The Santa Cruz County Governmental Center on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz was evacuated Friday morning—along with the adjacent Superior Courthouse—after a suspicious white substance was reportedly mailed to U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s office.
According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and firefighters responded to the building at 701 Ocean St. at about 10:09am after potentially hazardous materials were discovered.
Santa Cruz Fire Department Acting Battalion Chief Brandon Yamasaki later said the unknown material had been determined to not be toxic.
“The substance that was found was negative,” he said. “It was inert, and there was no threat.”
The entire building was evacuated as a precaution. No injuries were reported.
The courthouse and county offices will likely remain closed for the rest of the day, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“The safety of everyone working in and visiting the building is our top priority, and we appreciate your patience as we assess the situation,” the Sheriff’s Office said in an email.
County spokesman Jason Hoppin said the incident appears to match a pattern of similar incidents across the country, none of which have involved dangerous substances so far.
“But we’ll do our due diligence and make sure there is no threat before allowing the public and staff back into the building,” Hoppin said.
Hoppin said the courthouse and county building at 701 Ocean St. remain closed, but all other county buildings are open.
The Sheriff’s Office said investigators are looking into whether the incident is connected to similar reports elsewhere in the country.
“No connection has been confirmed at this time,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
It was not immediately clear what the substance was or whether anyone had been exposed.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
In a hastily-scheduled press conference, Panetta said the letter, postmarked from Texas, contained a baby powder-type substance that billowed into the air when opened.
The Santa Cruz County municipal building and the adjoining superior court were evacuated. EMTs evaluated the staffer and found no reason to send her to hospital for treatment.
“Unfortunately in this day and age, with the violent rhetoric that’s out there and the toxicity of our politics over the last 10 years, these are the types of things that we have to deal with,” Panetta said, adding he was just one of several political targets across the country. “We’re getting reports that we’ll see develop throughout the day. It was just sort of a blanket sending of this type of thing.”
The FBI is reportedly investigating more than 100 similar mail items across the country.
Panetta said he wasn’t going to let the powder scare deter him from conducting the business of government.
“We’ve got a job to do and we’ll continue to serve the constituents in the 19th Congressional District,” he said. “I’m here to make the federal government work. This slows things down. But we’re gonna wait to get the green light from the hazmat team, and hopefully get back in there pending on the results of their analysis that they’re doing right now.”
Panetta said these types of incidents are becoming much too common in America today.
“Threats against members of Congress have risen over 1000% over the last 10 years,” he said. “It shouldn’t be like this. Our politics can’t be based on the last 10 years of what we’ve gone through as a country.”
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Chair Monica Martinez praised the emergency workers who responded to the incident.
“I was at the County Government Center today during the evacuation and saw firsthand the professionalism and coordination of our emergency response,” Martinez said. “I’m grateful to our first responders, law enforcement, and County staff for their swift action. Today demonstrated the importance of strong emergency protocols and our shared commitment to keeping County employees and the public safe.”
Santa Cruz County Chief Administrative Officer Nicole Coburn told Weeklys she was pleased with how her staff reacted to the emergency incident.
“We did what we needed to do—followed our protocols to evacuate the building,” she said. “Everyone’s safe, and that’s what’s most important. And now it’s up to our law enforcement partners to figure out what happened.”
Coburn said undeterred residents continued to drop off ballots at the voting box outside the County building during the evacuation.
This story was updated at 4pm
