to try to get a pulse, and it was just a terrible time. >> following the assassinations of mayor george moscone and fellow supervisor, harvey milk, feinstein was thrust into the role of acting mayor. her first act, announcing the tragic news to the public. >> both mayor moscone and supervisor harvey milk have been shot and killed. >> reporter: following the assassinations, san francisco was at a crossroads. >> the city was very divided and there was palpable hate, and my job was to put the bricks back together again. and my job was to put a kind of feeling back into the city. we've always been a diverse city and we've always managed to get along together. >> dianne was, obviously, the key to keeping the city sane, so

to speak. her demeanor and her conduct was just impeccable. >> reporter: deflecting any credit, feinstein always said the 49ers were a driving force in helping heal the city. >> that, of course, was 1981 and the catch, and the first super bowl, and winning that super bowl and what it did for san francisco, to bring people together, different ethnicities, different races, different socioeconomic. and we were very worried, because there was a parade, and i thought, my goodness, nobody is going to come. and as soon as we drove down, i led the parade, as a matter of fact, i've got a picture in my home here of myself and bill walsh and eddie debartolo in the car waving, and there were a million people. >> reporter: after serving full terms as san francisco mayor,

feinstein ran for governor in 1990, but came up short. in 1992, she set her sights on washington and never looked back, becoming the first woman elected to the u.s. senate from the state of california. there, she earned respect on both side of the aisle, while becoming the first woman to achieve a variety of accomplishments, including chair of the senate judiciary committee, chair of the senate rules and administration committee, and chair of the senate intelligence committee. through it all, feinstein never forgot where she came from. >> i love the city, born there, raised there, schooled there. they say you can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl. i think that's what it is. >> always have such a strong place in the city. >> we've steen the images of her lately, right, in a wheelchair, in ill health, people saying, can she still do her job.

>> then she took off for a while. >> then you see her just a few years ago, and she was vibrant. >> in her prime, yes, absolutely vibrant. it was easily one of the most important mayors of san francisco that the city has ever had, a special connection. then, of course, the situation where a former mayor of san francisco will appoint her successor, the governor of california, gavin newsom is now -- we've been trying to get ahold of the governor's office to get a statement out of them. but they will appoint the next senator from the state of california. >> it's unfortunate, because in moments like this, people want to take time to grieve and to look back. but we have a government shutdown looming, and so you really do have to have people in place. >> that's exactly right. remember, gavin newsom has promised that the next replacement for dianne feinstein, were she to resign, because we were not expecting her to pass, he said if she were to resign, that he would pick a

black woman to be the next senator from the state of california. he hasn't been specific, but he has a very short list. it's also extraordinary to remember that this will be the second time that gavin newsom will be called upon to replace a senator, because kamala harris, the first black woman senator from the state of california, became the vice president, and we got alex padilla, who ran for re-election successfully. that's an important thing to remember, who will will become the next senator from california, it will be an interim senator, and then that person will have to run for re-election, and then california voters get to decide who represents us. >> and no matter what side of the aisle you're on, no matter what your political affiliation, you've got big shoes to fill. this woman is leaving a legacy, not only in the bay area, but the entire country. >> and this will be a very good argument to appoint somebody younger to fill this legacy, who

can go on and follow the path that she did, and eventually become the chairwoman of the senate judiciary and other extraordinary things that dianne feinstein was able to accomplish. >> and the institutional knowledge. she took action on abortion, capital punishment, energy, environment, foreign policy, the assault weapons ban, health care, immigration, marijuana, marriage. i mean, it just goes on and on. >> it was a lifetime. >> and to younger viewers, we ought to remind them, it wasn't that long ago that a woman's voice in all of those issues that you just read off was fairly rare. much less from essentially the most powerful state in the union, and for a while we had two. >> and the perspective of the woman was what made her want to run. she talked about being the only person -- watching anita hill getting grilled by all u.s.

senators who were men, and she was, like, this is not right. >> she wanted to give that voice. >> so she led that way for other women to move forward in politics as well. >> exactly right. >> we are learning the news that overnight senator dianne feinstein has died at the age of 90. we don't know where she was when she perished, but we know that she had been very ill recently, we were hearing from andrea mitchell from nbc news, who was a close friend of hers as well. she was supposed to have lunch with her about ten days ago. that didn't work out. she said she had been canceling, not feeling very well. so we know her condition was not good. we hope to get more statements, obviously, this morning from nancy pelosi, obviously all the different politicians involved in this as well. >> ginger conejero saab is gathering a lot of those comments coming in, but she was also an intern in dianne feinstein's office before she

became a reporter with us. so she has a unique perspective as well. >> we'll continue to follow this breaking news. we had a special report with nbc news. we expect to have more of that. we woke up early this morning, our political analyst larry gersten. i know probably not the phone call that you were expecting to receive on this friday morning. thank you so much for getting up early. i mean, we are talking about an incredible legacy lost here of dianne feinstein, larry. >> we are, laura. she had such a consequential career, you go back to the early days when she was a member of the board of supervisors, she was chairwoman, the first female chairwoman of the board of supervisors, and that fateful day, of course, when george moscone and then the mayor was assassinated, i mean, the whole thing has been a roller coaster for her from beginning to end.

her run for the senate in 1992, winning, of course, against an incumbent, john seymour, and i think of all the things you've discussed, the one that stands out more is the assault weapons ban of 1994, way ahead of its time. they fought like the dickens to get everybody in line. it was an uphill battle, but she was so tenacious, incredibly tenacious about this, and it got in, and it was a ten-year ban. no one was morrow fended than dianne feinstein in 2004 during the george bush administration when that ban was not extended. he did not support it and the house did not go along, and that really leading piece of legislation, so far ahead of everything else related to gun control, just like that, it was

obliterated. she was a person who was very much a fighter for what she believed in. we mentioned some of the other things she's done, the list is very long. but that's why she had a hard time leaving. so many people wanted her to leave, were ready to push her out, understandably, given how difficult it was for her to get the job done. but she felt until the very end she needed to be where the power was so that she could do what she wanted to do for the people of california and the nation. >> larry, obviously there were other women who wanted to serve, other women who ran in order to serve in public office. what was it about dianne feinstein that made her the one to have that staying power? >> who knows? there's a thing of personality that drives you and some of us have it and some of us don't. remember, she graduated from stanford in 1955. there weren't a whole lot of

women who were graduating from stanford in that era. it's so hard to know. but she was definitely a driver, she really knew that the power was in places of elected offices. that's where she was going to go to get the things done that she thought should be done. and the interesting thing was, as much as she was a moderate democrat, she worked well with the other side. we don't hear about that anymore. we just don't. and that's another reason why people like mitch mcconnell were so unwilling to urge her to leave in the senate, because he worked with her. a person of that talent, not only in terms of the issues, but the personality to work both ways, both sides, this is a rarity. we certainly miss it these days. >> she worked at a time where

there was actually respect amongst different politicians as well, a different era we're talking about. and talking about all of the accomplishments that she's made, i think it will be hard to pin down, like, what she'll be most remembered for, larry. >> i think you're right. as i say, to me, it's the assault weapons ban because that issue, gun control, was big then, and of course even bigger now. and as contentious as it was then, it's even more contentious now. but she found a way to claw through it, and that's hard. when you cobble together legislation, people think it's simply a matter of raise your hand and whatnot. no, no, no. there's a lot of cultivation, there's a lot of people you have to go to, not just allies, but folks on the other side. you have to work with them, they have to work with you. there has to be a lot of trust. again, these are the variables that we don't see much of these days. but she had it for her

colleagues, that kind of respect. they had it for her. and these are the kinds of subtleties that some of us don't think about in political life, bet they're vital to the process. >> larry, she was 90 years old, she was under a considerable amount of pressure because of her age and health. so in the last couple of months or so, people did say they wanted to run for her seat before she passed away. so we do have a list of the people who officially said they wanted to take over that leadership position. we have them up here on the screen, the people that you will recognize the most, of course, barbara lee there in the middle, and adam schiff. but there are several others as well. what happens now? >> two things. first of all, yes, those are the leaders. it's been a pretty close race at the moment between adam schiff and katie porter, both members

of the house, barbara lee trailing. it's still very early and fluid. so that goes on. but you're right, the big story, and we don't want to step on a terrible tragedy like this, but the fact is that there will be an appointment, and the appointment will be made by governor newsom. now, the same process as if she resigned. he will appoint somebody, and we all know by now, that he will appoint a black female. he's not going to appoint barbara lee, who of course is a black female, because he says she's running the race, he doesn't want to tilt it. so the question is who. and if you think about it, the list has to be very small. why would the list be small? most people, you would think, would be black elected women, and very few of them are in positions where they want to give up the power they have for a position of, perhaps, lasting

18 months, because he wants a caretaker, someone who will promise to not run once that person is elected. you get down to a very small number of people. some of them are known, some of them aren't. there are possibilities that we all seek to try to get our arms around, but it's going to be interesting to see who he ends up choosing, given the limitations that he's put on himself. >> so reiterate that again. so governor newsom wants to choose somebody who doesn't want the job permanently, but that wasn't the case with alex padilla. >> no, absolutely not. but this is a different situation. when he a pointed alex padilla, there was time for padilla to run on his own and the governor was very comfortable with that. here you've got an election around the corner, already in place in terms of the campaigns, and so it's a very delicate

time. newsom could appoint any one of those if he wanted to. but if you think about it, politically it's not going to be good for him. imagine if he appointed any one of those three democrats, the other two are going to be pretty unhappy, and their supporters are going to be pretty unhappy. so he's probably wise not to do that. especially if you think about his own aspirations, which, of course, he denies all the time, i'm not running, i'm not running, i'm just an interested bystander. well, some people think more about that, particularly as it comes to 2028. so he really, wisely, i think, many people believe, has said i'm not going to get involved in that. but then when you look for that caretaker, it's hard to find given the limitations he's put on himself, exactly who that woman will be. it will be interesting as we try to read the tea leaves. >> do you think he'll stick to what he stated before of who he potentially would want to put in

there, an african american woman? >> one never wants to outguess what governor newsom will do, because, of course, he's known to zig in one direction and at times zag in the other. so i would be reluctant on that one. but he certainly has put himself in an interesting situation by limiting the number of people who he at this point says he will consider. now, maybe he'll change his mind. but, remember, if he changes his mind, not only does he upset the apple cart in terms of what he's already done, but it probably is a notch against him in terms of his credibility. >> but he couldn't have anticipated what this timing would have been. i mean, he said when the time comes. he couldn't have known how close it was going to be to that election. but, yeah, you don't like to go back on your word, for sure. >> kris, i think he has

anticipated it. sadly, senator feinstein's position has been very public, we've known about this for months. governor newsom may be a lot of things to a lot of people, but he knows what's happening when it comes to someone like dianne feinstein, who he was close to as well. so i think he did know what was going on, and he's got a list of some sort. he's not scrounging around at the last minute. who is on it, we'll find out, and we'll find out soon. again, we must respect this whole occasion, so to speak. we must respect that. >> very much so. >> the fact is, this goes on. and the senate has critical votes. remember, we've got this whole budget crisis, this government shutdown, and it would behoove the governor to put somebody in that seat as soon as possible. >> right. and we've all lost loved ones where we want to grieve in that moment, but we also know that

there are things that still have to happen. >> and things that will happen, right. we can't get away from the fact that this is a legacy here that has passed. >> there's not a lot of sentimentality in politics. it may be unfortunate to put it that way, but there's not a lot of sentimentality, because life goes on, decisions are made, votes are taken, and you've got to have your ducks in a row. >> and people have had time to think -- this was not a surprise, i mean, not only because she was 90 years old, but also because she had been in poor health. she was just hospitalized in august because she fell at her home. they said that was minor, but then she had shingles back earlier. >> she took a big break. >> exactly. >> when she returned as well, she showed that confusion that she did as well. this is a live look at senator

dianne feinstein's home in san francisco this morning. we have reporter ginger conejero saab headed to that direction as well, because we would imagine, she's a political figure in the bay area as well. people could be having tributes to her home. we're monitoring that. >> we have reached out to governor newsom, we're waiting to see if he's going to have a statement this morning. we'll let you know when we hear that as well. gary -- sorry, larry, we're going to hold on to you, but we want to get to scott, because he is tracking some of the reaction that's coming out. we would like to see the governor on camera, but we do know that people are reaching out via social media. >> it is interesting with social media changing so much. the number of politicians who have so far, at least, not posted anything, and we're seeing a lot of people pull away from social media, particularly politicians. we did find one politician, and

that is -- where did he go? marco rubio, there he is on the middle left, senator feinstein was a political pioneer with an historic career of public service, intelligent, hard working, always treated everyone with courtesy and respect. may god grant her eternal rest. we're seeing a number of actors and political figures outside of washington post as well. what we're really waiting for is some sort of statement from the governor's office. i think to larry's point, you will see the governor talk about her legacy and how sorry he is to hear that news and give that a beat before appointing the next california senator, which under american and california law can happen instantaneously. it is purely the governor's power to do so. as you pointed out before, he has done that once before. so that will be twice for governor newsom. there have been a total of five

gubernatorial appointments of senators in california's history. last one was 1991. that was a republican, john seymour, who did not run for re-election. we are monitoring social media to see what politicians, particularly senators say, because of the situation in washington and how quickly senator feinstein's replacement, though no one can ever really replace her, will be appointed. we're watching social media, and if we see anything from the governor, we will get right back to you. >> thank you very much. this just coming in overnight, senator dianne feinstein has passed at 90 years old. we continue to talk to our political analyst, larry gersten, who joins us this morning. i'm sure you were surprised by the news, and not as well. we know she had been in ill health recently, but she was still trying to show up. it was so dianne feinstein, i'm going to work until the end.

>> you're right. that is so dianne feinstein. tenacious. when she saw something that needed to be done, she was not afraid to get in there and get it done. as i said earlier, that's why, even though so many people wanted her to resign, and for good reason, she had her own reasons. this is the power source, this is the power center, this is where i need to be. fortunately, someone like that always has a very good staff to help them along. we've seen that before. and so she asserted her will until the last breath. there's no question about that. but it's at a point where at this critical moment with the government shutdown approaching, in 24 hours, really, governor newsom, paying his respects, of course, honoring her legacy, can't waste too much time before he finds somebody to take that seat. and whoever it will be, of course, will have a big uphill

learning curve fast, but it will be someone to represent the state and fill that critical democratic seat. >> do you have any -- i mean, any ideas of who he may put in there for this interim position? >> no. well, i think we all have some ideas. but they all sound strange, because these people are not likely to be well known throughout the state. i think you can go in three directions. one, you take somebody who is already in a respected elected position. two, you take somebody from the private sector, again, in a respected position, a c-level position. and, three, somebody outside both of those, a nonprofit, someone from a sector that is not commonly involved in

politics. who knows? these are times when it's going to have to be somebody who has some gravitas. of course it won't be the gravitas that feinstein had, but it's going to have to be someone with gravitas, because this, too, remember, gavin newsom has a career. remember, gavin newsom is only 55 years old, and he has a long road ahead in terms of what he might do, as we've heard and discussed. so these kinds of things and this decision will reflect on him, as much as anything else. i realize it's a sideshow, as we mourn the senator, but nonetheless, it's a show that becomes very important for newsom and his future. >> and for the 4 million people who would be caught in the middle of this government shutdown, we have action that has to happen in washington, d.c., and the train just doesn't stop. >> the train doesn't stop, you're absolutely right.

it keeps rolling. one way or another, there's going to have to be somebody to get in that seat as soon as possible. it wouldn't surprise me if the governor makes this appointment within days, and i mean very few days. again, because of these critical votes that are occurring right now in the u.s. senate. when you're talking about a government shutdown, that's serious business. and everything changes in terms of the goings on in this country. many, many millions of lives are impacted, and so the senate has to be running just like every other element of the government at this point, and governor newsom is going to have to act very quickly. >> sometimes we see the wives or people related to our lawmakers, when they pass, and we saw that with sonny bono and his wife, her daughter is a judge, but she doesn't fit the promise of what governor newsom said he wanted.

>> that's right. so what he would have to do is change the dynamic, he would have to say, well, under the circumstances, because the senator passed so unexpectedly, it's not as if she would tell us when she might resign, we're going to change and do x, y, z. it wouldn't be the first time that somebody changed the rules of the game at the last minute in politics. and it might even give you a bit of wiggle room, given that this time it is not a planned exit. that's a possibility. we don't want to rule that out. again, the governor is going to have to weigh a lot of these variables, not only in terms of what it means for the state and the person in there, but also his own career. that may sound crass, but, again, this is the reality of politics. >> well, thank you. yes, we are obviously looking ahead to what will happen to fill the shoes of senator dianne

feinstein, but we can't forget all that she's really done, no matter what side of the aisle that you were on and the legacy she's leaving for the state of california. we have continuing coverage. we have continuing coverage. we're ing to take ago

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welcome back to "today in the bay." quickly approaching 6:30 on your friday morning. we're following breaking news right now, senator dianne

feinstein has died at 90 years old. a legacy, she's held office for over 30 years. the senator planned to retire at the end of her term in february. she is the longest serving senator from california. we know that senator had been battling health issues for months, including a bout with shingles that came about at the beginning of the year where she took time off from the senate, but most recently returned. >> we want to take a look back at her life, legacy, not only in the bay area, but nationwide. >> reporter: dianne feinstein long will be remembered as a political powerhouse, and the first steps in her long and distinguished political career can tell you a lot about what drove her to pursue a life of public service.

>> i met willie brown when my daughter was, i think, 3 years old, and willie was refused the ability to buy a home at 4th and forest knolls. so the contractor that built these homes, their offices were on 19th avenue, and i put my daughter in a stroller, and there was a picket line, and i joined the picket line. well, there was a slight hill, and the stroller began to slip. it went up on the heels of a supervisor by the name of terry francois, and obviously i was not yet a supervisor. we became friends, and through that, through terry, in 1969, i first ran, and the first and only public official who endorsed me at the time was willie brown. >> she was different than anything on the political spectrum. she had been a part of helping

me at a time when no one else with any titles were doing it. >> reporter: after being elected to san francisco's board of supervisors, feinstein quickly became a force and a trailblazer. she was the first woman to serve as the board's president, a position she held until fate intervened. >> i'm in my little office, and i see dan white come right by. and i said, dan, and he says, in a minute. he goes by me, and i hear a door slam. i hear the shots, i smell the cordite, and i leave my office and go out in the hallway. all of the doors are closed, everybody is gone. well, i actually walked in and found harvey's body, and put my finger in a hole in his wrist, which a bullet had gone through, to try to get a pulse, and it was just a terrible time. >> following the assassinations of mayor george moscone and

fellow supervisor, harvey milk, feinstein was thrust into the role of acting mayor. her first act, announcing the tragic news to the public. >> both mayor moscone and supervisor harvey milk have been shot and killed. >> reporter: following the assassinations, san francisco was at a crossroads. >> the city was very divided and there was palpable hate, and my job was to put the bricks back together again. and my job was to put a kind of feeling back into the city. we've always been a diverse city and we've always managed to get along together. >> dianne was, obviously, the key to keeping the city sane, so to speak. her demeanor and her conduct was just impeccable. >> reporter: deflecting any credit, feinstein always said the 49ers were a driving force

in helping heal the city. >> that, of course, was 1981 and the catch, and the first super bowl, and winning that super bowl and what it did for san francisco, to bring people together, different ethnicities, different races, different socioeconomic. and we were very worried, because there was a parade, and i thought, my goodness, nobody is going to come. and as soon as we drove down, i led the parade, as a matter of fact, i've got a picture in my home here of myself and bill walsh and eddie debartolo in the car waving, and there were a million people. >> reporter: after serving full terms as san francisco mayor, feinstein ran for governor in 1990, but came up short. in 1992, she set her sights on washington and never looked back, becoming the first woman elected to the u.s. senate from

the state of california. there, she earned respect on both side of the aisle, while becoming the first woman to achieve a variety of accomplishments, including chair of the senate judiciary committee, chair of the senate rules and administration committee, and chair of the senate intelligence committee. through it all, feinstein never forgot where she came from. >> i love the city, born there, raised there, schooled there. they say you can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl. i think that's what it is. >> that city will always remember her. dianne feinstein has died at the age of 90. a true trailblazer. >> ginger conejero saab is joining us. ginger used to intern for senator feinstein. ginger, we've heard many people say that she always treated people with dignity and respect, regardless of their political differences. what was your experience? >> reporter: good morning, kris and laura.

you know, just that last bite from senator feinstein kind of encompasses my experience in meeting her as an intern, this was back in 2003, as a junior, spring semester in college, and she welcomed us into her office. we had a install team of interns that semester, and it was a diverse group, it was geographically diverse, it was ethnically diverse. she was very warm, and at one point in the conversation there was a mention that i was from san francisco, and she was very quick to knowledge that and also share her pride of being from san francisco. and i remember being very proud to say that i was an intern for her during that time in washington, d.c., because people, as we've heard, regarded her as someone who can really bring both sides together.

there was much more bipartisanship and work between both sides of the aisle, especially compared to maybe the climate that we see now. but those are kind of just the key things that stick out, but time and time again, i think about -- when i think about politics in our country these days, she was such an inspirational person for the young group of people at the time. >> she must have had a soft spot, both of you having graduated from stanford university. what did you take away from your experience there? you didn't go into politics, so what did you get out of that experience? >> reporter: i will say, just quickly, she went to stanford, i went to usc. we were rivals. >> oh, my goodness, i forgot. >> but being from san francisco, yes, we definitely -- we had a moment, at least in my mind,

definitely a little bonding moment. but, kris, just a little bit as to what i just said, i think my biggest takeaway from watching her, being a part of how she ran her office and what she stood for, is that we must keep an open mind in order to get solutions done, in order to come to some sort of compromise, which at times gets lost. that is what i think the legacy is that she will leave behind, and hopefully can remind people how important it is to really find space for both sides. >> very much so. we know that you're headed to san francisco right now. you were previously in the south bay covering a story for us. you're headed to her home there in san francisco, which i know you've reported in the past from outside of there.

it will be interesting to see if -- there's a live look, in fact, at the senator's home. it will be interesting to see the tributes. because not only in national politics did she play a huge role, but getting her start in politics right here in san francisco. >> and at such a young age, and not having the opportunity to necessarily run for the mayor's office, but to be thrust into it because of the assassination of former mayor george moscone. we do want to head over to scott mcgrew in the newsroom. her passing is not a tremendous surprise. it's a surprise that it happened overnight, but it wasn't a tremendous surprise that she would need to be replaced at some point and there were people who wanted to do that, even before she passed away. >> when she got ill she said that she would not run for another term, and so a number of very notable california politicians said when she's done, they were very respectful,

when she's done, not if she resigns, but when she's done, we would like to be the next california senator, and those are three democrats, you've got katie porter from downtown south, adam schiff, and barbara lee, and then, of course, eric early is a republican. traditionally a republican does not win the senate. but these were people who intended to run in the 2024 senate race. we knew that already. the big question now is who becomes the interim senator. who does governor newsom appoint? it will not be, we understand, any of these people because he does not want to give an advantage to any of those candidates in the race itself. now, the governor had said on

msnbc that he planned to appoint a black woman to that position, and he says he has a short list. it would not be all that disrespectful for him to say kind things about feinstein, and then as soon as, perhaps, the end of business day, say who is going to be the interim senator from california. because the governor can do that, he can appoint an interim senator immediately. again, it will not be any of these three people, but if that interim senator wants to run to keep her spot, she would then run against those people that you just saw, the three democrats in a primary. this has happened five times before in california history that a governor has had to appoint, for one reason or not, a senator, sometimes it's for a happy reason. the most recent reason was because our senator, kamala harris, became vice president of the united states, and governor newsom appointed alex padilla,

who then went on to get the office for himself by his own right, by running for re-election. the last time it happened before that was john seymour, and that was back in 1991. laura and kris, we've seen how far we have changed in california, john seymour was a republican. >> thank you, scott. stand by right there. we're just getting a statement from california governor newsom this morning. i want to read it to you. dianne feinstein was many things, a powerful trailblazing u.s. senator, an early voice for gun control, a leader in times of tragedy and chaos, but to me, she was a dear friend, a lifelong mentor, and a role model, not only for me, but to my wife and daughters, for what a powerful, effective leader looks like. 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. her story wasn't just about being the first woman in a particular political office, it was what she did for california and for america with that power once she earned it. that's what she should be remembered for. there is simply nobody who possessed the poise, gravitas and fierceness of dianne feinstein. jennifer and i are deeply saddened by her passing and we will mourn with her family in this difficult time. that was the words of california governor gavin newsom, just putting out a statement this morning on the death of dianne feinstein at the age of 90. >> he has a big job ahead of him, but it's telling that he spoke to who she was in that moment. >> and that's what should be happening right now, the

tributes of this trailblazer. although, of course, her position eventually will be filled, as we mentioned earlier. the train doesn't stop, especially when it comes to politics. >> and in this critical moment in washington, d.c. we have had so many opportunities to speak with senator feinstein throughout her life, and just a couple of years ago garvin thomas spoke with her. we want to take a listen to that. >> i don't really mind at all watching this speech on the television, because it's a stadium crowd and we've all been with stadium crowds before. but to get up close, to see the expression, to see his eyes, to be able to see his passion, i think that's very special. >> i believe she was speaking about the election of barack obama and his inaugural speech back in 2008. she was originally backing

another groundbreaking candidate in that race, hillary clinton, but then she flipped her support to barack obama. feinstein would go on to serve another 15 years in the u.s. senate, until her death, which happened overnight, at the age of 90. we continue to follow that breaking news. senator dianne feinstein was the longest-serving woman in the senate. she was 90 years old. >> we want to check in with political analyst larry gersten. we finally heard words from the governor, gavin newsom, this morning. hopefully you heard that as i was reading it, really setting the table for what a profound impact she had as a politician, not only for the united states, but specifically for the state of california, san francisco. >> larry, we talk about her being the longest serving woman in the senate. did it matter that she served as a woman, or did she serve just

as a senator? >> we can't hear larry right now. we'll try to work out that microphone problem, if we can. we talked to him a little earlier as well for his political perspective. >> she had so many areas in that time that she served in the senate, elected in 1992. i mean, what were you doing back in 1992? >> i know exactly what i was doing. i was a young cub reporter working at kgo in san francisco, and i remember that was one of the first political campaigns that i would cover, when you're kind of building your reel and doing live shots. and even at that time she was so gracious to this little green reporter out there as well. so it's interesting to look back and just her legacy that she's had here in the bay area. >> it's been powerful to see, although in the latter years, maybe some of our younger voters are like, you know, she's older,

it's time for a change. >> a lot of people were saying that she should step down. >> there's so much institutional knowledge and we'll be touching on that throughout the day. we know you are also planning your day today, so we want to get a look at the forecast with meteorologist kari hall. we are starting out with a beautiful morning across the bay area. it is all clear in san francisco. we are going to continue to see sunshine, at least for the next few hours. eventually more clouds will be coming in. that will keep our temperatures slightly lower, as a storm system approaches from the north. as we take a look at our highs for today, novato and napa reaching 75, 78 degrees in concord, and 73 in fremont. also 73 for a high today in mountain view. these numbers lower than yesterday and continue to dip, as we get more clouds tomorrow and even watching out for a chance of rain. so here is the system we're seeing moving into the pacific northwest. now moving through oregon and going to eventually approach the bay area by late tonight. but a lot of the moisture associated with that storm

system is continuing to fall apart, so a lot of the models backing off on how much rain we're going to see and how widespread it's going to be. we're only looking at a couple of spotty showers overnight, with the north bay potentially seeing some more of the measurable rain, and much of the rest of the bay area may have some quick-moving light showers, but not expecting anything that's going to cancel your outdoor weekend plans. and then as we head into the day on saturday, most of it falling through the morning, a few hundredths of an inch of rain possible. so this is not a big soaker, but it will bring temperatures down significantly. and we're going to see some spotty light showers here and there, and then by sunday it's clearing out, temperatures in the mid-70s, and take a look at the warm-up that's headed our way for early next week. by wednesday and thursday, we'll be in the upper 80s. so a significant change there as we kind of go back to summer, but we are going to have a fall-like weekend, and some of us getting a little bit of wet weather and temperatures in the 60s.

mike, so far it seems like it's been friday light. >> it's a calm, lighter friday. we have a backup at the bay bridge and metering lights. overall things are moving nicely. i want to make sure we emphasize this, another full closure southbound 101 as you come down over the weekend. you cannot access from britain to whipple in the southbound side of the bay shore freeway. el camino, state route 82, there's lots of signals, be very careful, take your time on the surface roads. i know it's only a mile, but you have to go in and back out. 280 is also an option. that will stay clear all weekend. that will affect folks heading toward levi's stadium for the sunday game. so plan ahead for your south bay drive. if you're coming from the east bay, don't use the san mateo bridge if you have a choice. use the dumbarton bridge, then if you head south on 101 after that, it gets you fast the closure and that does not delay you any further. if you come across the san mateo bridge, you'll stit have to reroute on the southbound

portion of 101. back to you. >> thank you very much, mike. we'll continue to cover the life and legacy of senator life and legacy of senator danne feinstein, who

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we continue to follow breaking news, senator dianne feinstein has died at the age of 90. >> yeah, she had been in ill health, but she had been in office for more than 30 years as well. the senator planned to retire at the end of her term in february. she is the longest serving senator from california and the longest serving woman in the senate. senator feinstein had been battling health issues for months, including a bout with shingles earlier this year. we continue to follow that

breaking news, as we get reaction from just about everywhere. we had a statement from governor newsom as well, and larry gersten, our political analyst, is here with us now. how will she be remembered? >> we use the word trailblazer, sometimes overused. but trailblazer, definitely. and we cannot underestimate -- we have to include the fact that she was a trailblazer for women. remember, it's so rare that a woman at her age and at that time ascended to the u.s. senate. yes, there were a couple. but she not only ascended, she did it about a bang. let's remember, she was the chair of the hit committee on foreign intelligence, she was the chair of the judiciary committee. a woman, by the way, first time chair of both of those committees. so you talk about breaking the

glass ceiling. she did it time and time again. we can't underestimate the value of that alone, along with all the other things that we can remember about dianne feinstein. >> and we heard a statement from governor newsom, who put out a statement earlier this morning. i want to read a segment from it. dianne feinstein was many things, a powerful, trailblazing u.s. senator, an early voice for gun control, a leader in times of tragedy and chaos, but to me, she was a dear friend, a life-long mentor and a role model not only for me, but to my wife and daughters, for what a powerful, effective leader looks like. like i mentioned, just a segment. go ahead, larry. >> i'm sorry. along with the role model for women, girls, she was, also, a role model for newsom. there was a very close -- and remains a very close

relationship between the newsom and feinstein families that goes way, way back, it goes back to when his father, who was a judge, knew the feinsteins. so we're talking about decades. so, among other things, we talk politics here, but, look, this is a hurt, it's a loss for all of us, and in some ways it's a special loss for governor newsom. >> very much so. it's very personal. just the way that she guided him in a sense as well, as he was pursuing his political career, and as he continues to do that as well. we know that he has further aspirations. >> we also know one of the things she was remembered for was being collaborative and breaching across the aisle and treating people with dignity and with respect, which is something that, perhaps, isn't at the forefront of washington, d.c. politics right now.

what do you think about how the republican party is going to remember her? >> well, these days, of course, sentimentality is always in short supply in politics, and when you think of the polarization going on between the two parties, at least for most of the members, it's hard to remember that anybody on the other side gets remembered with any kindness. but you heard that quote from the republican from north carolina, he said nice things about her already. and, again, he's a guy from the old guard. so i think those folks who came up with her and who are still there, like the chuck grassleys, for example, 90 years old himself from iowa, he and others like him will say very kind things about her, because, like her, they were in the trenches together. this was the kind of collegiality we talked about 20 years ago, even 10 years ago. those folks are going to say

really nice things about her, because it's true. these things are true. this kind of bonding, in what was known as and is known as the club. >> right. and i just feel like it was a more respectable time, even in politics as well. the world itself has changed so much. it was interesting that she was able to serve such an amazing term. and getting back to that as well, it's hard to pinpoint, i would think, one thing that she'll be really known for, because she had her hands in so many different elements of the difference that she made to this country, to this state. >> yes, and i think one of the things that we don't really appreciate here, but was very vitally important, was the way she worked with the farming community. this was critical. you know what water is like in this state, endangered species of sorts, right? and she worked with the agriculture community again and again and again, things that we don't always think about in

urban areas particularly, subsidies, water licenses, these kinds of things that enable agriculture to do what it does. we're such a bread basket for so much of the nation and the world. feinstein was very involved in those kinds of affairs, and as i say, they don't necessarily make the front page. but they were a very vital part of this state's economy and the nation's goods. sos that one thing. she was also a bit -- not a bit, she was an environmentalist, she was an environmentalist, but i say this again and again, of all the things she'll be remembered for, it's the assault weapons ban, because it meant so much and it was the backdrop for so much gun violence we see today. >> right. she was such a huge advocate for lake tahoe. she had a waterfront home, and cared about that area and keeping it pristine and blue and beautiful. >> the assault weapon, that

really does grab those headlines, beyond the water issues and the environmental issues, and we've seen that kind of ebb and flow through the years as well. >> kris, you hear about promise and performance, and promise often is not matched by performance. but we saw the assault weapons ban, exactly that's what happened. i promise you, she said you're going to see crime go down, and it did. >> such an imprint she's had. larry, thank you so much for your time. dianne feinstein has died at the age of 90 years old.