Dianne Feinstein

Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is the senior U.S. Senator from California, having held office as a senator since 1992. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Senator Feinstein holds a number of "firsts"; she was the first female President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, San Francisco's first and only female mayor, the first woman to serve in the Senate from California, one of two first female Jewish senators, the first woman to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the first woman to chair the Rules and Administration committee of that body.

[edit] Early life and career

Feinstein was born Dianne Emiel Goldman^[1] in San Francisco to Betty Rosenburg, a former model, and Leon Goldman, a nationally renowned surgeon who was the first Jewish person made tenured physician at the UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco.^[2] Feinstein's paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Poland, while her maternal grandparents, who were of the Russian Orthodox faith, left St. Petersburg, Russia after the 1917 Russian Revolution;^[3] Feinstein's maternal grandfather was an imperial army officer^[4] who was a convert from Judaism to Christianity. Feinstein attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart High School and was given a Catholic religious education, but also attended Hebrew school and was confirmed in the Jewish faith at the age of thirteen, having said that she has "always considered [herself] Jewish".^[3]

Feinstein has two sisters, Lynne Kennedy and Yvonne Banks. She received her B.A. degree in history in 1955 from Stanford University. In 1956, she married Jack Berman, a colleague in the San Francisco District Attorney's office. They were divorced three years later. Their daughter, Katherine Feinstein Mariano (b. 1957), is a superior court judge in San Francisco. Berman later became a judge; he died in 2002. In 1962, shortly after starting her career in politics, she married neurosurgeon Bertram Feinstein, who died of colon cancer in 1978. In 1980, she married Richard C. Blum, an investment banker. She is adamantly Pro-Israel and a member of AIPAC.

Feinstein has received scrutiny for husband Richard Blum's extensive business dealings with China and her past votes on trade issues with the country. Critics have argued that Feinstein's support of policies that may benefit her husband may raise the appearance of a conflict of interest.^[5] Suburban newspaper Metroactive reported in 2007 that Feinstein's husband holds large investments in companies that have won large government contracts without competitive bidding. In April 2007, Feinstein's office denied there was a conflict of interest and stated that her departure from the subcommittee had nothing to do with the reports in the Metro weeklies.

As of December 2006, according to SEC filings and Fedspending. Org, three corporations in which Blum's financial entities own a total of $1 billion in stock won considerable favor from the budgets of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 2003, Feinstein was ranked the fifth wealthiest senator, with an estimated net worth of $26 million.^[6] By 2005 her net worth had increased to between $43 million and $99 million.^[7] Her 347-page financial disclosure statement^[8] — characterized by the San Francisco Chronicle as "nearly the size of a phonebook" — draws clear lines between her assets and those of her husband, with many of her assets in blind trusts.^[9]

[edit] Early political career

Prior to elected service, she was appointed by then-California Governor Pat Brown to serve as a member of the California Women Parole Board. In 1969, Feinstein won a position on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She remained on the Board for nine years, becoming its first female president.

During her tenure on the Board of Supervisors, she unsuccessfully ran for mayor of San Francisco twice, in 1971 against mayor Joseph Alioto, and in 1975, when she lost the contest for a runoff slot (against George Moscone) by one percentage point, to supervisor John Barbagelata.

[edit] Mayor of San Francisco

On November 27, 1978, San Francisco mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by a rival politician, Dan White, who had resigned from the Board of Supervisors only two weeks prior. Feinstein announced the assassinations to the stunned public, stating: "As president of the board of supervisors, it's my duty to make this announcement. Both Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk have been shot and killed."^[10] As president of the Board of Supervisors, Feinstein automatically ascended to the mayoral position on December 4. She served out the remainder of the term and was elected in her own right in 1979 and re-elected in 1983.

One of the first challenges to face Feinstein as mayor was the state of the San Francisco cable car system. In late 1979 the system had to be shut down for emergency repairs, and an engineering evaluation concluded that it needed comprehensive rebuilding at a cost of $60 million. Feinstein took charge of the effort, and helped win federal funding for the bulk of the rebuilding job. The system closed for rebuilding in 1982 and reopened in 1984 in time for the Democratic National Convention that was held in the city that year.^[11]

In the run up to the convention, there was considerable media and public speculation that Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale might pick Feinstein as his running mate. However, he chose Geraldine Ferraro instead. Also in 1984, Feinstein proposed banning handguns in San Francisco, and became subject to a recall attempt organized by the White Panther Party. She won the recall election and finished her second term as mayor on January 8, 1988.

In 1985, at a press conference, she revealed details about the hunt for Richard Ramírez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker, and in so doing angered detectives by giving away details of his crimes, including displaying actual evidence at the press conference. These revelations subverted their investigation and Ramirez left the San Francisco area to commit another murder before he was finally captured in the Los Angeles area.^[12]

In 1987, City and State magazine named Feinstein the nation's "Most Effective Mayor". Feinstein served on the Trilateral Commission during the 1980s while mayor of San Francisco.

Feinstein appears in archival footage and is credited in the Academy Award-winning documentary film The Times of Harvey Milk (1984).

[edit] Governor's race

In 1990, Feinstein made an unsuccessful bid for Governor of California, losing to Republican Senator Pete Wilson, who vacated his seat in the Senate to assume the governorship. In 1992, she was fined $190,000 for failure to properly report campaign contributions and expenditures associated with that campaign.^[13]

[edit] U.S. Senate career

On November 3, 1992, Feinstein won a special election to fill the Senate seat that became vacant in 1990 when Pete Wilson was elected governor (Wilson had then appointed John F. Seymour to that seat). The election was held at the same time as the general election for U.S. President and other offices. Senator Barbara Boxer was elected at the same time for the seat to be vacated by Alan Cranston. Because Feinstein was elected to an unexpired term, she became a senator as soon as the election was certified, hence she became California's senior senator even though she was elected at the same time as Barbara Boxer.

Feinstein was re-elected in 1994, 2000, and 2006. She is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

A December 2007 poll has her approval rating at 51%, with 39% disapproving.[2]

[edit] Senate Committee Assignments

Feinstein is a member of the following U.S. Senate Committees:

• U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (Chairman)
• U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
  • Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security (Chairman)
  • Administrative Oversight and the Courts
  • Crime and Drugs
  • Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship
  • The Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights
• U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
  • Interior and Related Agencies (Chairman)
  • Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Defense
  • Energy and Water Development
  • Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related agencies
• U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

[edit] Political positions and votes

[edit] Iraq

Feinstein supported the Iraq war resolution in the vote of October 11, 2002; she has claimed that she was misled by President Bush on the reasons for going to war. However, former UN Weapons Inspector in Iraq Scott Ritter has stated that Feinstein in summer 2002 acknowledged to him that she knew the Bush administration had not provided any convincing intelligence to back up its claims about the Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction.^[14]

In February 2007, Feinstein warned Republicans not to block consideration of a measure opposing President Bush's troop increase in Iraq, saying it would be a "terrible mistake" to prevent debate on the top issue in America.^[15]

In May 2007, Feinstein voted for an Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, which continued to fund the Iraq occupation without a firm timetable for withdrawal. The Senator said "I am deeply disappointed that this bill fails to hold the President accountable for his Administration’s flawed Iraq War policy. The American people have made their voices clear that there must be an exit strategy for Iraq. Yet this President continues to stubbornly adhere to more of the same." However, she still voted for the bill.^[16]

In November 2007, Feinstein was one of only six Democrats to vote to confirm Michael Mukasey as Attorney General.^[17]

[edit] Wiretapping

In August 2007, Feinstein joined Republicans in the Senate in voting to modify the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) by narrowing the scope of its protections to sharply alter the legal limits on the government's ability to monitor phone calls and email messages of American citizens.^[18] Feinstein voted to give the attorney general and the director of national intelligence the power to approve international surveillance of the communications of Americans entirely within the executive branch, rather than through the special intelligence court established by FISA. Many privacy advocates have decried this law and Senator Feinstein's vote in favour of it.^[19]

[edit] USA PATRIOT Act

Feinstein was the original Democratic cosponsor of a bill to extend the USA PATRIOT Act. In a December 2005 statement, Senator Feinstein stated, "I believe the Patriot Act is vital to the protection of the American people."^[20]

[edit] Immigration

Feinstein is a supporter and cosponsor of the H-1B Visa program.

[edit] Environment

Feinstein and her predecessor Senator Alan Cranston worked for over 10 years to pass the California Desert Protection Act. The bill was signed in to law by President Clinton in 1994. The bill protected Template:Convert of California's desert lands as wilderness and national parks.[3] The Act doubled the size of the National Wilderness Preservation System in California, and was the largest wilderness bill in California's history.

Senators Feinstein and Barbara Boxer were the champions of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, which was signed in to law by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006. The bill protected Template:Convert of federal land as wilderness and Template:Convert of stream as a wild and scenic river, including such popular areas as the King Range and Cache Creek.[4] Senators Feinstein and Boxer worked with Representative Mike Thompson, the sponsor of the bill in the House, in the 5-year effort to pass the legislation.

Feinstein along with her colleague Boxer voted in favor of subsidy payments to conventional commodity farm producers at the cost of subsidies for conservation-oriented farming.^[21] More recently, Feinstein has not taken a stand on the widely criticized subsidies in the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill.^[22]

[edit] Death penalty

Feinstein is a supporter of capital punishment.

[edit] Free speech

She was the main Democratic sponsor of the failed 2006 constitutional Flag Desecration Amendment.^[23]

She also voted for the McCain-Feingold legislation.

After heavily supporting President Bush's Immigration Reform Bill, she mentioned that she was "looking into revising" the Fairness Doctrine, specifically targeting Talk Radio.^[24]

[edit] Gun politics

She is opposed by gun rights organizations, who say that her proposals on gun control are unconstitutional.

In 1993, Feinstein, along with then-Representative Charles Schumer (D-NY), led the fight to ban many semi-automatic firearms and restrict the sale of firearm magazines deemed assault weapons. The ban was passed as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. In 2004, when the ban was set to expire, Feinstein sponsored a 10-year extension of the ban as an amendment to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act; while the amendment was successfully added, the act itself failed. The act was then revived in 2005, and, despite Feinstein's best efforts, was passed without an extension of the assault weapons ban.

Feinstein said on CBS-TV's 60 Minutes, February 5, 1995, "If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States for an outright ban, picking up every one of them . . . Mr. and Mrs. America, turn 'em all in, I would have done it. I could not do that. The votes weren't here."

In July 2006, Feinstein voted against the Vitter Amendment to prohibit Federal funds being used for the confiscation of lawfully owned firearms during a disaster.^{[25] [26]}

[edit] Intellectual property

Feinstein has supported Hollywood and the content industry when it has come into conflict with technology and fair use on intellectual property issues. In 2006 she cosponsored the "PERFORM Act" or the "Platform Equality and Remedies for Rights Holders in Music Act of 2006" to the Senate, which would require satellite, cable and internet broadcasters to pay fair market value for the performance of digital music. Additionally, the bill would require the use of readily available and cost-effective technological means to prevent music theft. Over the Air Broadcasting would not be affected.^[27] Feinstein's consistent backing of the content industry and attacks on fair use have earned her poor marks with the EFF and IPac.

[edit] Congressional scorecards

See also Template:CongLinks

Project Vote Smart provides the following results from congressional scorecards.^[28]

• American Civil Liberties Union – 73% for 2005–2006
• Americans for Democratic Action – 90% for 2006
• American Land Rights Association – 11% for 2006
• Americans for Tax Reform – 10% for 2006
• AFL-CIO – 100% in 2006
• Campaign for America's Future – 100% for 2005-2006
• Conservative Index-John Birch Society – 20% for Fall 2004
• Children's Defense Fund – 90% for 2006
• Drum Major Institute – 75% for 2005
• Family Research Council – 0% for 2006
• FreedomWorks – 8% for 2006
• Gun Owners of America – 0% for 2006
• Humane Society of the United States – 100% for 2005-2006
• League of Conservation Voters – 100% for 2006
• NARAL Pro-Choice America – 100% for 2006
• National Association of Wheat Growers – 66% for 2005
• National Education Association – 100% for 2005-2006
• National Federation of Independent Business – 22% for 2005-2006
• National Journal – Composite liberal score of 76.5% for 2006
• National Organization for Women – 86% for 2005-2006
• National Rifle Association – F for 2006
• National Right to Life Committee – 0% for 2005-2006
• National Taxpayers Union – 10% for 2006
• Population Connection – 100% for 2006
• Republican Liberty Caucus – 15% for 2005
• Secular Coalition for America – 90% on 2006 scorecards^[29]
• United States Chamber of Commerce – 50% for 2006

[edit] Corruption scandals and accusations

Between 2001 and 2006^[30], Feinstein served as the ranking member of the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, also known as the "MILCON" subcommittee. Feinstein also served as chair of the MILCON subcommittee when the Democrats controlled the Senate in 2001 and 2002.

While on the MILCON subcommitte, Feinstein voted for appropriations worth billions of dollars to firms owned by her husband, Richard C. Blum.^[5] This included millions of dollars in contracts awarded to Blum's Perini Corporation to provide goods and services in Iraq and Afghanistan.^[31]

As the ranking Democratic, Feinstein would have again become chair of the MILCON subcommittee when the Democratically controlled Senate of the 110th Congress was sworn in on January 4, 2007. However, Feinstein resigned from the subcommittee prior to the new congressional term, forfeiting chairmanship of the MILCON subcommittee to Tim Johnson.^[32] Metro Newspapers reported that Feinstein's resignation was attributable to a series of articles, partially funded by the progressive Nation Institute, exposing the potential conflict of interest posed by Feinstein's voting to award contracts to her husband's firms.^{[33] [34]}

In April 2007, Feinstein's office denied any ethical conflict,^[35] however, the director of the Project on Government Oversight who has examined evidence assembled by investigative reporter Peter Byrne stated that “the paper trail showing Senator Feinstein’s conflict of interest is irrefutable.”^[36][37]

Additional scandal arose when it was revealed that members of Feinstein's Senate staff attempted to purge references to these alleged conflicts of interest from the Wikipedia articles on herself and her husband.^[38][39]

Additionally, in 1990, Senator Feinstein failed to disclose that her husband had guaranteed her 1990 campaign loans, which resulted in a US$190,000 fine.^[40] This information was also initially deleted from Wikipedia by a Feinstein staffer in 2006.^[41][39]

[edit] 2006 re-election

Main article: California United States Senate election, 2006

Feinstein was elected for a third full term in 2006. She defeated Republican Richard Mountjoy, Libertarian Michael Metti, Green Todd Chretien, and Peace and Freedom Marsha Feinland in the general election.

[edit] Censure Movement

In 2007, activists from within the California Democratic Party made a push to censure Feinstein.^[42] The resolution, which cited the Senator for "ignoring Democratic principles and falling so far below the standard of what we expect of our elected officials" ultimately failed.^[43] The activists were concerned over her votes to confirm Judge Leslie Southwick and Attorney General Michael Mukasey, and were also concerned about the FISA bill.^[44]

[edit] Ideological ratings

• The American Civil Liberties Union has given her a lifetime rating of 68%.^[45]
• She has been rated by the League of Conservation Voters an average of 88% on environmental issues.^[46]
• The American Conservative Union has given her a lifetime rating of 11 (out of a possible 100).^[47]
• The National Rifle Association has given her an F rating.^[48]
• California Peace Action has given her 67%.^[49]

[edit] Electoral history