Family members and former staff of Feinstein, along with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif. and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, were in attendance and spoke to the press after a small private ceremony was held in the building's central courtyard.
Padilla spoke of Feinstein's long tenure in public service and said he hoped public servants who enter the building would reflect on the bar she set as a senator and follow in her example.
"Her impact on gun safety, on environmental protection, on healthcare, of course intelligence oversite, it's only fitting that we dedicate this building in her honor," Padilla said. "It's an honor to serve and nobody set a better standard for that example then Senator Feinstein."
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Feinstein was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1969 and became president of the board in 1970. She became mayor of San Francisco following the 1978 assassinations of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, serving as mayor for 10 years. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 and served until her death at age 90 in September 2023.
Lurie called Feinstein one of San Francisco's "great mayors" and from his perspective every mayor has molded themselves after her focus on getting the job done and managing results.
Padilla introduced legislation in 2024 along with former U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill Feinstein's vacant seat, both to rename the federal building in Civic Center Plaza and a post office located at 180 Steuart Street near the Embarcadero after Feinstein.
The bills passed both houses of Congress and were signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2024.