Dianne Feinstein, Trailblazing California Senator, Dies at 90

Dianne Feinstein, California’s pioneering and long-serving U.S. senator, has died, according to her staff. She was 90.

Feinstein served for nearly 30 years, making her the longest serving woman in congress. Born in 1933 in San Francisco, she had been in ailing health recently, prompting calls for her resignation. Feinstein had announced in February that she had planned to retire at the end of her current term in 2024.

Biden praised her at the time as “a passionate defender of civil liberties and a strong voice for national security policies that keep us safe while honoring our values.”

In 1992 Feinstein was the first female senator elected to represent California, later joined by Barbara Boxer that year.

She was a strong advocate of gun control measures, championed the legalization of same sex marriage, and abortion rights. Feinstein was also one of the first women to join the Senate Judiciary Committee, among the many trails she blazed for young female politicians.

At the time of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, she served as chair of the US Senate intelligence committee, where she initiated a full investigation of CIA detention and interrogation practices. She was also an early supporter of same-sex marriage and championed the Women’s Health Protection Act.

Earlier this year, Feinstein was isolated at home for three months while recovering from shingles, which reportedly caused brain inflammation.

Her staff said in a statement Friday: “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…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.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday called Feinstein “a trailblazer on whose shoulders I, and women in elected office all across America, will always stand.”

“She saved countless lives through her work to keep assault weapons off of our streets, and she was a patriot who boldly stood against the use of torture and, in doing so, reminded America what we are supposed to stand for,” Bass said, adding that flags at Los Angeles facilities would be lowered to half-staff.

Bass noted that Feinstein led landmark legislation to create Death Valley National Park and Joshua Tree National Park to protect “millions of acres across our desert landscape representing the largest effort to protect public lands in the lower 48 states.”

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