sen.

ator

Dianne Feinstein, who is recovering from a serious shingles infection, spends the two-week Senate session

fourth of

July recession in Washington.

Senators and

Representatives of the members of the house

usually use cutouts to get back to their

districts of the home state

and connect with their constituents. But

the California Democrat

has no plans to make a trip home

to San Francisco

her spokesman Adam Russell told The Times.

Feinstein turned 90 last week

22-06-33

and for months the media has been scrutinizing her age, well-being and ability to perform the duties of representing 39 million people.

The senator’s office didn’t say whether her decision to stay was made on the advice of a doctor, but Ron Eckstein, her press secretary, said she would stay in Washington “while she continues to recover.”

As late as April 2022, one of Feinstein’s top Democratic allies pointed to her travel schedule as proof that she was fit to serve.

She constantly travels between California and the U.S. Capitol and works relentlessly to ensure that Californians’ needs are met and voices are heard,” said San Francisco Representative Nancy Pelosi, who was a speaker in the House at the time. of Deputies, in a statement.

Feinstein now heads into the holidays with a growing reputation as a distant colleague. Lots of California

legislators

don’t expect to communicate with her any longer, CNN reported last week.

The senator, when asked about CNN’s report, disagreed with the idea that she no longer speaks with other members of her state’s delegation.

“I don’t know the problem,” Feinstein told The Times last week in a brief interview on Capitol Hill. “I don’t think that’s true. I’ve had conversations with everyone I come into contact with. … I haven’t turned anyone down for a visit.”

She characterized the report as unfair and claimed that colleagues did not initiate conversations with her.

“I have not received any request,” she said. “If I get a request

[to talk]

, I will. I have not received any request.”

Feinstein was diagnosed with shingles in late February and was hospitalized until March 6. When she returned to Congress last month, she experienced “temporary side effects” from the virus that warranted “a lighter schedule,” her office said.

Californians’ approval of Feinstein’s job performance has suddenly dropped as state and national media have focused more attention on her age and health issues.

Many longtime supporters still stood by Feinstein, saying that more attention to her health and calls for her to leave her seat are insensitive, disrespectful and sexist.

But the percentage of Californians who agree with the senator’s handling of her job has dropped from 41% to 31% in the past eight months, according to a recent survey by the Public Policy Institute of California. Before this month, Feinstein’s rating in the institute’s surveys had never fallen below 40%.

But during Feinstein’s career in the Senate, many of her constituents have reported insecure feelings about her. At one point, according to surveys from the Public Policy Institute, more than 1 in 4 Californians said they didn’t know if they approved of her. But that insecure group disappears. Only 4% of Californians now say they “don’t know” whether they approve of Feinstein’s work.

Feinstein’s approval rating may recover now that she’s returned to Washington. The senator’s hospitalization and months-long absence from Capitol Hill drew criticism from fellow Democrats after she missed key votes.

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Feinstein plays an important role in confirming the president’s judicial nominees. Since her return, she has attended most of the voices, and aides have reported that she is returning to her normal workload.

The senator still has a close ally in Pelosi. The former speaker of the House continues to praise Feinstein’s career, and Pelosi’s daughter Nancy Corinne Prowda helped Feinstein with day-to-day work on Capitol Hill after the senator returned to Washington. Pelosi’s office declined to answer a question about Prowda’s current involvement in Feinstein’s day-to-day life.

Candidates seeking Feinstein’s Senate seat in the 2024 election have also stopped openly criticizing her.

“I don’t think there was much cooperation between the House and Senate in the California delegation, period,” Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) to CNN. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) reminded the network’s reporter that “there’s the human side of that,” and Rep. Adam

B.

Schiff (D-Burbank) stressed that his “office is constantly working with her.”

Feinstein could shake up the race to replace her if she changes her retirement plans and steps down before her term ends in January 2025.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was set to fill the vacancy and he has said he would choose a black woman for the position.

Lee is the only major Democratic nominee who would fit that description. Times staff writer Benjamin Oreskes contributed to this report from Los Angeles.