Lest there be any doubt, Sen. Dianne Feinstein's staff quickly made it clear to The Chronicle Thursday that the senator firmly supports immigration reform and will be happy to speak with the organizers of a pro-reform rally staged in front of her office Wednesday night.
Not that this is any surprise to those who put on the demonstration, which nobody characterized as anything resembling a protest of Feinstein. The crowd of about 500 recited a flurry of chants including "Feinstein listen, we're in the struggle," in Spanish, but organizers said they were confident the pleas fell on sympathetic ears nonetheless.
The Chronicle tried to get a reaction from the senator's office Wednesday but it was after closing hours by then -- the rally started at 5 p.m. Her spokesman, Gil Duran, made it clear Thursday that this didn't mean the office wasn't willing to speak, though, and if we'd jangled him back East late at night he would have been delighted to talk.
Kat Wade, special to The Chronicle
Demonstrators rally in front of Sen. Dianne Feinstein's San Francisco office Wednesday evening.
"We see Sen. Feinstein as having a key role in immigration reform and definitely we will be asking to engage with her," said Dolores Street Community Services Executive Director Erik Quezada, a rally organizer. "We're very glad she wants to talk."
One of Feinstein's latest efforts in immigration reform is sponsoring the AgJobs bill in the Senate, which would create a pathway for undocumented workers to gain permanent residency, and ultimately, citizenship, noted Duran. The bill has gathered more than 21 co-sponsors including Richar Lugar, R-Ind.
"Sen. Feinstein is well on the record as saying she supports comprehensive immigration reform," Duran said.
He said his office will be receptive to a meeting request from reform proponents and he had this direct message to the organizers of Wednesday's rally: "We appreciate them keeping it at the forefront."
