The Brief

As the Blue Angels roared overhead, about 1,500 mourners gathered in front of San Francisco City Hall Thursday to remember the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who made history here as the city’s first female mayor in the aftermath of two political assassinations that shook San Francisco to the core, and then as California’s first woman Senator, a post she held for 31 years. She was the longest-serving female senator in U.S. history.

The state’s biggest political stars, including Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom, were among those gathered to pay respects to a woman who broke numerous glass ceilings over her decades in politics.

“Dianne commanded respect and she gave respect,” Harris said. “She was a serious and gracious person who welcomed debate and discussion, but always required that it would be well informed and studied. And I believe that this city where she started had a lot to do with that.”

“To the uninitiated here, I will let you in on a well-known secret. San Francisco politics is rough and tumble,” Harris added, to laughter from the memorial’s attendees.

Feinstein died last week in her Washington, D.C., home at age 90. She had struggled in recent years to fulfill her Senatorial obligations as her health declined — but in true Feinstein fashion, she showed up to cast a vote hours before her death.

That tenacity and grit was honored by many of the speakers Thursday, who in addition to Harris included San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Representative Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Feinstein’s only grandchild, Eileen Mariano.

“Senator Feinstein, that is her official title. It’s how Californians and people all over the world knew her. But to us San Franciscans, she was Mayor Dianne Feinstein,” Breed said in opening remarks.

Breed recounted an old memory of playing French horn in a junior high school band in San Francisco, which was nicknamed the “Dianne Feinstein Band.” She told KQED last week that playing for Feinstein was one of her most cherished memories.

Feinstein as a role model

Feinstein inspired a generation of women, including Breed.

“She showed us a world where women lead, where we lift each other up, so that girls like me could follow in her footsteps,” Breed said.

High-profile memorial attendees also included Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee and Adam Schiff, who are competing for Feinstein’s Senate seat. Other attendees included Christine Pelosi, former mayor Willie Brown, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and newly sworn-in Sen. Laphonza Butler, who Newsom appointed this week to Feinstein’s seat.

Feinstein was also honored in the skies above, as the Blue Angels soared over the memorial. They are set to perform a “Missing Woman” formation this weekend in her memory, an appropriate homage to Feinstein who is credited with bringing Fleet Week to San Francisco in 1981.

In a recorded message played across the City Hall lawn, President Joe Biden noted Feinstein’s work on the assault weapons ban, her environmental stewardship, and her leadership for women.

“Based on her character in action up close and personal, she was always tough, prepared, rigorous, compassionate. She always served the people of California and our nation for the right reasons to make life better for everyday people and ensure America stood for freedom, transparency and justice at home and abroad,” Biden said.

“She was something else,” he added. “And she was a dear friend. God bless Dianne Feinstein.”

Stories of resilience, sage advice and hydrangeas

Schumer told a story about Feinstein he said was “quintessentially her.”

Feinstein injured her ankle on a morning walk to Lake Tahoe. Some might go to the doctor, Schumer said, but Feinstein said “‘forget it.” — even after hearing her bone “pop.” It was the week of the Lake Tahoe Summit, what she considered a “signature” event to convene leaders in the California public and private sectors that she started after taking office in the Senate.

When Schumer asked how she got through the day, he remembered Feinstein answering, “‘I just did.'”

Schumer said there were a lot of words to describe Feinstein: strong, unflappable, winning, fierce. But one quality stood out to him.

“Her integrity made her sparkle like a diamond in the Senate,” said Schumer.

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was Feinstein’s close ally for decades, and spoke of many accolades after her death, from the San Francisco Giants and 49ers to the thousands who attended her casket viewing in City Hall, Wednesday.

But of all the memorial’s speakers, she spoke the most personally of her longtime friend. She called Feinstein a “matchmaker.”

“Dianne loved cultivating people, and flowers. She cultivated relationships, bringing people together officially, personally, and romantically,” Pelosi said.

Feinstein also loved flowers, Pelosi said, and had “the most fabulous” hydrangeas.

“We all have gotten great advice from Dianne, but the most constant advice I ever got from her again and again was, ‘Nancy, you don’t always have to be the one going out on the attack. Let some other people do that from time to time. Why don’t you do that?'” Pelosi said.

Feinstein also loved San Francisco, she said. Feinstein was such a “commanding” mayor for “ten powerful years,” that when her term was up and men began to run for mayor, Pelosi recalled schoolchildren saying, “can a man be mayor of San Francisco?”

Pelosi accompanied Feinstein’s body on a military plane back from Washington, D.C., earlier this week, along with her daughter Katherine Feinstein and the senator’s chief of staff, James Sauls.

On Thursday, Pelosi, a longtime San Francisco neighbor of the Senator, said Feinstein lived, and died, on her own terms — and recalled her as not only a stateswoman, but a friend.

On Wednesday, Feinstein laid in state inside City Hall, where members of the public mourned alongside political leaders to pay their respects.

A granddaughter’s farewell

Thursday’s memorial was closed out by Feinstein’s granddaughter, Eileen Mariano.

“To me, she will be remembered as the most incredible grandmother. Minutes after I was born at the hospital, she exclaimed to my mom and dad, ‘Oh wow, she looks just like me! You should change her name to Dianne,'” Mariano said.

For her entire life, Mariano said she enjoyed an “effortless connection” with her grandmother. Feinstein sketched flowers with her granddaughter, cut her hair and would teach her about San Francisco history.

“At the end of the day, we would curl up, close on the couch, and watch a movie or our favorite TV show. And when it was time to go to sleep, she would say goodnight and she would always sing me the song ‘You Are My Sunshine,'” Mariano said.

“Your family loves you. We are so proud of you. We miss you. And you will always, always be my sunshine,” Mariano said.

The late Senator will be buried at a private funeral later today, according to Feinstein’s office.

Watch the funeral

Community leaders and politicians in Los Angeles are responding in outrage after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman in Minnesota on Wednesday.

The fatal ICE shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good has sparked anger and fear in Los Angeles, which has been an epicenter of federal immigration enforcement since the summer.

Jorge-Mario Cabrera with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, says the killing was upsetting but not surprising.

" Los Angeles has been witness of the escalating aggressiveness of these federal agents against the community," he told LAist.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended the shooting, saying Good was trying to run agents over with her car. That account has been disputed by eyewitnesses, the mayor of Minneapolis and other officials. Bystander video also challenges the federal narrative, according to MPR News.

L.A. politicians have joined a chorus demanding justice for Good. Mayor Karen Bass posted on X, saying that ICE agents are waging "a purposeful campaign of fear and intimidation" on American cities.

"The senseless killing of an innocent and unarmed wife and mother by ICE agents today in Minneapolis is shocking and tragic and should never have occurred," she said in the post.

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn called on Noem to withdraw ICE from U.S. cities.

“These ICE agents are undertrained and trigger happy and everyone who has seen this video knows ICE murdered this woman,” she said in a statement.

Some protesters also gathered outside the federal building in downtown L.A. Thursday morning to condemn the killing.

Chris Ramon’s corner office at Pasadena Humane boasts a sweeping view of the San Gabriel Mountains peaking over Pasadena and Altadena.

Ramon, the organization’s president and CEO, said this week that he couldn’t help but remember what the same window looked like a year ago, when the Eaton Fire “changed our lives forever.”

“The mountains that we're looking at right now and admiring were being engulfed in flames,” Ramon told LAist. “For us as an organization, that's what kicked off one of the most devastating situations and experiences we've ever had to navigate through.”

Chris Ramon, president and CEO of Pasadena Humane, said he couldn't help but remember what this window looked like a year ago during the Eaton Fire.

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Pasadena Humane helped more than 1,500 pets and wildlife during the fire and in the aftermath, providing shelter, medical care and emergency resources. The organization also helped reunify pets and livestock with the humans who love them.

Several animals affected by the fire are still in the organization’s care. They include four dogs at Pasadena Humane, as well as three cats and a guinea pig in foster homes.

“Several people who lost their homes are still trying to figure out what their next step is,” Ramon said. “We told the community, and everybody who was affected by the Eaton Fire, that we would be here and we would provide help.”

Pasadena Humane marked the one-year anniversary of the fire this week with a show of gratitude for another Southern California shelter who helped the organization weather the storm.

Pasadena officials are supporting San Diego Humane Society as it deals with a hoarding case by taking in adoptable dogs. They described it as a “full-circle moment.”

‘Unimaginable’ toll

In the first three weeks after the Eaton Fire erupted, Pasadena Humane took in about 1,000 animals that were injured, displaced and separated from their families.

Patients of all shapes, sizes and scales were welcome.

Reggie getting his paws bandaged for burns in Pasadena Humane's ICU during the Eaton Fire.

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Reggie healed up in his new home after being adopted from Pasadena Humane.

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Bearded dragons were set-up with warming lamps, koi fish were placed into proper ponds and a horse was housed in Pasadena Humane’s garage when Ramon ran into its owner walking miles down Raymond Avenue.

Pasadena Humane search-and-rescue teams went into burn zones looking for animals in need of assistance. Those teams reunited pets with owners in an effort to make sure the organization had enough space for those that didn’t have anywhere else to go — including an Altadena neighborhood cat whom the residents named Skinny Minnie.

Pasadena Humane teams looked for pets and wildlife in Eaton burn zones, dropping off food and water along the way.

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The cat was brought into Pasadena Humane with severe injuries as the fire was still raging. Her whiskers were singed and her body was so badly burnt that staff “couldn't tell what color she was,” Ramon said.

They weren’t sure if Skinny Minnie would survive.

Riley arrived at Pasadena Humane's ICU with burns and smoke inhalation during the Eaton Fire.

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Riley was adopted after months of treatment, according to Pasadena Humane.

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The cat stayed in Pasadena Humane’s intensive care unit for several months, which by that time had become a makeshift burn ward.

Skinny Minnie endured the invasive medical treatments used to tend to her wounds, later revealing a gentle personality, seeking cuddles and scratches from caretakers or veterinary staff, Ramon said.

After months of treatment, the cat was reunited with a pair of Altadena residents.

It was the “win that we needed,” Ramon said.

Paying it forward

San Diego Humane Society took in more than 50 animals from Pasadena Humane to clear space during the fire, which officials said was critical for their operations during the crisis.

So, Pasadena Humane returned the favor Wednesday.

Sebastian was among the dogs Pasadena Humane took in from San Diego Humane Society on Wednesday.

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Sebastian is available for adoption at Pasadena Humane as of Thursday.

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It welcomed nine dogs from San Diego to free up resources as the organization deals with a large-scale hoarding case. A tenth dog was also expected to arrive, but was adopted.

Nina Thompson, San Diego Humane Society's director of public relations, told LAist the organization was bursting at the seams caring for 725 dogs before 40 more were rescued from an apartment in La Mesa.

The organization's four campuses were already operating well over capacity before the 40 dogs and puppies were removed from the 500-square-foot home, according to Thompson.

"This transport is a huge help," she said.

Pasadena Humane took in nine dogs from San Diego Humane Society while it deals with a large hoarding case.

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San Diego Humane Society officials say the transfer will free up space and resources so staff can focus on animals involved with the hoarding case.

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The San Diego dogs are available for adoption at Pasadena Humane as of Thursday. Two of those dogs have already found their forever homes, according to the organization.

The Trump administration will withdraw from dozens of international organizations, including the U.N.'s population agency and the U.N. treaty that establishes international climate negotiations, as the U.S. further retreats from global cooperation.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order suspending U.S. support for 66 organizations, agencies, and commissions, following his administration's review of participation in and funding for all international organizations, including those affiliated with the United Nations, according to a White House release.

Most of the targets are U.N.-related agencies, commissions and advisory panels that focus on climate, labor, migration and other issues the Trump administration has categorized as catering to diversity and "woke" initiatives. Other non-U.N. organizations on the list include the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and Global Counterterrorism Forum.

"The Trump Administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation's sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

Trump's decision to withdraw from organizations that foster cooperation among nations to address global challenges comes as his administration has launched military efforts or issued threats that have rattled allies and adversaries alike, including capturing autocratic Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and indicating an intention to take over Greenland.

U.S. builds on pattern of exiting global agencies

The administration previously suspended support from agencies like the World Health Organization, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA, the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO. It has taken a larger, a-la-carte approach to paying its dues to the world body, picking which operations and agencies it believes align with Trump's agenda and those that no longer serve U.S. interests.

"I think what we're seeing is the crystallization of the U.S. approach to multilateralism, which is 'my way or the highway,'" said Daniel Forti, head of U.N. affairs at the International Crisis Group. "It's a very clear vision of wanting international cooperation on Washington's own terms."

It has marked a major shift from how previous administrations — both Republican and Democratic — have dealt with the U.N., and it has forced the world body, already undergoing its own internal reckoning, to respond with a series of staffing and program cuts.

Many independent nongovernmental agencies — some that work with the United Nations — have cited many project closures because of the U.S. administration's decision last year to slash foreign assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.

Despite the massive shift, the U.S. officials, including Trump himself, say they have seen the potential of the U.N. and want to instead focus taxpayer money on expanding American influence in many of the standard-setting U.N. initiatives where there is competition with China, like the International Telecommunications Union, the International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization.

The latest global organizations the U.S. is departing

The withdrawal from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, is the latest effort by Trump and his allies to distance the U.S. from international organizations focused on climate and addressing climate change.

UNFCC, the 1992 agreement between 198 countries to financially support climate change activities in developing countries, is the underlying treaty for the landmark Paris climate agreement. Trump — who calls climate change a hoax — withdrew from that agreement soon after reclaiming the White House.

Gina McCarthy, former White House National Climate Adviser, said being the only country in the world not part of the treaty is "shortsighted, embarrassing, and a foolish decision."

"This Administration is forfeiting our country's ability to influence trillions of dollars in investments, policies, and decisions that would have advanced our economy and protected us from costly disasters wreaking havoc on our country," McCarthy, who co-chairs America Is All In, a coalition of climate-concerned U.S. states and cities, said in a statement.

Mainstream scientists say climate change is behind increasing instances of deadly and costly extreme weather, including flooding, droughts, wildfires, intense rainfall events and dangerous heat.

The U.S. withdrawal could hinder global efforts to curb greenhouse gases because it "gives other nations the excuse to delay their own actions and commitments," said Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists that tracks countries' carbon dioxide emissions.

It will also be difficult to achieve meaningful progress on climate change without cooperation from the U.S., one of the world's largest emitters and economies, experts said.

The U.N. Population Fund, the agency providing sexual and reproductive health worldwide, has long been a lightning rod for Republican opposition, and Trump cut funding for it during his first term. He and other GOP officials have accused the agency of participating in "coercive abortion practices" in countries like China.

When President Biden took office in January 2021, he restored funding for the agency. A State Department review conducted the following year found no evidence to support GOP claims.

Other organizations and agencies that the U.S. will quit include the Carbon Free Energy Compact, the United Nations University, the International Cotton Advisory Committee, the International Tropical Timber Organization, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, the Pan-American Institute for Geography and History, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies and the International Lead and Zinc Study Group.
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