San
Francisco International Airport (SFO) has announced a significant development
that will pay tribute to the late Senator and former San Francisco Mayor Dianne
Feinstein, a trailblazer in the city’s and California’s
political landscape. The San Francisco Airport Commission confirmed on Tuesday
that it would rename its international terminal after Feinstein, who passed
away last year at the age of 90.
The decision was
prompted by a campaign led by the ‘Dianne Feinstein 100-Plus Committee’, a
group of prominent local figures chaired by former San Francisco Mayor and
longtime State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, as well as retired SFO Airport
Director John L. Martin. The Airport Commission, after reviewing the renaming
proposal, acknowledged "compelling reasons to honor the nominee".
In a press
release, the commission highlighted Feinstein's significant contributions
to the city and state, including negotiating a transformative 30-year lease and
use agreement with airlines, an initiative that led to the construction of the
airport's first international terminal in 1983. Feinstein's involvement in
bringing BART transit directly to the international terminal, supporting the
implementation of SFO's first in-line baggage screening system after 9/11, and
facilitating SFO's access to new FAA technology for improved safety and reduced
delays were also noted.
“The naming of the San Francisco International Terminal
after Sen. Feinstein is a fitting tribute to a woman who opened the doors for
so many other women leaders throughout the city, state and nation,” Jim
Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the Dianne Feinstein 100-Plus Committee, told the Los
Angeles Times. He emphasized that international travelers, in
addition to seeing a new name on the terminal's signs, will have an opportunity
to reflect on a leader, “who is an incredible defender of democracy, someone
who always stood against authoritarianism and was in her own right a civil
rights leader for all communities.”
The collaboration
between the airport commission and the Feinstein 100-Plus Committee will extend
beyond the renaming, encompassing additional efforts to celebrate Feinstein's lasting
legacy in connection to both the airport and the city of San Francisco. From
here, SFO will work with the group to develop an approach for implementing its
plans, collaborating on the locations, design and content of the airport alterations.
As yet, there has not been a timeline specified for the project.
Feinstein, the
first woman to represent California in the Senate and the longest-serving woman
in the Senate, passed away in September 2023. The renaming of the international
terminal stands as a symbolic acknowledgment of her enduring impact on
California and her pioneering role in American politics.
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