Doug LaMalfa, the seven-term Republican Congressman from Northeastern California, died Tuesday morning in Chico, Calif., at the age of 65.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office reported responding to a 911 call Monday night from the LaMalfa family home in Richvale, Calif. The congressman was then transported to a hospital in Chico, Calif., for emergency surgery. Multiple sources informed Politico and the Associated Press that LaMalfa suffered an aortic aneurism and died during the procedure.
His unexpected death has political implications as well for the Republican party, reducing the already slim margin that gives conservatives majority power to 218-213 with four vacancies.
President Donald Trump honored LaMalfa during his speech before a House Republican meeting on Tuesday morning.
“I want to express our tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member, a great, great, great member, Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who passed away yesterday, as you probably have heard, who was the leader of the Western Caucus, a fierce champion on California water issues,” the president said. “He was great on water … ‘Release the water!’ he’d scream at them.”
LaMalfa was also a fourth-generation rice farmer and truck driver, both industries for which he often advocated.
Multiple Siskiyou County residents spoke Tuesday about LaMalfa’s history of advocating for water rights for ranchers and farmers. A Yreka man who declined to give his name said that LaMalfa was “very good for the North State. He was there for the farmers and fisherman. Very active on livestock.”
A Scott Valley man, who also wished to speak anonymously, called the news of LaMalfa’s passing “shocking,” and added, “He’s going to be missed. I think he did a good job representing the people up here.”
Margaret, a Siskiyou County resident, expressed her condolences for LaMalfa’s family and her appreciation for his representation, especially for rural areas like Scott Valley. “I feel we lost a really good advocate for Siskiyou County,” she said.
But other locals had criticisms to share about LaMalfa’s time in office. Robin, a Weed resident who declined to give her last name, said that she was “relieved” when she heard the news of his death. “I don’t feel he was a good representative for his constituents. He was more inclined to please the Republicans in Washington than to look out for his constituents.”
She recalled that when she and a number of fellow Democrats traveled to Redding in 2017 for a rally LaMalfa was holding, he was not friendly to audience members who didn’t share his views, adding that he came across as snide and condescending.
Catherine, a Dunsmuir resident, said she feels bad for LaMalfa’s family, as they didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to him, but shared that she was disappointed in him as a representative.
“He kowtowed to Trump and has not been an independent voice,” she said.
When she participated in one of LaMalfa’s telephonic town halls last year and the potential for Medicaid cuts was brought up, she said LaMalfa denied any cuts were being proposed and said he didn’t know where that news was coming from. He then shifted the conversation to livestock.
The late congressman’s Chief of Staff Mark Spannagel, who worked for LaMalfa for 20 years, said he was an avid leader well-versed in the Basin’s water issues.
“He definitely studied everything, knew his stuff,” Spannagel said. “He knew the hydrology of the Basin and knew how the water worked, how it moved from A Canal to C Canal to B Canal, how it went from one sump to the other.”
“(He was a) deeply caring guy, willing to drive everywhere, go to the farthest edges of the district,” Spannagel said. “He always felt like, ‘Look, if I went there and let’s say I only talked to a few people, they’re going to tell everybody that somebody actually bothered to show up in rural, remote California’ — anything, you know, just to make sure that they felt included, too.”
Trump spoke of his gratitude for LaMalfa’s allegiance, noting that the congressman had voted with him “100% of the time.”
“I was really saddened by his passing and was thinking about not even doing the speech in his honor. But then I decided that I have to do it in his honor … because he would have wanted it that way,” Trump said. “He would have said ‘Do the speech, are you are you kidding me? Do the speech, big guy.’”
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, a fellow Republican for Oregon’s Second District which neighbors LaMalfa’s, said he will miss the late congressman who was a longtime friend and colleague.
“I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my friend and colleague, Congressman Doug LaMalfa,” Bentz said in a statement to the Herald and News. “Doug was a thoughtful lawmaker who truly understood rural America because he lived it. He never lost sight of who he served, and he never stopped fighting for the people back home, who often felt that their way of life was under attack.”
Bentz said that LaMalfa’s years in office have “left a lasting impact on the West and on the families who depend on our forests, farms and ranches. It was an honor to serve alongside him.”
LaMalfa, who presided over California’s First District, had won each election by wide margins during his seven terms. But following the voter-approved redistricting of California under Prop 50, the new first district now leans in Democrats’ favor.
Despite the changes, LaMalfa was planning to run for another term in the 2026 election.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has 14 days by law to call for a special election to fill the federal vacancy.
Commented