News
John Garamendi, Prince of Whales
So, just what does the California lieutenant governor do, you ask? Apparently, he blankets local TV news coverage, inserting himself into the now-national story of two wayward whales dangerously off course in the Sacramento River.
Lt. Gov. John Garamendi hosted a press conference in West Sacramento to give an update to an anxious world about the whales’ welfare. The whales have now received global attention, and this morning, for a moment, so did Garamendi.
Garamendi also had his own meetings with whale experts Thursday.
Garamendi was not immediately available for comment for this story.
But this topic, apparently, is nothing new for the man who would be governor. Garamendi was also involved in the effort to help Humphrey, the humpback whale who swam into the river in 1985.
Humphrey eventually returned safely to sea.
The fate of the two whales in the river now is less certain. At least one appears to have been injured by a boat propeller. Authorities from the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are now using underwater microphones making fake whale sounds to try to lure the sea mammals back to safety.
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