'Suspicious envelopes' reported at offices of Bay Area congressmembers
As federal authorities investigate more than 100 suspicious letters sent to election offices and U.S. senators across the country, local lawmakers are now facing new security concerns.
San Francisco
On Wednesday, the office of Rep. Nancy Pelosi reported that the Speaker Emerita was the latest member of Congress to receive a suspicious letter in the mail.
In a statement, her office said: "Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi's district office received a suspicious letter consistent with mailings reported by other congressional offices around the country. Everyone is safe, and our office is following established security procedures.
"Speaker Pelosi remains focused on serving the people of San Francisco and is concerned for the Members and staff whose offices have experienced similar incidents. She is grateful for the efforts of the U.S. Capitol Police, the San Francisco Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate this series of intimidation across America."
Pelosi's office did not reveal what contents were in the suspicious letter.
Napa
An envelope containing an unknown white powder was received Monday at the Napa offices of U.S Rep. Mike Thompson, the latest in a series of suspicious deliveries sent to legislators all over the country.
A staffer for Thompson, D-St. Helena, put the envelope aside after recognizing its return address and stamp from alerts sent out by authorities, according to Lauren Ott, a spokesperson for Thompson.
Other such envelopes have included a threatening note, she said. They have yet to learn what note, if any, was included in Monday's envelope, she added.
The staffer was wearing protective gear as a precaution, and did not open the envelope, which was immediately handed over to police.
U.S. Capitol Police have tested the powder sent to dozens of other congressional leaders and found that it is not hazardous, said Ott. The powder has not been publicly identified.
"I assume it's to cause fear," said Ott.
Ott said nothing like this has happened before during her tenure with Thompson's office. She said U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI are investigating the suspicious envelopes.
In 2001, envelopes containing the bacteria anthrax in white powder form were sent to media outlets and legislators around the country, killing five people and causing illness in 17 others, according to the FBI, which dubbed the attacks "Amerithrax."
Walnut Creek
U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier received a suspicious envelope at his Walnut Creek office Friday afternoon, adding to a string of similar reports at other Congressional district offices in the Bay Area and across the nation.
DeSaulnier is a Democrat who represents California's 10th Congressional District, which covers most of Contra Costa County and some parts of Alameda County.
He said in a statement that on Friday, a member of his team found a letter at his office matching the description and return address of other identical envelopes received at Congressional district offices nationwide, envelopes that contained threatening letters and a white powdery substance.
DeSaulnier said the team member immediately secured the envelope without opening it and called local law enforcement and U.S. Capitol Police.
Information on whether the envelope contained hazardous materials was not immediately available.
DeSaulnier denounced the attempt to threaten his office.
"Threats and political violence seem to have reached a fever pitch in our country," he said. "I urge my fellow Americans to stand united against such attempts at undermining our democracy."
He is running for reelection this November against Republican Jeff Frese. DeSaulnier said the threat won't disrupt his work.
"We remain committed to serving CA-10 residents and will not be deterred from this important work by threats," he said. "My priority remains the safety and security of my team, and I am thankful for the quick and decisive response."
San Jose
A bomb squad shut down U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren's San Jose office on Friday to investigate a suspicious envelope.
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San Jose Police Department said officers responded to reports of a "suspicious package" in the 600 block of N. First Street just after 11 a.m.
RELATED: Feds investigating letters with 'suspicious substances' sent to multiple congressional offices
Red tape could be seen blocking access to the building on North First Street.
"My San Jose office received a suspicious letter through the mail today. Law enforcement was immediately called. The investigation is ongoing. All of my staffers are safe. I will have more to say after the investigation is complete," Lofgren said in a statement.
According to SJPD, officers retrieved a substance that "has been determined to be non-hazardous," but the investigation remains ongoing. SJPD did not identify what substance was fouond.
Santa Clara
Emergency crews in protected gear are were also spotted responding to Rep. Ro Khanna's office in Santa Clara Friday afternoon.
Santa Clara Police Department did not confirm the nature of the response but said officers were "aware of the situation and it remains an active investigation."
Authorities provided a new update on Wednesday confirming that Khanna's office had received a suspicious letter.
According to Santa Clara Fire Department, fire crews and a hazmat team were sent to assist police officers in investigating the letter.
After confirming the letter was not a bomb threat and conducting further testing, SCFD said the suspicious material of the letter was found to be "inconclusive."
A United States Postal Service investigator took custody of the envelope and its contents in cooperation with the FBI.
Santa Cruz
An envelope sent to U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta's Santa Cruz office had a white powdery substance inside when a staffer opened it Friday morning, according to the congressman.
Panetta, a Democrat who represents California's 19th Congressional District that covers parts of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, said in a statement that the staffer opened the envelope as part of her daily morning routine responding to constituents.
"Upon realizing that there was powder in the envelope, she immediately put the envelope in the garbage can, cleared fellow staff members out of the office, and called 911," Panetta said in a statement.
Panetta confirmed that the powder was sugar and flour, and he said the staff at his office "have been initially cleared by medical officials."
Panetta's Santa Cruz office is located on Ocean Street and is one of his four offices in the district along with ones in Monterey, San Jose and Paso Robles.
He was first elected to Congress in 2016 and is seeking reelection on the Nov. 3 ballot against Republican business owner Peter Coe Verbica.
No information about who might have sent the envelope was immediately available. Panetta in his statement condemned threats to public officials.
"Threats, fearmongering, and violence against public servants have become far too common over the past decade and undermine our democracy," Panetta said. "But these attempts to intimidate us will not deter us from doing our job."
ABC7 Eyewitness News contributed to this report.
Stay with ABC7 Eyewitness News for the latest details on this developing story.
