| Show San Francisco’s mayor may be the next governor of California IW HUES r"ISI I sor and go on to something else” The killings occurred that morning ofNov 27 1978 Feinstein — who had started the day convinced she was a loser — took over and a week later was elected by the other supervisors to fill out Moscone’s term Feinstein remembers now that she instantly knew what she had to do: “I was determined that in my own way I was going to show that the assassinations wouldn’t be successful” she says “I was going to carry out George Moscone’s legacy That meant retaining his people —obviously they hadn’t done anything to precipitate this loss — and trying to see that his programs went on” It was an extraordinary decision: After all Moscone was the man who had defeated her for mayor But she made it stick throughout what would have been the final year of SHE PREPARES TO leave office she is a por-- I trait of success Dianne Feinstein 54 has twice teen elected mayor of San Francisco — tte last t'me with 81 percent of the vote I In 1984 she almost be- I 1 1 came the first woman ImJ Democratic Vice Presidential nominee in 1990 she may become governor of California But what few people have known until now is that on the day she became mayor one of the most successful public officials in this country was planning to quit public life “I had selfdoubt” she remembers now “My was not high” Many people know that Dianne Feinstein became mayor in 1978 on one of the worst days in San Francisco’s history Her predecessor George Moscone was slain in his City Hall office by Dan White a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors White then ran through City Hall past the office Feinstein occupied as board president and killed Supervisor Harvey Milk Feinstein heard shots ran to Milk’s office and discovered his body when she tried to take his pulse her fingers sank into a bullet wound in his wrist Yet she pulled herself together and managed somehow to announce to the public what had happened to take office as acting mayor and stabilize a numbed and battered city Only now has Feinstein begun to talk about the fact that these horrors happened at what was already a low point in her personal life when she was ready to give up her career 1 1 fil fill 11 II LJ ce She is known for her cool analytical mind and her even hand in making decisions But when this subject came up she began to fidget with a matchbook kneading it between her fingers while she psyched herself for the conversation “I lost two elections for mayor in 1971 and 1975” she says “The second time I was the favorite All the polls had me ahead until a week before the election I came in third After that I was convinced I was not electable “Then in 1976 vi- olent reaction Bed- ridden for weeks drugs caused a Feinstein returned to San Francisco weakened dispirited and ready to give up “There’s a saymy husband contracted cancer He ing in politics” she had his first operasays with a knowtion in 1976 He ing smile “ ‘Winwas sick for two ning isn’t everything but defeat has years He died earTop: Mayor Dianne Feinstein ly in 1978” absolutely nothing Above: With her husband Richard Blum To recover from to recommend it’ and daughter Katherine her long ordeal With all the enormous loss and flux in my life I thought Feinstein went on an extended trip to the it was clear that I was considered a Himalayas She visited the Dalai Lama in his Indian exile she trekked through loser I did not think that people would the stunning mountain forests of Nepal elect a woman to the mayor’s job So the day I went back to work I dropped But at 15000 feet she came down with an infection and high fever She by the press room at City Hall and was removed to a hotel in Nepal where told people that I had pretty much a doctor administered antibiotics The resolved to finish my term as supervi BY Moscone’s term There were hard times Riots erupted in the streets when Dan White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter instead of murder “That was totally first-degr- ee says “I thought it was going to be a ‘special circumstance’ verdict — a death penalty verdict White was a public offi- cial Generally we’re held to a higher standard We’re supposed to know better” The wounds of the verdict took years to heal Feinstein was elected in her own right in 1979 In 1980 she married Richard Blum a fellow lover of the Himalayas who is Nepal’s honorary consul in San Francisco “My life began to come together” she says “I learned that I am capable of growth and learning I knew what had to be MICHAEL RYAN PAGE 20 DECEMBER 13 1987 PARADE MAGAZINE |
