California’s Capitol, legislative offices reopen after ‘unfounded’ threat and evacuation
The California state Capitol and two surrounding office buildings reopened Friday afternoon after a threat was made against the government buildings, prompting officials to evacuate the spaces for several hours.
The California Highway Patrol’s Capitol Protection Section said the threat was “thoroughly investigated and determined to be unfounded.”
“Law enforcement has completed a thorough assessment and sweep of the Capitol Complex and the Legislative Office Building and Capitol grounds. All three buildings have been cleared and deemed safe to reopen,” according to a memo from Lia Lopez, chief administrative officer of the Assembly.
Senators and Senate staff received a similar memo.
Legislative officials confirmed the building reopened around 1 p.m. The threat was made by email, according to CHP, which did not disclose the nature of the threat but said in an afternoon release that “no suspicious items were located” following the search.
Joe Wolfenden reported for work as a California State Parks tour guide at 8 a.m. Around 9 a.m., he said he was told by the sergeant-at-arms that he and others needed to leave the building immediately.
“We have no idea what’s going on,” he said on the steps of the downtown landmark. Wolfenden said the last time he could remember a similar situation was around two years ago when the state Capitol was evacuated after a Bay Area man issued a threat before he allegedly carried out shootings in Citrus Heights and outside Kaiser Permanente’s Roseville Medical Center.
“It’s very uncommon,” Wolfenden said.
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 10:04 AM.
