Rep. Dennis Cardoza, a centrist Democrat who represents the northern San Joaquin Valley, is planning on shutting down a district office in Stockton in the wake of Saturday's attack on Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Here's an excerpt from a report from the Associated Press:
Cardoza said Monday he had been looking to relocate the Stockton office for several months, but decided to hasten the move after Saturday's shooting rampage killed six and wounded 14 others.
He says the move would offer his staff and constituents tighter security.
Cardoza's office in Stockton was closed Monday and its lone staffer temporarily transferred to the congressman's district office in Modesto while staff finalize the new location.
Spokeswoman Robin Roberts says Cardoza and Giffords are friends who share positions on many issues as members of the Democratic Party's conservative Blue Dog coalition.
Separately, Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat who serves a district that includes southern San Francisco and much of San Mateo County, held an event today to announce legislation to benefit Filipino veterans who fought with U.S. forces during World War II.
Speier has a unique perspective on political violence, having been critically wounded in the 1978 attack near Jonestown, Guyana, that took the life of her boss, Rep. Leo Ryan—the last member of Congress to die at an assassin's hands. Reporters asked Speier today about the Giffords shooting, and she said 1) that the vituperative quality of the national political discourse must change; 2) that Giffords faces a tough road to recovery and that the public outpouring of support for her is essential to that process; and 3) that the Giffords shootings won't deter her from meeting with the public. Here's audio from KQED News reporter Peter Jon Shuler of Speier's exchange with the media:
Rep. Jackie Speier Responds to Shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords