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M O N D AY, O C T O B E R 02- O C T O B E R 08, 2023
V I S I T M O N R O V I AW E E K LY. C O M
Dianne Feinstein, US senator from California, dies at 90
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“She left a legacy that is undeniable and extraordinary. There is much to say about who she was and what she did, but for now, we are going to grieve the passing of our beloved boss, mentor and friend.” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, said Feinstein’s legacy is unmatched. “Today, the nation has truly lost a giant of the U.S. Senate, California has lost its trail-blazing leader, and I lost a real friend and mentor. Senator Dianne Feinstein was one of the finest legislators we have ever seen, and her accomplishments made our country and world a better place,” Schiff said in a statement. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement she was saddened by the passing of Feinstein and called her one of the nation’s great leaders. “Senator Feinstein was a trailblazer on whose shoulders I, and women in elected office all across America, will always stand. She worked harder than anyone I knew on Capitol Hill, and she will be remembered as one of the most effective and impactful Senators in American history,” Bass said. Bass said the flags flying at all city facilities will be See Feinstein Page 27
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U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. | Photo courtesy of Senate Democrats/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
all of us are better for it. Today Michelle and I are thinking of her daughter, Katherine, and everyone who knew and loved her.” Rep. Ted Lieu posted on social media that “California and the country lost a barrierbreaker and an icon.” “Through grit, grace and incredible intelligence, she succeeded in politics at a time when few women could. She paved the way for a historic number of women to have a seat at the table and a voice in Congress,” Lieu, D-Los Angeles, posted on social media. Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, posted on social media, “Senator Dianne Feinstein was an icon who represented California valiantly throughout her career.” “Her legacy of progressive leadership on LGBTQ+ rights forged a path for a more equal country. She was a hero to our community and I’m incredibly saddened by this loss for our nation,” Garcia, who is openly gay, posted on social media. Sauls called Feinstein a force of nature. “There are few women who can be called senator, chairman, mayor, wife, mom and grandmother. Senator Feinstein was a force of nature who made an incredible impact on our country and her home state.
Judge approves LA County’s bid to settle homelessness lawsuit federal judge Thursday signed off on the settlement of a closely watched lawsuit dealing with local government’s response to a perceived lack of services for the thousands of homeless people on the streets of Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge David Carter rejected Los Angeles County’s earlier efforts to settle, denying a previous joint stipulation to dismiss the case brought three years ago by the LA Alliance for Human Rights — a coalition of housed and unhoused residents of downtown. The judge had stated he wanted Los Angeles County to provide both additional homeless services and hand the court more “oversight and enforcement powers.” In the settlement, which Carter signed Thursday morning after a brief hearing in Los Angeles federal court, the county agreed to provide an additional 3,000 beds for mental health and substance abuse treatment by the end of 2026. A previous settlement attempt provided for only 1,000 additional beds. The county also pledged to fund 450 new subsidies for board and care homes, and, significantly, agreed to the appointment of a retired judge to monitor the county’s compliance with the terms of the settlement. Carter said he wanted all receipts and paperwork to be made public, underlining his efforts to ensure transparency in regards to the huge sums of taxpayers’ money involved. Mira Hashmall, outside counsel for LA County in the case, said in a statement after the hearing that the settlement commits the county to providing an additional $1.24 billion worth of resources and services over the next four years for people experiencing homelessness, especially those suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. She said that together with $293 million the county previously pledged for 6,700 new shelter beds and services, “the county has now committed a record $1.53 billion in additional homelessness funding to provide over 10,000 new beds and enhanced homelessness services during this lawsuit alone.” She said that figure is in addition to the more than $2 billion the county has expended through its own homelessness programs since the passage of Measure H in 2017. LA Alliance spokesman Daniel Conway applauded the agreement, which marks the end of court hearings in the case. “We are deeply encouraged by Judge Carter’s approval of the settlement,” he said. “We see this as serving as a foundation for the city and county to continue to cooperate to address the humanitarian crisis on the streets of Los Angeles.” Calling the settlement a “historic step forward” in ongoing efforts to address Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis, Conway said the city and county’s settlement agreements could serve as “a blueprint for other communities looking to address homelessness humanely and comprehensively.” The judge approved a separate settlement between LA Alliance and the city of Los Angeles in June 2022 that provides for 13,000 beds for the indigent. Hashmall said the county, directly or through its partners, has helped place 90,000 people in permanent housing and 124,000 in shelters over the last five and a half years. In a statement Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass thanked Carter for his “leadership and dedication” and said the county’s commitment of 3,000 additional mental health and substance use disorder beds “stands to help more unhoused Angelenos in the city come inside and receive care.” She said she looked forward to continuing to work together
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from the start, was an icon for women in politics,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told ABC News. Feinstein was the first woman mayor of San Francisco and the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She was born in San Francisco on June 22, 1933, and graduated from Stanford University in 1955. Feinstein, while serving as a supervisor in San Francisco, ascended to mayor upon the 1978 shooting deaths of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. After an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 1990, Feinstein was elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time in 1992, becoming the first woman to represent California in the Senate. She was joined just two months later by Barbara Boxer. Former President Barack Obama issued a statement also calling Feinstein a “trailblazer” for breaking glass ceilings for women at various levels of politics. “But once she broke those barriers and walked through those doors, she got to work,” Obama said. “The best politicians get into public service because they care about this country and the people they represent. That was certainly true of Dianne Feinstein, and
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By Fred Shuster, City News Service
By City News Service en. Dianne Feinstein, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 to become the first woman to represent California in that body, died at her home in Washington, D.C., Thursday night, her chief of staff confirmed Friday. She was 90. “Sadly, Senator Feinstein passed away last night at her home in Washington, D.C. Her passing is a great loss for so many, from those who loved and cared for her to the people of California that she dedicated her life to serving,” James Sauls, Feinstein’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “Senator Feinstein never backed away from a fight for what was just and right. At the same time, she was always willing to work with anyone, even those she disagreed with, if it meant bettering the lives of Californians or the betterment of our nation,” Sauls said. President Joe Biden said in a joint statement with first lady Jill Biden that Feinstein was a pioneering American. “A true trailblazer. And for Jill and me, a cherished friend.” “In San Francisco, she showed enormous poise and courage in the wake of tragedy, and became a powerful voice for American values,” Biden said. “Often the only woman in the room, Dianne was a role model for so many Americans — a job she took seriously by mentoring countless public servants, many of whom now serve in my administration. She had an immense impact on younger female leaders for whom she generously opened doors. Dianne was tough, sharp, always prepared, and never pulled a punch, but she was also a kind and loyal friend, and that’s what Jill and I will miss the most.” Feinstein was the senior senator from California and one of the first two women elected to the U.S. Senate from California. “Dianne Feinstein, right
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