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Threat prompts California legislators, staffers to evacuate state Capitol
California's state Capitol in Sacramento appears on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Legislators and staffers were told to evacuate and work from home after a threat was emailed, CHP officials say.
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Gerardo Zavala
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CapRadio
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The California State Capitol was evacuated Friday morning after receiving an emailed threat.
The Office of the Secretary of the Senate says law enforcement is working to determine the threat's credibility.
Lawmakers and staffers have been directed to leave as a precaution, and work remotely until the threat is resolved.
BREAKING: Authorities are investigating a threat to the CA Capitol building in Sacramento. Law enforcement is working to determine whether the threat is credible.
— Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) December 6, 2024
Staff members have been told to go home. pic.twitter.com/ywIQ3Z4RE0
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California Highway Patrol officials said they are on scene searching for any threats.
California Highway Patrol officers at California's state Capitol on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.
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Gerardo Zavala
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CapRadio
)
Vinay Lall owns a food truck, India Jones, and was stationed outside of the Capitol on Friday.
“I don’t know what to expect because we start at 11 o’clock,” he told CapRadio. “[Business] may be impacted if nobody comes in from there. I’m assuming that we might be pretty slow.”
He added that he may move his truck if business doesn’t end up picking up.
Fourth grade students from Theodore Judah Elementary School had come to the Capitol for a field trip on Friday, but their tour was canceled as law enforcement investigated the threat.
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“I am a bit scared,” said 10-year-old Aayush Tankhiwale. “I really wanted to see the inside of the whole building, but after this we also get to go somewhere else, just a movie, so it’s fine.”
Hundreds of athletes and trainers are descending upon the Sacramento region for the California International Marathon, scheduled to take place on Sunday. James Frank came from Georgia and hoped to visit the Capitol before race day.
“Well, there’s people on big horses that said that we can’t go in there,” he said. “My wife and I have toured a lot of different state capitols and so we just wanted to go in and see what it was like here.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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