U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff spoke alongside Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, West L.A. Democratic Club president Cara Robin and U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu on Sept. 9. (photo by Rance Collins)

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) made his case to the West L.A. Democratic Club on Sept. 9, speaking at the organization’s annual barbecue lunch fundraiser about how he could make a difference as a U.S. senator. Schiff represents several areas across Los Angeles County, including Hollywood and West Hollywood.

The congressman is running for the seat that will be vacated next year by incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The open primary will be held on March 5, and includes two other prominent U.S. representatives, Katie Porter (D-Irvine) and Barbara Lee (D-Oakland).

“We can do this … when we take back the House, when we elect enough Democrats to do away with the filibuster in the Senate and … expand [the] Supreme Court,” Schiff said.

In addition to Schiff, speeches were made by Democrats from across Los Angeles County, including U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), who represents L.A. County cities like Beverly Hills, and Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor (D-Los Angeles).

Cara Robin, president of the West L.A. Democratic Club, said the organization has not yet made an endorsement in the senatorial campaign, and it has already hosted an event with Porter. Robin said that the group would also like to host an event with Lee as a guest.

“We elect Democrats,” Robin said. “That’s our biggest thing. Our biggest thing is all this money will go to mainly senatorial candidates.”

Schiff said that the accomplishments he’s had representing a large swath of Los Angeles County in Congress make him uniquely qualified to be a senator.

“I’m very proud of the resources I have been able to bring back to our community for shelter for homeless people [and] for a mental health first responders’ unit so that we don’t always send out police when there’s a mental health crisis,” Schiff said. “I’m proud of the light rail I’ve been able to help build, [and] the earthquake warning system I’ve been able to help build. But mostly the resources for my constituents, to improve infrastructure [and] to support the good paying jobs and to deal with this epidemic of homelessness. So those are the things I’m most proud of from a very local point of view that I hope to do on a much bigger scale in the Senate.”

Speaking to the homelessness crisis, Schiff said that he could bring more effective progress if elected to the chamber.

“I’ve been very successful as a House member and bring resources back to the district, but we’re going to be fighting for money that’s going out in the Inflation Reduction Act [and] the bipartisan infrastructure bill. A good chunk of that money can be used to help create new, affordable housing for people and to build shelter. That’s money going to go somewhere, I want it to come to California,” he said.

He also said he felt that the Senate is less partisan than the House, which allows for more work to get done.

“I think that the Senate is a place where you can still get things done on a bipartisan basis,” he said. “The House is kind of an ungovernable mess right now. And I’ve had some great partners in the House across the aisle to bring resources back to JPL and for NASA and for light rail with with David Dreier, John Culberson, other conservative Republicans, and I want to do that on broader level at the Senate.”

Schiff added that he was proud of the “track record” he has “of getting things done even during the most contentious of times.”

“A lot of it doesn’t get as much attention because it’s the controversy [that does], but I want to bring [to the Senate] that record of making progress, getting things done [and] bringing people together to solve problems,” he said.

There has been speculation that Feinstein may retire before the end of her term due to the medical issues, including a bout with shingles earlier this year. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to appoint a Black woman in Feinstein’s place were she to leave early. Newsom walked back that statement on “Meet the Press” on Sept. 10, indicating he didn’t want to tip the scales in the primary race, saying that appointing anyone other than a “caretaker … would be completely unfair to Democrats that have worked their tail off.”