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Home , Dianne Feinstein, George Moscone, Mayor of San Francisco

LEGISLATOR US Senator (D-CA)

IN OFFICE CONTACT

Up for re-election in 2018 Email Contact Form https://www.feinstein.senate. 5th Term gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail- Re-elected in 2012 me

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DC Office 331 Hart Senate Office Building

BGOV BIOGRAPHY

By Jeff Bliss, Brian Nutting and Greg Giroux Dianne Feinstein's deliberate demeanor, willingness to seek compromise with Republicans and occasional disagreements with Democratic Party leaders and President make it unwise to pigeonhole the former mayor as a stereotypical liberal. When many Democrats assailed the December 2010 budget deal that Obama made with Republicans -- which included extending tax cuts for high-income taxpayers -- Feinstein said she was unwilling to oppose the legislation outright. ``To have a fight just for the sake of a fight isn't something I think we should do,'' she said. Feinstein has criticized the Obama administration for its failure to close the U.S. detention facility for suspected terrorists at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, naval base. In 2012, she was critical of the security arrangements at the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and the administration's initial explanation about the terrorist attack there that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. And in 2013, the Democrat, who led the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2009 through 2014, surprised some of her liberal allies by coming to the defense of the 's terrorism surveillance operations, arguing that such programs had prevented numerous attacks. As reports about the extent of the NSA's operations drew concern and criticism, Feinstein scheduled hearings to conduct a ``major review of all intelligence data-collection programs involving Americans.'' She told her constituents in a letter that the programs should comply with the Constitution and protect Americans' privacy rights. Committee Posts Since first winning election to the Senate in 1992, Feinstein has amassed power, with positions on the Appropriations and Judiciary committees. She was the chairman of the Rules and Administration Committee in the 110th Congress and, in that © 2015 Bloomberg Finance L.P. All Rights Reserved Judiciary committees. She was the chairman of the Rules and Administration Committee in the 110th Congress and, in that role, was also in charge of Obama's first inauguration ceremony. In the 113th Congress, she headed the Appropriations panel's Energy and Water Development Subcommittee in addition to her Intelligence Committee chairmanship. She's the top-ranking Democrat on the Intelligence panel in the 114th Congress. When Feinstein took the gavel of the Intelligence panel in 2009, she began a bipartisan investigation into the Central Intelligence Agency's detention and interrogation program. In the aftermath of reports alleging abuse in interrogations, she successfully pressed the Obama administration to end the use of contractors in questioning detainees. In March 2014, Feinstein accused the CIA of acting improperly by searching a computer network that Intelligence Committee staff set up to investigate the CIA's ``enhanced interrogation'' techniques against suspected terrorists during George W. Bush's presidency. ``The CIA's search may well have violated the separation of powers principles embodied in the Constitution'' and ``undermined the constitutional framework'' for effective congressional oversight, Feinstein said on the Senate floor. In July 2014, CIA director John Brennan apologized to Feinstein after an investigation by its inspector general found that agency personnel improperly searched the Senate computers. As chairman, Feinstein has made it a committee priority to win enactment of an annual authorization bill for intelligence activities. She was proud that after six years without such legislation signed into law, she was able to do so for fiscal 2010, 2011 and 2013; her committee approved a bill for fiscal 2012 and sent it on to the Senate floor. She has been one of the most prolific drafters of legislation in Congress -- in the 111th Congress, for example, she sponsored 125 bills, the third most in the Senate. In the 112th, she offered 99 measures, ranking her seventh. She ranked in the top 10 in the 113th Congress as well. Her interests are wide-ranging; in the 113th Congress she introduced bills that were referred to 14 different committees. A prime example of her ability to work across the aisle came in 2007, when she teamed with Maine Republican Olympia Snowe on legislation to increase automotive fuel economy standards fleet-wide (including cars, light trucks and SUVs) to an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. Feinstein allied with Snowe on other matters, including a bill to close the ``Enron loophole'' to prevent fraud, manipulation and speculation in energy markets and on a bill to establish accountability standards for financial institutions that received government bailout funds. Regulation of energy markets is a particular concern; in 2013, she complained that jurisdictional disputes between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had undermined efforts to monitor energy commodity trading. On the Appropriations Committee, Feinstein wielded a gavel on one of the panel's 12 subcommittees for eight consecutive years -- Interior-Environment from 2007 to 2010 and Energy-Water from 2011 to 2014. She used her posts to provide funding for the CalFed water quality program in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and to fight against the use of harmful chemicals, such as phthalates, in consumer items. Early Years Feinstein's first involvement in politics came at , where she was student body vice president. She was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969. Nine years later, after two failed bids for mayor while still serving on the Board of Supervisors, Feinstein was about to announce her decision to leave politics when Mayor and Supervisor were shot to death at City Hall by , a former city supervisor. As president of the Board of Supervisors, Feinstein became acting mayor. She won two full terms on her own, surviving a recall bid waged by gun-rights advocates angered at a city firearms-control law she championed. In the Senate, Feinstein has continued to advocate for strict gun controls. She was the author of the 1994 ban on some semi-automatic weapons that expired in 2004. Efforts to renew that prohibition failed. In the 113th Congress, referencing a series of mass shootings in recent years, including seven in 2012, she offered a bill to reinstate the ban. In 1990, Feinstein unsuccessfully ran for governor against , a Republican senator who resigned his seat in January 1991 to move to Sacramento. In 1992 she prevailed in a special election for the final two years of Wilson's Senate term, defeating Republican John Seymour, whom Wilson -- as governor -- had appointed to fill the seat temporarily. Feinstein and fellow California Democrat , who won a full Senate term, were among the wave of female lawmakers elected in 1992. Feinstein's first re-election bid -- for a full term in 1994 -- was a tight race against Republican Representative , an heir to a natural-gas fortune. Huffington spent $28 million of his own money on the campaign, which at the time was the most expensive congressional election in history. Feinstein won by fewer than 2 percentage points. Her two re-elections since then have been by comfortable margins. Born in June 1933, Feinstein is the oldest member of the Senate. She's also one of the chamber's wealthiest members.

© 2015 Bloomberg Finance L.P. All Rights Reserved Born in June 1933, Feinstein is the oldest member of the Senate. She's also one of the chamber's wealthiest members. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, her financial disclosure forms for 2013 showed a net worth of at least $42 million -- most of it from investments made by her husband, Richard Blum, the president of a private equity firm. With Maryland Democrat retiring at the end of the 114th Congress, Feinstein would become the most senior female senator in January 2017. Updated April 20, 2015

BIO FROM REPRESENTATIVE'S WEBSITE

From the Senator's Website As California's senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein has built a reputation as an independent voice, working with both Democrats and Republicans to find common-sense solutions to the problems facing California and the Nation. Since her election to the Senate in 1992, Senator Feinstein has worked in a bipartisan way to build a significant record of legislative accomplishments ^ helping to strengthen the nation's security both here and abroad, combat crime and violence, battle cancer, and protect natural resources in California and across the country. In the 111th Congress, Senator Feinstein assumed the Chairmanship of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where she oversees the nation's 16 intelligence agencies ^ the first female Senator to hold that position. Senator Feinstein is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she chairs the Subcommittee on Energy and Water. Senator Feinstein also serves on the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, which she chaired during the 110th Congress. In that capacity, Senator Feinstein was the first woman to chair the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, and presided over the Inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. In addition to her official committee assignments, Senator Feinstein is a member of several organizations and associations. Among Senator Feinstein's many affiliations, she serves as Chair of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, Co-Chair of the Senate Cancer Coalition and Co-Chair of the Senate Women's Caucus on Burma. She is also a member of the Anti-Meth Caucus, the Congressional Dairy Caucus and the Congressional Former Mayors Caucus. She has served as a member of the Aspen Strategy Group since 1997. Senator Feinstein's career has been one of firsts. She was the first woman President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman , the first woman elected Senator of California, and the first woman member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. During the 110th Congress, Senator Feinstein became the first woman to chair the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. In that capacity, Senator Feinstein served as the Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Services ^ overseeing the official swearing in ceremony for our nation's 44th President, Barack Obama. Most recently, Senator Feinstein became the first female Senator to assume the chairmanship of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. A native of San Francisco, she was elected to the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors in 1969 and served 2 ½ terms as President of the Board. She became Mayor of San Francisco in November 1978 following the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. The following year she was elected to the first of two four-year terms. As Mayor, Dianne Feinstein managed the City's finances with a firm hand, balancing nine budgets in a row. In 1987, City and State Magazine named her the nation's "Most Effective Mayor." As a Senator, Dianne Feinstein has received a number of awards for her service, including the Outstanding International Public Service Award from the World Affairs Council in 2012, 2007 Legislator of the Year award from the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association, the Charles Dick Medal of Merit from the California National Guard (October 2007), the Grammy on award from the Recording Academy (September 2006), the League of California Cities Congressional Leader of the Year Award (May 2006), the William Penn Mott Jr. Park Leadership Award for singular outstanding achievement on behalf of National Park protecting (March 2006), the Outstanding Member of the U.S. Senate Award by the National Narcotic Officers Associations Coalition (February 2005), the Funding Hero Award from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (October 2004), the Women of Achievement Award from the Century City Chamber of Commerce (October 2004), and the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service in 2001.

© 2015 Bloomberg Finance L.P. All Rights Reserved PERSONAL PROFILE

COMMITTEES Birthdate 06/22/1933 PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS Senate Committee on Education Appropriations Birthplace San Francisco, CA

Senate Select Committee on Political Party Democratic Party Board of Trustees of The Intelligence Junior University Vice Chair Graduated 1985 Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Senate Committee on Rules and Administration 1970 - 1978 Supervisor, County of San Joint Congressional-Executive Francisco 1978 - 1988 Mayor, County of Commission on San Francisco 1988 - 1989 Director, Bank of California 11-04-1992 - Present CAUCUSES Senator:California, (US)Senate Present Vice Chairman, C-Change Senate Cancer Coalition

Senate Womens Caucus on Burma

Senate

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