As she nears retirement age, Democrat Donna Perkins understands she’s reluctant to tell Senator Dianne Feinstein what to do as she winds down her career.

After all, California’s senior senator has already announced she is not seeking another term, and some argue the calls to step down early stem from misogyny and ageism.

But after seeing reports of Feinstein’s return to the nation’s capital last week, in a wheelchair and still weak after a nearly three-month absence from Washington as she recovered from shingles, Perkins is more concerned than ever about the 89-year-old senator’s ability to represent 39 million Californians.

“I don’t want to be like that, do I? I’m about to turn 65. I want someone to say, Hey, Donna, you know what? It’s time to pass the torch. It’s sad, but it’s not fair.” or, Perkins said, 64.

Perkins was one of about a dozen Democrats who gathered Thursday night at the Highland Park branch of a Los Angeles library to watch a live stream of a U.S. Senate candidate forum featuring two of the top Democrats who would support Feinstein in 2024. replace, Reps. Barbara Lee from Oakland and Katie Porter from Irvine. The event was sponsored by the progressive California Working Families Party. Representative Adam

B.

Schiff of Burbank was invited to participate but declined.

Questions about Feinstein’s future have been swirling for some time over concerns about declining mental and physical abilities. Concerns mounted after she was briefly hospitalized earlier this year and, while recovering at home in San Francisco, missed votes that resulted in a holdup for confirming some of President Biden’s judicial nominees. Feinstein is a member of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, which was deadlocked due to her absence, causing Democrats to delay voting on nominees who failed to gain support from Republican senators.

Feinstein flew back to Washington on Wednesday, though doctors have advised her to take

on

a lighter workload.

She cast critical votes on Thursday to advance judicial nominees who lacked Republican support. And yet, one

among some California Democrats, Feinstein’s return did little to lessen concerns about her likely effectiveness in the Senate, which were heightened by the Democrats’ paper-thin majority.

Everyone is so diplomatic. I think she needs to take care of herself, and you can’t take care of yourself with that intense responsibility. Something comes first, either taking care of yourself or taking care of your voters, said Susie Tompkins Buell, a major Democratic fundraiser in San Francisco. I know she likes to be around, I know she’s a fighter. But I feel that for the bigger picture, for a better future for all of us, I think she should step down. It’s a matter of honor to do that.

Tompkins Buell

has helped has raised has helped raise

campaign money for Feinstein in the past and her husband once worked for the senator.

Others expressed similar concerns about representation, while refusing to weigh in on what Feinstein should do.

I’m not a doctor. I certainly haven’t seen Senator Feinstein in person. I don’t feel like the best person to make that judgment, said former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Jane Kim, who is now the executive director of the Working Families Party and moderated the Senate candidate forum.

Thursday

.

I think it’s important that we have a US Senator to fulfill their duties in the US Senate every day because we have a tie vote, Kim said.

on

Friday It is critical to our party and our movement that we were able to move forward with decisions regarding judicial nominees in particular and keep things moving in Washington.

Eddie Isaacs, 42, said after seeing the footage from Washington that he was concerned about her health but wants to see how Feinstein’s recovery progresses.

I think we’ll have to see how she does in the next few weeks and make a decision at that point, he said. Honestly, I didn’t realize it was deteriorating as much as it has been in the past three months.

The environmental planner, who lives in Little Tokyo, said that while he hoped Feinstein would continue to recover, if she continues to deteriorate, she would have to retire, as he has seen older relatives in his family do.

government Gavin Newsom was more

more tacitly supportive

. during a

news

conference on the state budget Friday, Newsom said so

personal

glad his old ally seemed to be on the mend.

That’s personal, I’m glad she’s recovering,

“seems to be recovering. I’m glad she’s back,

he said.

“I’m glad she’s back.” On a political level, Newsom added, he’s happy that Feinstein is good enough to cast votes to confirm federal judges again.

.

Newsom dodged a question about whether he was concerned about her ability to represent Californians given her frail health, saying “I look forward to her continued recovery. It was great to see her in Washington, D.C.”

The Democrats running for Feinstein’s seat were even more optimistic.

She’s a friend, so I always am

going to

am concerned about her health, and i hope she recovers soon, because we need to confirm judges among others, and she is a powerhouse who i have worked with for years to supply for california,

said Representative Adam

Ship

(D-Burbank) said

in an interview in his congressional office Friday.

He added that he thought if her seat became vacant and Newsom appointed someone to serve out the remainder of her term, the Republicans would prevent anyone from replacing her on the judicial panel. Republicans prevented another Democrat from being temporarily assigned to fill her seat on the committee while she recovered.

Porter and a spokeswoman for Lee both said they were glad the senator was feeling better and wished her well.

It’s a careful dance for elected California Democrats to weigh in on the future of a pioneering woman who kept elected

official office

almost all of the past 53 years. But frustration with Feinstein began to grow years ago over whether she was moving away from modern progressive priorities.

Bill Przylucki, 38, remembers protesting outside a Feinstein fundraiser in Hancock Park during her last reelection campaign in 2018 and feeling like she was out of touch with issues such as housing and climate change.

Even then, it was pretty clear that if you tried to dig in with specific issues, we weren’t really getting anywhere, said the Atwater Village resident, who is the executive director of Ground Game LA, an organization focused on choosing progressives. help the homeless and protect the environment.

I’ve been frustrated for a long time. I am eager to see new leadership, he said.

Mehta reported from Los Angeles and Oreskes from Washington. Times Sacramento Bureau Chief Laurel Rosenhall contributed to this report from Sacramento.