LOS ANGELES • Even before former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made her first appearance at the California Democratic Party convention this weekend, she was an inescapable presence, dangling in cartoon form off the shoulders of the party’s politicians and most dedicated activists.

The official swag bag — a canvas tote illustrating Pelosi’s instantly meme-able furious clapping during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address — was the most colorful tribute to the San Francisco congresswoman, but it was hardly the only one. Between an ecstatic ovation for her brief Saturday-morning address and the ballroom-size dinner held in her honor that evening, the party’s first in-person gathering since 2019 was an unabashed love letter to one of the state’s most prolific politicians.

Pelosi, who at times has been a polarizing figure even within her own party, was an uncontroversial focal point for state Democratic officials wary of weighing in on California’s budding Senate race or fraught questions about Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s health.

But underlying the celebrations was a lingering uncertainty about Pelosi’s plans. The 83-year-old, who stepped down from House Democratic leadership this year, has not announced if she intends to seek another term or retire from the seat she has held for nearly four decades.

Democrats have assiduously sidestepped even a hint of speculation about Pelosi’s decision. Still, the subtext was so unavoidable that Gov. Gavin Newsom said he found himself briefly wondering if the weekend-long homage meant he was out of the loop on the speculation about his lifelong friend and political ally.

“[I thought], ‘ Am I missing something? Did she announce something that I didn’t know about?’” Newsom said in an interview.

“I haven’t seen any evidence that she’s stepping back or down or slowing down,” he hastened to add. “Obviously, we’re celebrating her speakership. That’s certainly a worthy cause.”

Since Pelosi handed the House Democratic leadership to New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries in January, admirers have piled on the accolades. In recent months, she has received awards from LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality California, the New York Historical Society, the American Hospital Association and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who bestowed her with the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.

Addressing the convention Saturday morning, Pelosi made clear

how much she has enjoyed her post-speakership victory lap.

“Do you know what ‘emerita’ means? It means happiness,” she said to an audience waving signs reading “House of Pelosi.”

Her speech otherwise contained no hints of her future. Instead, she rallied Democrats in a cavernous Los Angeles Convention Center hall for a strong showing in the 2024 elections and took swipes at Republicans in Congress.

“As we speak, extremist Republicans have pushed America to the brink of unprecedented default on America’s full faith and credit,” Pelosi said, alluding to the efforts to raise the debt limit before a tentative deal was struck Saturday.

She was preceded by a glowing video tribute extolling her as a pioneering politician and superlative House speaker, with paeans from party stalwarts such as former Gov. Jerry Brown and former Sen. Barbara Boxer.

Later that evening, Pelosi was honored at a party-sponsored dinner; the press was barred from attending.

Though Pelosi was immersed in politics from childhood as the daughter of Baltimore Mayor and congressman Thomas D’alesandro Jr., her ascent was rooted in the state Democratic Party. Rising through its ranks, she was party chair from 1981 to 1983, four years before she was first elected to Congress.

“She understands the party. She understands what motivates them,” said Bill Carrick, a veteran Democratic operative.