Feinstein’s health has Newsom in a political trap of his own making

Whither Dianne Feinstein?

Feinstein, a fixture of California politics for more than a half-century and a U.S. senator for three decades, recently returned to the Capitol after a weeks-long battle with shingles, a very debilitating disease.

One might have thought that her return, after much carping from those on the Democratic Party’s left wing about her absence, would quiet those who wanted her to resign.

However, the critics didn’t miss a beat. They could no longer complain that she was AWOL and thus inhibiting the party’s ability to advance an agenda in the...