Outside City Hall, a large American flag hung beside two city fire trucks.
Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson noted that as mayor, Feinstein had a special relationship with the San Francisco Fire Department.
“She loved the fire department. She carried a helmet and a turnout coat wherever she went,” Nicholson said. “She said that she called for a third alarm one time at a fire she pulled up to, and I believe it.”
Nicholson wasn’t in the department at the time, but she said, as mayor, Feinstein was pivotal in recruiting more female firefighters.
“The first five women in the fire department that came in 1987 — they were nicknamed ‘Feinstein’s finest.’”
A steady stream of mourners filed past a flag-draped coffin holding Feinstein’s body inside the City Hall rotunda, as a string quartet played on the grand staircase. Erica Moreno of Sacramento brought her three daughters along to honor Feinstein.
“I would like my daughters to know that she was a trailblazer and that when you have tenacity, big dreams and willingness, you can accomplish all,” Moreno said. “She was an excellent role model.”
Andrew Xia, 27, wasn’t born when Feinstein was mayor, but he appreciates her accomplishments in her long political career.
“I just remember that her long Senate career especially, and her contributions to San Francisco when she was mayor, in terms of gay rights, in terms of transit, a lot of it really impacts all of us, even in the present day,” Xia said. “Without her, I don’t think we’d have cable cars or the street cars today.”
Some who turned out worked for Feinstein as staff members or, in the case of Dick Morten, a business leader during her tenure in City Hall.
“I was at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the vice president for public affairs, and we worked together on a number of programs and other times we opposed each other. But she was always very gracious and a good friend during that time,” Morten said.
A tragedy ushered Feinstein into the mayor’s office in 1978. As president of the Board of Supervisors, she announced the news that Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been shot and killed. Feinstein, along with Barbara Boxer, would later go on to make history, as California’s first women elected to the Senate in 1992, in what was known as the Year of the Woman, following the controversial Senate confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.
Despite her groundbreaking achievements over more than five decades in public office, Feinstein was sometimes criticized as being too conservative, or for staying in office too long.
None of that matters to Paula Farmer, who came to pay her respects.
“It’s just been an amazing run. And no matter the conflict that people have had with her last years, I think that the work that she did outweighed all of that,” Farmer said.
Among the first to pay tribute to Feinstein was U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who appeared visibly shaken by the loss of her friend.
“She was a person of greatness. She was a stateswoman. She was a national figure. But she was as personal as the poorest person in our city. She always cared,” Pelosi said after signing a book of condolences.
“As mayor of the city, she came in under the most gruesome circumstances, and yet she gave comfort and strength to the city at that difficult time,” Pelosi added. “She and I were not on the same place on the political spectrum. So we had our fun with it all. My family loved her. We were neighbors, we were friends.”
Pelosi will be among those eulogizing Feinstein at a memorial that will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Other speakers will include Vice President Kamala Harris, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and recorded remarks from President Joe Biden.
The memorial, which was originally planned to be open to the public, will now be open only to invited guests “due to increased security,” representatives from Feinstein’s office said in a statement Wednesday evening. The service will be livestreamed here.
This story has been updated.