Rep. Panetta’s Statement on Suspicious Envelope Sent to and Opened by His Santa Cruz District Office

October 16, 2026 Press Release Santa Cruz, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) issued the following statement after an envelope containing a white powdery substance was received and opened by a staffer at his Santa Cruz district office this morning: “An envelope containing a suspicious white powder was delivered to my Santa Cruz district office and opened by staff this morning as part of her normal 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. “My priority is the safety and security of my staff and, thankfully, she and the other staff have been initially cleared by medical officials. “I’m grateful to local law enforcement and first responders for their swift response. “Threats, fearmongering, and violence against public servants have become far too common over the past decade and undermine our democracy. “But these attempts to intimidate us will not deter us from doing our job. Despite these difficult circumstances, we remain committed to our democracy by continuing our service to the people of California’s 19th Congressional District.” ###