joining us live now to talk more about that is jim wunderman, president and ceo of the bay area council. jim was also special assistant to senator feinstein while she was mayor. jim, thanks for joining us today. yeah, thanks for having me. when reflecting on mayor feinstein means life and legacy, what thoughts and feelings come to you today? >> well, you know, it's really a it's a tough day. and although i've come along a long way in a long time since then, it makes me really feel very, very connected to that time and how important that time was for me, for san francisco, for our state , because she was leading through such incredible difficulty and doing such an amazing job of it. and, you know, to my benefit, i had the chance to work with someone extremely special and kind of irreplaceable. and i think now that, you know, we'll stop talking about, you know, her, you know, her health conditions and so forth and really focus back on who she was and her accomplishments and how she did what she did. i think this is going to be very good. this is going to be very good for young leaders com

. >> in the 1980's bay area council ceo jim wunderman was promoted to senior adviser to mayor feinstein after he came on board in his 20's as the youngest person to work in her administration. he explained her recipe for success was always having an open dialogue with opponents. she knew how to manage the relationship with the board of supervisors and get the necessary votes. and she was she was demanding and respectful of >> department heads at the same time. wonderment says he will always remember feinstein as a tenacious and caring woman with attention to detail. >> reporting in san francisco, i'm ella sogomonian the kron. 4 news and reaction to senator feinstein's staff has just been pouring in from people who live in san francisco and beyond. >> san francisco, of course, her city, a place where she truly left her. mark, here's what some of those people had to say. >> think her career-wise just and it's sad that. altered off towards the end because they were, you know, wanting her to step down. this really trying on to proceed and represent. california. i mean, just. >> that initiat

. >> in the 1980's bay area council ceo jim wunderman was promoted to senior adviser to mayor feinstein after he came on board in his 20's as the youngest person to work in her administration. he explained her recipe for success was always having an open dialogue with opponents. she knew how to manage the relationship with the board of supervisors and get the necessary votes. and she was she was demanding and respectful of >> department heads at the same time. wonderment says he will always remember feinstein as a tenacious and caring woman with attention to detail. >> reporting in san francisco, i'm ella sogomonian kron. 4 news. >> on the other side of the aisle. house speaker kevin mccarthy is also talking about feinstein's staff. >> barker ear was by any standards. the story. speaking personally, i work with senator for quite some time. together on many different bills. but the one that i think stands out was our water legislation. it was historic. the first time in california history. the more than 25 years that we were able to pass water. a win not remember the hours. the nigrts th

. >> there are some who are asking the governor not to sign this bill in a statement, jim wunderman, the ceo of the bay area council, said, as the bay area steadily recovers from the pandemic, this backward step will hurt workers and businesses alike. the unemployment insurance fund has already more than $20 billion in the hole, setting a precedent like this completely upends the prudent fiscal decisions made by governor newsom this past year. state senator portentino says despite the deficit, not many workers go on strike longer than two weeks. he says the state has the money to help those people who do this number of folks who are going to benefit from this is about 150,000in total. >> so it's really not the big impact that the sky is falling that folks are mentioning. >> ryan curry, abc7 news. >> a major gun control proposal from governor gavin newsom has cleared the state assembly. newsom's right to safety proposal calls for a constitutional convention for gun safety. the governor wants lawmakers nationwide to meet to consider a 28th amendment to the constitution tradtion, which

. >> jim wunderman, now president and ceo of the bay area council , was feinstein's special assistant from 1983 to 1988. he recalls interning for her in the mayor's office. >> mayor feinstein said, well, you know, i think when jim graduates, because it was in my now in my last year at san francisco state, she said, maybe we'll hire him. you know, she sort of put that out there. >> senator feinstein wasn't just a career maker. boxer says she was also a matchmaker. she also loved to fix people up on dates and took great credit for a few marriages. >> that happened. and she was always searching around. if there was someone in the senate who was single, well, i have a great guy for you. i have a great gal for you. >> but her greatest legacy, perhaps, will be her work in the senate. >> certainly her work on the violence against women act was i don't know that that would have passed into law except for her tremendous efforts. >> representative zoe lofgren says senator feinstein was an avid researcher, one of her favorite phrases. >> well, i'm going to have to read more about that. i'm going

in the 1980's bay area council ceo jim wunderman was promoted to senior advisor to mayor feinstein after he came on board in his 20's as the youngest person to work in her administration. explain to us her recipe for success was always having an open dialogue with opponents. >> she knew how to manage the relationship with the board of supervisors and get the necessary votes. and she was she was demanding and respectful of department heads at the same time. >> one woman says he'll always remember feinstein as a tenacious and caring woman with attention to detail. east bay congresswoman barbara is running for dianne feinstein's senate seat. governor newsom has said he will choose a black woman fill that seat but says he will not appoint anyone in the interim who is currently running that rosalia out to be appointed to finish feinstein's term. apparently we asked her about that on the news at 6. >> i'm not anything except that we need to take time to honor the legacy. ally of senator feinstein. that's all i have to say. they'll be time to talk about other things about politics and policies.

jim wunderman is the president of the bay area council. , he was a senior staff member for mayor feinstein. jim joins us now live. and i understand and you spoke with her just a few days ago, if you're able to share to your comfort, jim, what did you say? how was she? well, it's actually it was a number of weeks ago. i visited with her at her home in washington, d.c. and so i had a chance to sit with her for a while and reflect on the old times and, you know, god enjoy a moment with someone who's done so much and who's meant so much to me personally. her my experience with her as mayor of san francisco back in the 1980s was extremely formative in my life. and my career, certainly. and you know, i'm a better person for having the opportunity to know her and work for her and experience what what true leadership is like. she's one of a kind. jim i want to know about her governing. when she was mayor of san francisco, she was a mayor. she was a centrist back then. but she knows san francisco. you know, we can lead many different ways. and when

. >> in the 1980's bay area council ceo jim wunderman was promoted to senior adviser to mayor feinstein after he came on board in his 20's as the youngest person to serve in her administration. he explained her recipe for success was always having an open dialogue with opponents. >> she reached out to both sides. she she on an issue she made sure that >> people were heard. she she held meetings and are off those that were it when people had a chance to express themselves. but she also expressed herself and she tended to have a point of view that was strong once she made up her mind to where she stood on something and then she really drove it. feinstein was an ally in san francisco's rights movement. >> and supported the search for answers when the aids epidemic ravaged the city. >> focusing on securing medical resources. feinstein is also credited with saving the iconic cable cars by securing 1 million dollars in funding. >> it's hard to imagine the city without them. wunderman explain that. feinstein asked for a lot, but she also gave a lot. and as we see today, she will be missed by m

. >> in a statement, jim wunderman, the ceo of the bay area council, said as the bay area steadily recovers from the pandemic, this backward step will hurt workers and businesses alike. the unemployment insurance fund has already more than $20 billion in the hole set . a precedent like this completely upends the prudent fiscal decisions made by governor newsom this past year. state senator portentino says despite the deficit, not many workers go on strike longer than two weeks. he says the state has the money to help those people who do this number of folks who are going to benefit from this is about 150,000. >> in total. so it's really not the big impact. the sky is falling that folks are are mentioning. >> ryan curry, abc7 news. >> okay. weekend is here. people have plants. >> they do and it's starting to feel a little chilly outside. we check in now with abc7 news meteorologist sandy patel for a look at the weekend ahead. >> yeah, and the weekend is looking good but yes, it's starting to feel like sweater weather around here. armand and let me show you a live picture right now from our e

jim wunderman came on board in his 20's as the youngest person to work with her administration in the 1980's when she was mayor wunderman shared this picture of the 2 taken last year during his visit to her home in washington, d.c., he shared some of her career-high lights and local politics taking the helm as mayor when her colleagues on the board of supervisors, mayor george moscone e and harvey milk were assassinated. she process the gruesome discovery of their bodies at city hall, then gather composure and address the public is acting mayor feinstein was an ally in the lgbt rights movement, too. in the 80's supported the search for answers when the aids epidemic struck the city focusing on health resources. feinstein is also credited with saving the cable cars by securing million dollars in funding. wonderment says that her recipe for success was always having an open dialogue with opponents. >> reached out to both sides. she she on an issue she made sure that >> people were heard. she she held meetings and are off. does that work? it with? people had a chance to express themselve

. >> in the 1980's bay area council jim wunderman was promoted to senior adviser to mayor feinstein after he came on board in his 20's as the youngest person to work in her administration. he explained her recipe for success was always having an open dialogue with opponents. >> she knew how to manage relationship with the board of supervisors and get the necessary votes. and she was she was demanding and respectful of department heads at the same time. >> wonder unexplained feinstein asked for a lot, but she gave a lot too. and as we see today, she will be missed by so many live in the newsroom. ella sogomonian kron, 4 news. all right, thank you for your coverage. >> at our nation's capitol, the white house lowering our country's flag at half-staff for the late sen. and you can see that flag being lowered gently to half-staff on your screen right now. and more nationwide reaction to the passing of the late senator. more have taken to social media with that we're going to share with you now, president biden saying senator dianne feinstein was in pioneering american a true trailblazer and f

. >> jim wunderman, now president and ceo of the bay area council, was feinstein's special assistant from 1983 to 1988. he recalls interning for her in the mayor's office. >> mayor feinstein said, well, you know, i think when jim graduates because it was in my now in my last year at san francisco state, she said, maybe we'll hire him. you know, she sort of put that out there. >> senator feinstein wasn't just a career maker. boxer says she was also a matchmaker. >> she also loved to fix people up on dates and took great credit for a few marriages that happened. she was always searching around. if there was someone in the senate who was single, well, i have a great guy for you. i have a great gal for you. but her greatest legacy, perhaps, will be her work in the senate. >> certainly her work on the violence against women act was i don't know that that would have passed into law except for her tremendous efforts. >> representative zoe lofgren says senator feinstein was an avid researcher, one of her favorite phrases. >> well, i'm going to have to read more about that. i'm going to have