Senator Dianne Feinstein Passes Away

Washington, DC — California’s US Senator Dianne Feinstein, who spent three decades in office, has died.

She was 90 years old. She was both the longest-serving woman in the Senate and the longest-serving Senator from California. Feinstein had been having health challenges in recent months and planned to retire at the end of her term in 2024.

Before being elected to the US Senate in 1992, she was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and later served as San Francisco Mayor. The Senate election of 1992 became known as the “Year of the Woman,” as Feinstein was joined by others like Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray, and Carol Moselely-Braun.

Feinstein was influential on issues like national security, forestry, and gun control.

Governor Gavin Newsom has put out a statement, “She was a political giant, whose tenacity was matched by her grace. She broke down barriers and glass ceilings, but never lost her belief in the spirit of political cooperation. And she was a fighter — for the city, the state and the country she loved.”

Governor Newsom will now have the responsibility to appoint her successor.