Namely, the environment immediately surrounding her multimillion-dollar mansion, high in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.

We previously linked to real estate porn of Senator Feinstein’s palatial residence. We now learn, via the San Francisco Chronicle, that recent landscaping changes by DiFi have infuriated city officials and her neighbors.

Details appear after the jump.

The Chronicle reports:

[W]orkers remodeling the Pacific Heights mansion that [Dianne Feinstein and her super-rich husband Dick Blum] just bought leveled all the green in the adjoining public garden — without the city’s approval. And not just any green — we’re talking about a Tivoli-style garden just off the front entrance of the couple’s $16.5 million abode, which sits at the foot of Vallejo Street, between the Presidio and some of the city’s most posh residences.

The garden is actually part of the city-owned Lyon Street steps — a favorite of joggers, walkers and tourists looking for a picture-postcard view, and even for teenagers looking to sneak a late-night drink or two.

City officials were surprised and upset. But so was Senator Feinstein:

“I went ballistic,” Feinstein told us. “I didn’t want to take it out. … I could have used it. Now I have to do a whole new sprinkler system.”

Our heart goes out to you, Senator Feinstein! Would that we all had such problems…

Check out the “before” and “after” photos here. Who knew Hurricane Katrina made it all the way to the West Coast?

Trouble at Di’s Palace? [SFLuxe]
Bloom Is Off the Rose for Public Garden at Feinstein Mansion [San Francisco Chronicle]

Earlier: Remainders: You Backed the Right Horse

• Diane Feinstein is richer than you. [SFluxe]
  
• Tom Kean has a plan to lower gas prices, if he could just get that damn computer to work. [Hotline Blog]

• Orrin Hatch has backed some pretty strange legislation, but what else do you expect from a guy who wears triple-starched tab collar shirts? [FireHatch]

The U.S. Attorney's office in San Diego is trying to seize the home of eminently indictable California Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. This is not, mind you, the San Diego manse that Cunningham pawned of on his defense-contractor padrone Mitchell Wade, who then sold it at price $700,000 lower than what he paid his congressional protege. Nor is it "The Duke Stir," the puckishly named DC-area house boat that Wade quartered Cunningham rent-free for 15 months; that one's already been boarded and searched by the feds, plus the DC Yacht Club where it's docked is reportedly seeking eviction proceedings against Cunningham. This, rather, is the luxe Rancho Santa Fe compound that Cunningham put on the market last week for a cool $3.5 million. The U.S. attorney's office is seeking to get it forfeited to the feds since its "is derived from proceeds traceable to" alleged violations of federal bribery law. Should this tactic fail, though, there's always the old grab-Mitchell-Wade-by-his-ankles-and-shake-a-few-hundred-grand-from-his-pockets approach. Hey, it's got Cunningham this far. --HOLLY MARTINS

Seizure of Lawmaker's Home Sought by U.S. Attorney" [Washington Post]