I am tired of reading the insults. She’s out of it. Too old. Too out of touch. Let’s have all members of the U.S. Senate take an intelligence test and see how Feinstein fares. My money is on Dianne. During her many years in the U.S. Senate, she has done her homework and was one of the brightest lawmakers.
I met with Feinstein over dozens of years. I was a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency. Every year we would travel to D.C. to lobby the Bay Area delegation for more funds for transportation.
We met with our senators and congressional representatives. Feinstein always gave the briefing when most of the Bay Area delegation used staff.
One year I sat next to her at a committee hearing and marveled at how prepared she was.
But it shouldn’t have been a surprise. I first saw Feinstein when Geraldine Ferraro was picked to run for vice president in 1984. It was a big moment for women.
Bay Area women flocked to the San Francisco opera house to see and cheer Ferraro. Women elected officials gathered on stage. When Feinstein joined them, she was a regal addition — tall and elegant. She was also a freshman beauty queen at Stanford University in 1950.
But she is best remembered as the feisty mayor of San Francisco and successful proponent of a ban on assault weapons.
We do have another U.S. senator. No fair to Google. He is the quiet one. Maybe he just doesn’t have an aggressive staff. Alex Padilla is a former California secretary of state, leader of the state Senate, a member of the Los Angeles City Council and a graduate of MIT.
Check out his website. It’s impressive.
The Democratic State Convention is in May. That is when the California Democratic Party will consider endorsing a successor to retiring Sen. Feinstein. To date, three members of Congress are vying for the job: Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Schiff.
The seven Democratic women representing the 21st Assembly District are: Chelsea Bonini, Noelia Corzo, Uma Krishnan, Stacy Jimenez, Lisa Diaz Nash, Seema Patel and Sarah Fields.
The seven men are Rick Bonilla, James Coleman, Elmer Martinez Saballos, Charles Stone, Rudy Espinoza Murray, Richard Hedges, and Adam Rak. While some of these were on Assemblymember Diane Papan’s preferred list, many were not.
Welcome to the new world of progressive politics.
Good to hear that former San Mateo Mayor Joe Goethals and former Belmont Mayor Charles Stone—both now practicing attorneys — will be joining Joe Cotchett in going after former San Mateo County Community College District Chancellor Ron Galatolo.
At the time, the trustees gave him a pass and even awarded him a generous severance deal. Richard Holober was the only trustee who asked tough questions of the chancellor.
Update on JoJo, my beloved sheltie: I had to give up JoJo when I broke my hip taking him for a walk.
He now resides in New Jersey and has a perfect new home. The owners have another sheltie, named Dave, same age as JoJo.
Dave and JoJo do everything together and are close “brothers.” They both love to run and play and of course, bark. And Dave lives on 3 acres of open fields. There are even a few chickens to check out and an invisible fence. JoJo’s new owners love him.
Happy end to a sad story.
Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.
(4) comments
Speaking of Feinstein, let’s highlight a few more things for which she’ll be remembered… insider trading, having a Chinese spy on her payroll for over 20 years, having a private dinner with the Iranian minister, to name a few, and of course let’s not forget her failed attempt to smear Justice Kavanaugh. That act alone will be her legacy, overshadowing anything of value she may ever have done.
Terence - all is true but I believe overall she was a dignified Senator for our State, When I was a Republican, I even voted for her a few times. People forget that she, as a SF Supervisor prevented US Steel from building a new high rise office building on the waterfront. That was the beginning of her political life. She also made good on wearing just a bathing suit to the opening of Pier 39 which she thought could never be built. She was a close friend of my wife's boss and always insisted on being called by her first name when she called the office. She is and was a class act and will be missed, particularly now that the crop of candidates to replace her is so shallow.
Thank you Sue! Over the years, through various roles in organizations, I've had the opportunity to go to Senator Feinstein and her staff on issues of concern and while I didn't always agree with where she ended up I always felt like she and her staff truly listened and responded with integrity. I was especially grateful for her response to the Bush Administration's torture policies. I am grateful for her decades of service and am looking forward to seeing who gets the most support to be our next senator.
As a Sheltie lover myself my heart breaks that you had to give Jojo up, but I am so glad he is happy and loved in his new home. And I hope you are on the mend!
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