Skip to main content Gov. Newsom says he'll name a Black woman to Senate if Feinstein doesn't finish term FacebookTwitterEmail Sen. Dianne Feinstein with then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom in San Francisco on May 28, 2018.John Storey / Special to the Chronicle SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom would appoint a Black woman to succeed Sen. Dianne Feinstein if she does not finish her term, he said Monday. Newsom faced pressure from African American and progressive political leaders to name a Black woman to replace Vice President Kamala Harris when she gave up her Senate seat in January. Instead, he picked California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who became the first Latino to represent the state in the Senate.