a 1985 press conference, antagonizing detectives by publicizing details of his crimes known only to law enforcement, and thus jeopardizing their investigation.[38]. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in 1955. [52][53], Feinstein achieved a score of 100% from the League of Conservation Voters in 2017. [1]. Gonzales initially ran to be appointed by the Board of Supervisors as mayor, but dropped out. , . On November 27, 1978, San Francisco mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by a rival politician, Dan White, who had resigned from the Board of Supervisors only two weeks prior. WebIncludes interviews with Dianne Feinstein and her late second husband neurosurgeon Bertram Feinstein. [86] She met with representatives of technology companies, including Google and Facebook, in January 2012. Family. As mayor, Feinstein angered the city's large gay community by vetoing domestic partner legislation in 1982. She served as the board's first female president in 1978, during which time the assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk by Dan White drew national attention. She cited her legislative agenda as well as family matters following her husband's death as reasons for declining the role, which went to Patty Murray instead. [3], Feinstein was the author of the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban which expired in 2004. Women's Board of Paroles. She has introduced bills to make the cloning (scientific "[104] The bill failed on a Senate vote of 60 to 40. Barbara Boxer was elected at the same time to the Senate seat being vacated by Alan Cranston. , . New York: Morrow, 2000. In October 2017, Feinstein declared her intention to run for reelection in 2018. recall movement gathered many signatures, Mayor Feinstein survived the She won the recall election and finished her second term as mayor on January 8, 1988. , , . Dianne Feinstein is best known as Politician who has born on June 22, 1933 in San Francisco, CA. member of San Francisco's Mayor's Commission on Crime. According to the Los Angeles Times, Feinstein emphasized her centrism when she first ran for statewide offices in the 1990s, at a time when California was more conservative. She introduced a new assault weapons bill in 2013 that failed to pass. She also supported 1933, to a Jewish physician father, Leon Goldman, and a Catholic an elected official from office). fellow Democrat Barbara During her tenure, she led the renovation of the city's cable car system and oversaw the 1984 Democratic National Convention. The special election was held at the same time as the general election for U.S. president and other offices. Also in 1984, Feinstein proposed banning handguns in San Francisco, and became subject to a recall attempt organized by the White Panther Party. While delivering the commencement address at Stanford Stadium on June 13, 1994, Feinstein said: It is time for a rational plan for defense conversion instead of the random closing of bases and the piecemeal cancellation of defense contracts. President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors[edit] In 1969, Feinstein was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. "[119], Feinstein has criticized Beijing's missile tests near Taiwan and has called for dismantlement of missiles pointed at the island. The year 1978 was a tragic one for Feinstein. [34], One of Feinstein's first challenges as mayor was the state of the San Francisco cable car system, which was shut down for emergency repairs in 1979; an engineering study concluded that it needed comprehensive rebuilding at a cost of $60 million. [87], Following her 2012 vote to extend the Patriot Act and the FISA provisions,[59] and after the 2013 mass surveillance disclosures involving the National Security Agency (NSA), Feinstein promoted and supported measures to continue the information collection programs. . , ", , [2]. January 1993 only fifteen women had ever served in the Senate. Dianne Feinstein is a left-leaning politician who has dedicated her life to serving the people of California, first on the local level and later on the national one. The Born: June 22, 1933 [143] She was named as one of The Forward 50 in 2015. when she was sixteen. that have become important to her during her decades-long career in -1984 , , . Because of her position, Feinstein became a target of the New World Liberation Front, an anti-capitalist terrorist group that carried out bombings in California in the 1970s. But she's fine with NSA bulk data collection", "Leak of Senate encryption bill prompts swift backlash", "Senate bill effectively bans strong encryption", "Burr And Feinstein Release Their Anti-Encryption Bill And It's More Ridiculous Than Expected", "A sneaky attempt to end encryption is worming its way through Congress", "Sen. Feinstein rolls out gun ban measure", "Senator Unveils Bill to Limit Semiautomatic Arms", "Lawmakers Unveil New Assault Weapons Ban", "Senate votes down Feinstein's assault weapons ban", "Feinstein drops opposition to legal pot, giving legal marijuana a new ally", "Feinstein very slow to ease opposition to medical marijuana", "Sen. Dianne Feinstein Signs Onto Marijuana Bill After Decades Of Drug War Advocacy", "Sen. Dianne Feinstein suggests DACA is on shaky legal ground", "Feinstein questions DHS secretary on Trump's 'racially motivated' immigration policies", "Iran nuclear deal: agreement reached in Vienna as it happened", "Sanders, Feinstein call for delay in Iran sanctions vote after Tehran attack", "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 115th Congress 1st Session", "Who's Speaking Out Against Trump's Jerusalem Move", "Feinstein calls North Korea a "clear and present danger" to the United States", "Dems: Trump remarks on North Korea unhelpful", "Feinstein: Trump threats to North Korea at UN a 'severe disappointment', "Feinstein Plays Unbilled Role in Taiwan Dispute", "Feinstein rips Taiwan while urging Chinas to cooperate / Senator uses Committee of 100 meeting to promote more business between foes", "How Silicon Valley Became a Den of Spies", "Details Surface About Chinese Spy Who Worked For Sen. Feinstein", "Feinstein had a Chinese spy connection she didn't know about her driver", "Here's What Dianne Feinstein Said About the Torture Report", "Senate Judiciary Committee interview of Glenn Simpson", "Democratic Senator Releases Transcript of Interview With Dossier Firm", "Grassley Won't Release Fusion GPS Transcript From Russia Probe", "Carter wins on delegate loyalty but convention brawl expected", "Obama-Clinton meeting held at Dianne Feinstein's home", "Feinstein Breaks Ankle, Cancels Convention Trip", "Obama warns of tough times, promises 'new era of responsibility', "U.S. Presidential Inaugurations: Barack Obama", "Run, Hillary, run, say Senate's Dem women", "Dianne Feinstein's 2020 pick: Joe Biden", "Feinstein says she supports Joe Biden for 2020, and notes that Sen. Kamala Harris is 'brand-new here', "A 90-something in line of presidential succession? The League of Conservation Voters in 2017, including Google and Facebook, in January 2012 U.S. president and offices! 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