More than 3,000 people showed up to honor Congressman Doug LaMalfa during his memorial service at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico.
Among them were some of the highest-ranking political leaders in the country and state, including Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrat U.S. Senator Adam Schiff.
"We lost him so suddenly," Johnson said. "Most of our colleagues are grounded, but in spite of that, because it's Doug, I had to arrange to get Air Force 2 to bring a plane full of members and staff to be a part of this."
Former Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy looked out at the bipartisan audience and delivered a line of levity.
"It's a testament to who's here [because] I'll promise you I don't think some of them are coming to my funeral," McCarthy said.
Democratic Congressman Mike Thompson called LaMalfa an honorable public servant and recounted the two working together to deliver help for wildfire victims.
"We together carried legislation for the victims of a couple of these horrific fires who lost everything and they were going to be taxed on their settlements. We were able to excuse that tax on their settlement," Thompson said.
Security for the high-profile event was tight, with members of SWAT on rooftops surrounding the memorial service
"They always call him a gentle giant, very kind. He has done a lot for our community," said Sharon Salcido, who lives in Chico."If you look behind me, you can see the line of people that are here and that's just a demonstration of how many lives he did touch. He helped so many people. He was so kind all the time. I don't know if I've ever told you this, but he was one of the people who inspired me to run originally," said Dan Flores, Sutter County supervisor for District 2. Flores said LaMalfa was one of his first endorsements when he got into politics, becoming a friend to him and the communities he represented. "He'd visit Sutter County a lot. He'd visit Marysville a lot," Flores said. "He went to bat for agriculture and farming and for all the legislation that was related to supporting the north state. He was there for us." "He showed up everywhere. Some of the places were just real simple gatherings, but you would always see Doug LaMalfa there. He was very supportive of the community," Salcido said. "I don't want to be called a widow. It feels like a spider or something, I don't know. It's not something I want to be called. So I decided this week I want to be called a legacy extender," said Jill LaMalfa, Doug's wife, "because Doug had a great legacy. But Doug didn't do that by himself. There was a whole lot of people behind him, in front of him, next to him, and we've all contributed to the legacy and we want to keep that going." The three-hour-long service ended with a tribute from Jill, who was joined by their four children. Although many in the crowd were his constituents, some people traveled hours to show their support. "His family has been to our property, our ranch on the coast. We really enjoyed him and we're going to miss him dearly," said William Hay Jr., a friend of Doug LaMalfa's. As a fourth-generation farmer, LaMalfa was known for connecting with rural communities and amplifying their voices across Northern California. "He was one of us. He always listened to two sides of the story and then always made a decision and that's what I've always liked," Hay Jr. said. There was an overflow room to accommodate the number of people who attended the service.
A special election to fill LaMalfa's seat will be held on Aug. 4, with Republican Assemblymember James Gallagher and Democratic educator Audrey Denney already announcing that they would be running.
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