With the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein, California has lost its groundbreaking senior senator and a giant in state and national politics. She was the rare pragmatic moderate in Congress, embodying the cordiality and cooperation of an earlier, more civil era in Washington. Politics will be poorer for her absence.

We didn’t always agree with Feinstein’s votes or priorities during her thirty years in the Senate. But we respected her approach to legislation and her deep commitment to public service. The memories circulating Friday illustrate Feinstein’s values: integrity, hard work, civility and respect.

Feinstein’s long career included many firsts, including being California’s first female senator and the longest-serving woman in the Senate. At a time when politicians are judged by their tough statements, Feinstein, 90, was a substantive lawmaker. Deliberate and detailed, she was willing to spend the years it sometimes takes to navigate complicated politics.

Feinstein was at the center of so many issues important to Californians. An advocate for environmental conservation, she helped create Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks, protecting millions of acres of desert habitat. As mayor of San Francisco, she led the city during the AIDS epidemic and remained a steadfast advocate for LGBTQ rights and anti-discrimination laws over the years. She defended the Violence Against Women Act, the right to abortion and access to reproductive health care

concern.

She authored the 1994 ban on military-style assault weapons, which reduced associated crime until the law went into effect in 2004. She continued to try to pass a new ban after repeated mass shootings called for restrictions on high-powered, high-capacity weapons. firearms. But by then, Capitol Hill had fallen under the spell of the National Rifle Assn. and other gun rights advocates, and Feinstein’s legislation failed to gain traction.

Feinstein was an old-fashioned stateswoman rooted in the reality of what was politically possible, frustrating many California voters who have pushed for a more ambitious agenda on issues including climate change and immigration reform.

Feinstein appeared increasingly out of step with the political climate in California and the Capitol. Amid declining health and questions about her mental acuity, there were calls for her resignation. Instead, she said she would retire after the 2024 election. Feinstein died at her home in Washington

,

DC, on the eve of

a

a possible government shutdown driven by partisan showmanship and obstruction of the very things she worked against as a senator.

There will be a lot of opinion in the coming days about who Gov. Gavin Newsom should appoint to fill Feinstein’s seat until

the side

term ends. But for now, it’s appropriate to focus on the woman and the legacy she leaves behind.