kristen: hi there. you are watching "netting answers" on abc 7. every day, we talk about issues important to the bay area and get answers in real-time. a michelin star is considered a gold star in excellence, but some of the bay area's best chefs are giving up on competing for one. first, big news in the political world today. california senior senator dianne feinstein announced she will not be running for reelection next year. she made it official with this tweet, ending months of

speculation, and some might say pressure. the 89-year-old senator says she intends to accomplish as much as she can for california until the end of her term next year. feinstein has been a fixture in politics for decades and is the longest-serving female senator in history in the u.s. senate. >> she is a legend, a legend int california as the first woman senator. a legend in this senate. she was a leader on so many issues -- environment, women's rights, and so much else. kristen: joining us to discuss feinstein's decision and legacy is her friend and abc 7 news analyst former congresswoman jackie spear. thank you so much for joining us. >> great to be with you.

well. i would just add to that she is the matriarch of politics in california for half a century, and it is a remarkable record. she was a legacy of firsts. the first woman to be mayor of san francisco, the first woman to be elected to the u.s. senate, the first woman to chair the judiciary committee, the first woman to chair the intelligence committee, and her legislation is absolutely herculean. you cannot look at issues like the assault weapons ban, which she authored, or the fuel efficiency we now require in cars or the work she did getting $715 million for restoration or securing funding and protection for i think it is something like 7 million acres of mojave desert land -- all of those are huge.

beyond that, for many of us, she was a mentor and friend. when my late husband died and i was widowed, she was one of the first people to call me to be supportive because she, too, was widowed at an early age. she is also a great artist. i have one of her pieces that she presented to me. she's got an incredible legacy to be incredibly proud of, and i think we should spend the next two years celebrating the work that she has done. kristen: i think especially for younger people, it seems like she has always been there, right? but really, she came up -- she was thrust into politics, really, and the world's attention during a very tragic episode in san francisco history when dan white and george moscone he were assassinated. now it seems so normal to see

females in power positions, but that was novel, and she really broke ground there, didn't she did. she did run for governor and lost and then subsequently ran for the u.s. senate. she became mayor because she had recently been reelected to the board of supervisors with the largest vote tally and because of that became president of the board, so she was thrust into that position by virtue of the support she received in the last election, but she had an extraordinary ability to heal a city that was really not just from the massacre in jonestown but also the horrific assassination of mayor george moscone h and harvey milk she really did so very much to help us re-create a reality

was something other than horror during those years. kristen: i do wonder, the timing, in terms of announcing it. she had hinted. some people thought maybe she would not decide until next year. does the timing surprise you? had you talked to her recently about coming to that decision? >> no, i had not talked to her recently, but the death of her husband i think had a lot to do with it. he was the wind beneath her rings -- beneath her wings, and he was the one who kept encouraging her to run again and again and again. with his loss, i think that she recognized that a time, and i think again, we should be grateful for an extraordinary career that has really touched virtually every californian and most americans.

her work on calling out the cia for the terrorism and torture that they engaged in during upgrade -- the abu grave -- the abu ghraib was well. kristen: there had been increasing pressure in recent years in terms of people even in the democratic party who thought maybe someone new should come in. if -- of course, this official announcement means more people getting in. we have congressmen adam schiff, we think congresswoman barbara lee of the bay area will jump in as well. do you think there will be anybody else out of all the people we are talking about -- who do you think might be in a favorable position right now? >> i think that will be something that time will tell. i'm not looking in any crystal

ball. there are people that will do it just because they want to build name id, and that will be somewhat problematic for democrats because the more democrats get in the race, the more likely you are going to have a democrat and republican in the runoff. the other important point to make here is that the election is going to be next march. it was important for the senator to make her inclination known so those who are contemplating it can get on the campaign trail. kristen: no matter who it ends up being, do you think the next senator from california will be more to the left than senator feinstein was in terms of policy and views? >> that's not something that i have -- i mean, it depends, right?

if katie horner or barbara lee gets elected, they would be part of the progressive wing. i think adam schiff represents more of a moderate position on many issues, and he has been very effective in the house on many levels and also served as the chair of the intelligence committee. they'll bring great strengths -- they all bring great strengths to their candidacies and to the california electorate, but we also need to see who else gets into the race. kristen: i realize you only recently hung up your democratic hat, though i don't know if that will ever be completely gone. we are lucky to have u.s. our analyst. i wonder if you think a republican could conceivably not just get into the election but have a chance for a position like that in california. >> there has not been a republican elected to statewide office in california for over a decade. if a moderate republican got into the race and everyone else

who was a candidate skewed very progressive, that's something that would be a possibility, particularly when you look at the number of people who are voters in california who have kind of hung up the monitor -- the moniker of democrat or republican and have become independents. the independent group in california is quite large now. it is about two eclipse democrats if it has not already. i think candidates are going to have to make sure that they are going to speak to all of the voters in the state. kristen: we have 30 seconds, but i want to bring you back to senator feinstein. as you said, one of her key pieces of legislation, the assault weapons ban, which has not been renewed. she said she was going to fight for the people of california until the end of her term. do you think that is something she will fight for that may have a chance of coming back?

>> i do think she will attempt it again. i think there's always an effort at the end of one's career to allow them to have one milestone piece of legislation, whatever that milestone piece of legislation is. it could be a continuation of the assault weapons ban because she feels so strongly about it. it triggered -- no pun intended here -- the 101 california massacre that happened many decades ago that probably many people do not even remember. she could make this her cornerstone issue and bill and in so doing, it would then be tossed to the house, of course, and that would be an interesting set of circumstances to look at. kristen: indeed. we know you will be there to commentate for us. thank you so much. >> thank you, kristen. kristen: we will be right back to talk more about today's

political news.

kristen: we want to continue the conversation by getting more in depth what else is on tap for 2024 in the political world. joining us as political director rick klein. good to see you. >> great to see you as well. kristen: big news today, though probably expected for months by political insiders. former south carolina governor nikki haley announced she is running for president with this video she put on twitter, though the big announcement with the cameras and everything else is coming tomorrow. this is the first republican who is not named donald trump to

jump in, right? >> there has been a little bit of a waiting game. trump jumped in free months ago. people have been kind of paralyzed by competing interests. do you want to get in and get some of the media coverage and name recognition or do you just want to make yourself a target by getting in first? i think she is the first of what will be probably a pretty large field. this is going to be a lot of republicans that will be interested in the job. i have talked to a lot of strategists and potential candidates, and nikki haley is the first to test the up -- the proposition. kristen: former south carolina governor. i think she was trump's united nations ambassador. >> es, late 30's, the youngest governor in the nation, first female governor and first governor of color in south carolina and other first woman of color to run as a serious,

credible - of color to run as a serious, credible candidate on either side. she famously took down the confederate outside the south carolina state capitol and when donald trump ran, she actually was considered an anti-trump voice. she ended up endorsing marco rubio, denouncing some of the statements he made saying that they were outright racist and not conservative. she did an about-face, ended up supporting his candidacy in the general election, took the job in the united nations, left midway through the trump administration and remained loyal until january 6. then she broke with trump and said he would see himself diminished publicly. within months, though, she said she would not run if trump ran because she wanted to continue the work he did and another about-face. she has been on all sides of the trump issue over time.

for those who do not know, she does have indian ancestry. i wonder, given her relationship with trump, is he responding to her entry? >> her camp -- his campaign is calling her another typical politician, pointing out that she did make that commitment to not run. trump himself has told the associated press that he welcomes her entry even though she is breaking that pledge. the knives are not quite out just yet. i think we will wait a beat to see what he really has to say about nikki haley. the quotes she gave to the politico just a week after the january 6 attack were quite stinging of president trump. so far, at least, it looks like the critique is she is just another politician. kristen: right. one of the criticisms unveiled today in her video, she mentioned how republicans have

failed to win the popular vote for decades. even those who won the electoral vote and captured the white house. it is she saying she is the one? like, what do they have to do to change that, not winning the popular vote? >> i think it is very much a swipe at trump, who lost twice, if he admits it or not. he still contested the popular vote from 2016, much less his lies about 2020. george w. bush, as we know, lost once. john mccain, mitt romney. she is trying to stop a losing streak for republicans in making the case that she is the one to do it. the imagery she shared kind of gets the light fired up about some figures on the political left. she is saying as a younger woman, as a woman of color, she could break a bit of the stranglehold democrats have had on voters and i think that's the suggestion she is making a string to put herself forward as the candidate. kristen: we will see if she is the one who can pick up some of those new groups to the party.

given the crowded field you alluded to earlier, who else are likely in, and who else might be the front runners in this field? >> trump and desantis are the names you here. trump is already in. governor desantis of florida was asked today if he is running, and he said, wouldn't you like to know? they take up the lion's share of polling. former vice president pence going to be out in iowa. he is another person who is widely expected to run. i'm also keeping and i on another south carolinian in tim scott, who has some trouble coming up. in addition to that, you have a host of what you might consider more anti-trump or never trump republicans. governor sununu, former governor hogan, chris christie, the former governor of arkansas, asa hutchinson, liz cheney, who is now out of office. i do think there will be quite a push to more candidates.

mike pompeo, former secretary of state. some of them have associations with trump. some of them define their identities in what they aredent. kristen: of waiting to see if president biden will run again. i wonder if you think the odds of that went up after the state of the union? >> i think he bought himself a little time because it was considered a pretty strong address a week ago tonight. i think the way he could parry with republicans and seemed to kind of dare them to challenge him, he looked strong, in command, and it looked like a good performance. given a little bit more breathing room, i think it is likely he runs, although he is staying a little coy on the subject. the fact is that no one else is running against him, so as incumbent president, he does not have a ton of pressure to face him, but ultimately, he will have to make a decision some time in the spring or summer to give other democrats a bit of a head up.

kristen: always great to hear from you. thanks. we will be right back to find out why lots of i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. the three what? the three ps? what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54 and was a smoker, but quit. what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65, retired, and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80 and i'm on a fixed income. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too.

if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. that's less than 35 cents a day. you cannot be turned down because of your health. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so call nofor free infortn d u' ao t this free benefiare ve id to record your important information and give helpful direction to your loved ones with your final wishes. and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information.

kristen: it is the gold standard of culinary perfection -- michelin star -- but could it be losing its luster? our media partner at "the san francisco standard" has a new article about some restaurants giving up their michelin star. why? the arts and culture reporter for "the standard" joins us now. i think most people know michelin star is awarded to the best restaurants who get 1, 2, three stars. why does it mean so much historically? >> michelin stars have already -- always been exclusive and prestigious. it started as an award given by michelin around 1900, for a

hotels and restaurants, but it was not until 2005 that american restaurants were even eligible, so it has always been very exclusive. after 2 francisco, and restaurants winning stars, so it has always been the high watermark. >> if you have a star, two stars, perhaps even three, that is business. you can get recognition, raise prices, all the kind of stuff, but why are bay area chefs saying forget it now, just walking away? tell us who is doing it. >> this is something we started tracking late last year when we found out chef david kitsch from a restaurant with a three coveted michelin stars was

closing his restaurant, and we also heard that chef aaron london closed a restaurant in the mission. basically since the pandemic, there's been a big question among chefs and the restaurant world of is the michelin star model sustainable? with so many chefs, like the one i just mentioned, leaving, it has started this wave of questions of is this model is sustainable -- if this model is sustainable. it's causing an unsustainable lifestyle, and a lot of chefs are just rejecting the model entirely. kristen: this reminds me of an article i read in "the new york times" about noma three-michelin star restaurant claimed the title of best restaurant five times, and they are closing next year, moving to

an e-commerce model, and the chef said it is time for high-end restaurant tours -- restaurant tours -- restauranteursetnk their model. when you say unsustainable, what do you mean by that? money, time, does not allow them to be creative? >> i think it is all of the above. noma is a great example. it is ordered the canary in the coal mine because it achieved basically everything a fine dining restaurant can hope to achieve, and they announced they are closing in 2024, and i think about the parallels between noma and the challenges that restauranteurs face in the bay area. as you know, the bay area is such an expensive place to live and such an expensive place to operate a restaurant. since covid started, i think a lot of chefs and restaurant workers have been rethinking

what it even means to work in the restaurant industry. often, restaurant workers are working 11, 12 hour days for inadequate pay, lack of health benefits, so i think with michelin being this high watermark, restauranteu chefs in the bay are asking themselves those same questions. it is the unsustainability of keeping things consistent. when you have an michelin star, you have to keep your dishes extremely consistent because one inspection could mean you lose your star entirely. it is a lot of pressure, and it has proven unsustainable for many. kristen: i know people think the restaurants must be making so much money because they charge a lot, but really, it costs so much. does this mean some of these best chefs could be moving toward a model where the food is more popularized, maybe cheaper, and more for the common eater,

if you will? >> yeah, i think so. i think a lot of chefs are turning away from fine dining models and moving toward more casual concepts, but i would like to say that most of the chefs that i did interview who were still finding themselves working within this michelin model, a chef francisco from the u.k., he has been working in michelin star restaurants since he was a teenager. his takeaway was that he still needs to be working in the michelin working under those accolades, but he is working to provide a more sustainable lifestyle for his workers. kristen: i'm sorry, that's all the time we have.

you go by lots of titles. veteran, dad, hair stylist. so adding a student title might feel daunting. national university is here to support all your titles. national university. supporting the whole you.

tonight, the deadly shooting on the campus of michigan state university. three students killed. five others shot and in critical condition. terrified students running to safety after hearing the gunshots. >> run! >> the alleged gunman opening fire inside a classroom, then targeting the student union buildiarrica doors. tonight, what we've now learned about the suspect. and the three young lives lost. who they were, what they loved, chigan. ir plans so tonight, we are tracking back-to-back storms, 30 states now on alert from california all the way to new york. snow, dangerous winds, and the night time tornado threat. they're very concerned about it. ginger zee is here. tonight, the