chore(release): backport #35835, #35844 to stable/1.94.x and cut 1.94.2 - #36237

Node.js 20 is deprecated. The following actions target Node.js 20 but are being forced to run on Node.js 24: actions/cache@0057852bfaa89a56745cba8c7296529d2fc39830, actions/checkout@08eba0b27e820071cde6df949e0beb9ba4906955, actions/setup-python@a26af69be951a213d495a4c3e4e4022e16d87065. For more information see: https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-19-deprecation-of-node-20-on-github-actions-runners/