Mourners pay their respects to Dianne Feinstein in San Francisco City Hall
U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. second from left, surrounded by her husband Paul, left, Katherine Feinstein, second from right, and daughter Nancy Pelosi, right, blows a kiss at the casket of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein as it lies in state at City Hall Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in San Francisco. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco’s mayor. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
SAN FRANCISCO — Mourners are paying their respects Wednesday to the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in San Francisco City Hall, where she launched her groundbreaking political career and where she spent a decade as the city’s first female mayor.
Feinstein’s casket was carried into the City Hall rotunda, where it was draped with an American flag, with San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Feinstein’s daughter and granddaughter following behind. Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also of San Francisco, was among the officials in attendance. Feinstein died Thursday at her Washington, D.C., home after a series of illnesses.
A steady line of people solemnly waited for their chance to honor Feinstein.
Jose Romero Cooper, 61, and 73-year-old Mark Cooper, a married couple, were among the first. They said they followed Feinstein’s career with pride.
“What I’m gonna say is thank you for everything, for being strong,” he said.
He stood before the casket, genuflected and crossed himself. He walked away with tears streaming down his face.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. second from left, surrounded by her family, places her hands over the casket of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein at City Hall Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in San Francisco. Feinstein’s body will lie in state at San Francisco City Hall. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco’s mayor. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., puts her arm around the casket of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein at City Hall Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in San Francisco. Feinstein’s body will lie in state at San Francisco City Hall. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco’s mayor. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. second from left, surrounded by her husband Paul, left, Katherine Feinstein, second from right, and daughter Nancy Pelosi, right, blows a kiss at the casket of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein lies in state at City Hall Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in San Francisco. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco’s mayor. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
An honor guard carries the the casket of the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein up the stairs of San Francisco City Hall before a day of lying in state, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Feinstein served as mayor San Francisco from 1978 to 1988, and as senator from 1992 to 2023 when she passed. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
San Francisco Mayor London Breed places her hands on the casket of the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein as she pays her respects during a day of lying in state at San Francisco City Hall, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Feinstein served as mayor San Francisco from 1978 to 1988, and as senator from 1992 to 2023 when she passed. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Lynne Kennedy, sister of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, places her hand on Feinstein’s casket at City Hall Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in San Francisco. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco’s mayor. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Lynne Kennedy, left, sister of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, places her hand on Feinstein’s casket at City Hall Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in San Francisco. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco’s mayor. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
FILE – The City Hall building is shown in San Francisco on Jan. 7, 2020. The body of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will lie in state Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, at City Hall for mourners wishing to say goodbye to their ‘forever mayor.’ It is the building where Feinstein served as supervisor and the city’s first female mayor before departing for a groundbreaking career in Congress three decades ago. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
FILE – Flowers rest at a bust depicting U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein at City Hall in San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2023. The body of the late senator will lie in state Wednesday, Oct. 4, at San Francisco’s City Hall for mourners wishing to say goodbye to their ‘forever mayor.’ It is the building where Feinstein served as supervisor and the city’s first female mayor before departing for a groundbreaking career in Congress three decades ago. (AP Photo/ Benjamin Fanjoy, File)
The body of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is placed at City Hall where it will lie in state, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in San Francisco. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco’s mayor. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s granddaughter Eileen Marino, left, and daughter Katherine Feinstein share a moment at San Francisco City Hall before a public viewing in San Francisco, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco’s mayor. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool)
From left, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s son-in-law, Rick Mariano; her granddaughter, Eileen Mariano; her daughter, Katherine Feinstein; and San Francisco Mayor London Breed greet the body of the late senator as it arrives outside of City Hall in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
San Francisco police and sheriff’s deputies carry the body of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein into City Hall in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
The body of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is placed at City Hall where it will lie in state, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in San Francisco. Feinstein, who died Sept. 29, served as San Francisco’s mayor. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s granddaughter, Eileen Mariano, left, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, right, greet the body of the late senator as it arrives outside of City Hall in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s granddaughter, Eileen Mariano, greets the body of the late senator as it arrives outside of City Hall in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s son-in-law, Rick Mariano, and her daughter, Katherine Feinstein, greet the body of the late senator as it arrives outside of City Hall in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
The body of Senator Dianne Feinstein arrives to lie in state in San Francisco City Hall all day for public viewing in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool)
The body of Senator Dianne Feinstein will lie in San Francisco City Hall all day for public viewing in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool)
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s daughter, Katherine Feinstein, right, hugs her daughter and Feinstein’s granddaughter, Eileen Mariano, as the body of the late senator arrives outside of City Hall in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
The casket of Senator Dianne Feinstein is carried into San Francisco City Hall in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. The body of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will lie in state at San Francisco’s City Hall for mourners wishing to say goodbye. It is the building where Feinstein served as a board supervisor and the city’s first female mayor before departing for a groundbreaking career in Congress three decades ago. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool)
The body of Senator Dianne Feinstein will lie in San Francisco City Hall all day for public viewing in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Mayor London Breed prays over the casket of Senator Dianne Feinstein at San Francisco City Hall before a public viewing in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, Pool)
Feinstein was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and was board president in November 1978 when a former supervisor assassinated Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly gay supervisor, at City Hall. Feinstein became acting mayor, and she went on to serve as mayor until 1988.
San Francisco would not be San Francisco without her. She steered the city through the HIV and AIDS crisis, bringing attention to an epidemic ignored by President Ronald Reagan. She also secured federal and private funding to save the city’s iconic cable cars from death by deterioration.
Feinstein led the city as it played host to the Democratic National Convention in 1984. Another San Francisco tradition — “Fleet Week” — was started by Feinstein in 1981, and this year’s annual celebration of air shows, naval ships and military bands is dedicated to her.
Beyond serving as San Francisco’s first female mayor, she joined Barbara Boxer as the first women to represent California in the U.S. Senate. They both won election in 1992, dubbed the “ Year of the Woman. ”
Feinstein inspired countless girls and women, including Breed, who is the first Black woman and only the second woman to lead the city. Breed recalled looking up to Feinstein when Feinstein was mayor and Breed played the French horn in the middle school band that played regularly at mayoral events.
“She was so proud of us and she said so, and she took the time to talk to us, express how amazing we were and to remind us that we were her band,” Breed said at a press conference the day after the senator’s death.
Cari Donovan placed a bouquet of lilies and daisies in red and pink before the casket.
“I’m a San Francisco native. And I remember her being such a big public figure on my life. She championed and fought for the rights of so many people,” Donovan said, adding that she talked to her 28-year-old daughter about the battles Feinstein fought so that younger generations of women could dream bigger.
“She was a powerhouse,” she said. “She was a lioness.”
While Feinstein’s career sent her to Washington, she remained deeply involved in the affairs of San Francisco, the city where she was born and raised. She often called her successors — including Gov. Gavin Newsom — to complain about potholes or trash and to offer advice and encouragement.
John Konstin Sr., owner of John’s Grill, a favorite downtown tourist destination and watering hole for city politicians, recalled Feinstein ordering potholes filled, trees trimmed and ugly scaffolding brought down before San Francisco hosted the 1984 Democratic convention.
“She asked, ‘How long has this scaffolding been up?’ And my dad said maybe 10 years and the next day it came down,” said Konstin, 59. “It was half a block of scaffolding.”
Feinstein’s favorite dish was the Petrale sole, he said. The restaurant, which celebrates its 115th anniversary Wednesday with a free lunch and appearances by Breed and other politicians, will have flowers by Feinstein’s portrait.
Her casket was slated to arrive at City Hall around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, with mourners paying their respects from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A memorial service will be held Thursday outside City Hall. Speakers will include Pelosi, Breed, Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. President Joe Biden will deliver remarks by recorded video.
Associated Press journalist Haven Daley in San Francisco and researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this report.
