Suspicious Package Sent to California Secretary of State Headquarters

A person mails a letter outside a Los Angeles post office on Aug. 17, 2020. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

A suspicious package was sent to the California Secretary of State headquarters in Sacramento, authorities said Sept. 19.

The unopened package was quickly turned over to authorities. State law enforcement conducted field and chemical tests, confirming the substance inside was nonhazardous and identified as unbleached flour, Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement.

“While the substance is nonlethal, state and federal authorities will continue to investigate the incident,” Weber said.

The secretary’s office is urging local election offices to take precautions when handling incoming mail at their facilities.

“We will continue to work with state and federal law enforcement authorities on responding to any threats to California elections officials or workers,” Weber said.

The incident occurred the same week the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service began investigating the origin of suspicious packages or letters sent to or received by election officials in over 15 states.

Packages Received Nationwide

The most recent packages were sent to election officials in Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, and Rhode Island. No injuries were reported, and none of the packages were found to contain hazardous materials.

A package containing white powder, addressed to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office and marked with a return address from the “U.S. Traitor Elimination Army,” was intercepted at a mail facility on Sept. 17, according to a statement from the office.

Secretary Jena Griswold said the package was similar to the ones received by several other secretaries of state around the nation.

The FBI is collecting the packages, some of which contained “an unknown substance,” a FBI spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email statement Sept. 23.

“We are also working with our partners to determine how many letters were sent, the individual or individuals responsible for the letters, and the motive behind the letters,” the statement reads.

The National Association of Secretaries of State also issued a press release on the same day, suggesting potential connections between the incidents and the upcoming November elections.

“With less than 50 days until the Nov. 5, 2024, general election, we are seeing a disturbing trend continue—the second assassination attempt of a presidential candidate, and threatening and intimidating actions towards election officials,” the association said in the Sept. 17 statement.

“This must stop, period. Our democ­racy has no place for political violence, threats or intimidation of any kind.”