An effort to put late Senator Dianne Feinstein's name on one of the terminals at San Francisco International Airport will be having its first hearing next month at the Airport Commission.
Former Mayor Willie Brown is leading the Dianne Feinstein 100 (plus) Committee, a group of 117 individuals (and counting) who are working to preserve and commemorate the legacy of the late senator and former mayor of San Francisco. And KRON4 first reported last month on the effort to name SFO's International Terminal for Feinstein, which is Priority Number One for the committee.
"It’s time to pay homage and to say ‘thank you’ to a woman leader who broke barriers and glass ceilings galore throughout her 45-year public service career," Brown said in a statement.
Now, as the New York Times' California Today column notes, the Airport Commission will be reviewing the comittee's application for a name change for the terminal in January.
John L. Martin, the retired former director of San Francisco International Airport, is on the Dianne Feinstein 100 (plus) Committee, and he tells the Times that in addition to being a frequent flyer out of the airport throughout her life, Feinstein was fond of offering her feedback on SFO when she saw things that needed doing. For instance, Martin recalls that Feinstein once complained the airport looked dirty during an afternoon when she was passing through, which led to a change in the custodial schedule.
"For 25 years I’ve been recommending, and working, for this historic recognition of our beloved Mayor and U.S Senator. I’m very pleased to submit this application on behalf of the Committee," Martin said in a statement last month.
And Lieutenant Governor and committee member Eleni Kounalakis added, "This application submission is the key first step," saying it was "time to hold a public hearing" on the merits of the renaming.
Feinstein died in September at age 90, barely 12 hours after casting her last vote in the Senate. As such, because she did not retire, she was not eligible for some renaming honors until after her death.
An elementary school in San Francisco already bears Feinstein's name — though the school board included it on a list three years ago of 44 schools it wanted to rename, citing some flag kerfuffle at City Hall. That effort has since been indefinitely shelved.
Other things that may soon bear Feinstein's name, as the Times reports, include "a bicycle trail along Lake Tahoe where she pedalled as a youngster; Diamond Valley Lake in Southern California; [and] the Elk River Trail in Humboldt County." The secretary of the Navy is also being lobbied to name a ship after her.
The committee now has a website, which has the name Dianne Feinstein Forever, and so far only the airport terminal project is highlighted there.
As Jim Lazarus, a longtime colleague and aide, tells the Times, "There were things we thought needed to be done to honor her. I just would have preferred some of this be done while she was alive."