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Onorato, longtime congressional aide, dies after cancer battle
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A longtime public servant who worked hard to bring the resources of the federal government to benefit the residents of Lake County has died.
Paul Bradford Onorato, known as “Brad” to colleagues, friends and community members alike, died Thursday.
Onorato’s passing was announced Thursday night by the office of Congressman Mike Thompson, for whom he had worked for more than three decades as a district representative and deputy chief of staff.
“It’s my heartfelt sorrow to share that after a long battle with cancer, our dear friend, colleague, and public servant Brad Onorato passed away today,” Thompson said. “Brad was an incredible public servant to our community and a vital member of Team Thompson for the last 34 years. Brad was a valuable asset and incredibly important member of our team, serving the people of the Fourth District with dedication and care. But more important, Brad was family. Brad loved our district and public service as much as we loved him. He will be dearly missed, and he leaves behind a void that will be impossible to fill.”
Community leaders across Lake County recalled Onorato with gratitude for his friendship, kindness and dedication to Lake County.
“Brad was truly one of a kind. What a heartbreaking loss to the community. He will never be replaced. I can’t even imagine a better conduit between the community and our Congressman,” said Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora. “He was worried about every detail of what Clearlake needed, in fact in the period where Congressman Thompson didn’t represent Clearlake, Brad still regularly checked in with me to see what he and Mike could do to help.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about the passing of Brad Onorato,” said Lakeport Mayor Michael Froio. “He was such a kind man and a very good listener. My heart goes out to his family, friends and the people that he served so well. He will be missed.”
“Lake County lost a friend and one of our strongest advocates,” said Clearlake Mayor David Claffey. “Brad was a true partner for the city, but his impact went far beyond helping us navigate the Federal playing field. He was committed to lifting up our communities and being a ready resource when we faced our toughest challenges. His determination and kindness shined through in every meeting and every call. Brad’s work will resonate in Clearlake for decades.”
Onorato’s work with Thompson went back even before Thompson’s election to Congress.
Retired District 5 Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown said he had met Onorato in the 1990s when he was working for Thompson when he was a state senator, and the first Vietnam veteran elected to the California Legislature.
“We became fast friends and that continued until he passed,” Brown said of Onorato. “I always admired his commitment to Lake County and he was always available to help with any issue at all. He was a great friend to all of us and will be greatly missed.”
Onorato was a faithful and seemingly tireless presence in Thompson’s office, working hard to help district constituents solve problems and connect people to solutions.
He was a shrewd judge of people and situations, which was a matter not just of his education but his personal connections.
Onorato came from a large, well-connected San Francisco political family and so he had a keen understanding of politics, the workings of government and how both could be used for good.
He was one of five children born to Carole and Fred Onorato. His mother was part of the Newsom family; his cousin is Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Up until her death in 2007, Carole Onorato was a dedicated community leader and activist in Placer County, having served decades on the Placer County Board of Education, and also been a member of numerous other bodies, such as the California Transportation Commission, the Water Resources Control Board, the Placer County Library Commission and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
A longtime Napa County resident who worked from Thompson’s Napa office, Brad Onorato frequently came to Lake County to attend events, present awards, listen to constituent issues and offer support to local government, sometimes with Thompson or occasionally in his place when Thompson was busy with his duties in Washington.
Thompson honored Onorato in past years with his office’s “Casework Hero” award for his efforts to help community members throughout the district resolve problems with federal agencies.
While members of Congress have serious and important responsibilities, Onorato liked to moderate the seriousness with an ever-present sense of humor.
A man with a quick wit and a sense of fun, Onorato took a great deal of pride in his ability to playfully needle Thompson about anything.
When Thompson came home from Congress during legislative breaks, Onorato would often drive the congressman and other staffers around to meetings, tours and other events throughout the district.
Their district road trips could be hilarious affairs. During one such daylong trip of driving punctuated by frequent stops to speak to community members and officials, they invited along this reporter.
Throughout the day, as Onorato sped along over Lake County’s mountainous roads in a large black SUV, he and Thompson carried on nonstop but good-hearted bickering as only good friends can do without hurt feelings.
For several years Onorato had battled health challenges. For a time, he had appeared to have beaten them back, as he continued to travel around the world and to enjoy skiing, one of his favorite pastimes.
“In these last months I suspected he was struggling more than he let on, but his spirit and determination to persevere were so strong,” said Flora. “In fact just last week while he was sitting in a chair hooked up to chemo, he repeatedly checked in with me to see what he could do to help with the Boyles Fire and was instructing me to get more sleep.”
Throughout his battles with cancer, Onorato had continued to be an active presence in Thompson’s office and the community.
That was the same this time around, too. In addition to checking on Flora and others, over the final days of his life Onorato was continuing to post updates on his personal Facebook page about the Boyles fire — including evacuation updates — as well as general news about the district.
Hundreds of people — including community leaders, among them, Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and retired Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin — responded to Thompson’s Thursday evening Facebook post about Onorato’s death, offering their condolences and their gratitude for his hard work on behalf of the community. Some shared that they had only just been in contact with him in recent days.
Remarkable in the outpouring was that the laurels offered for Onorato came from across the political spectrum — an unusual situation in today’s divisive atmosphere but one in which Onorato would have been pleased, as his goal had been to serve everyone equally, no matter their political persuasion.
“We lost a good soul today, a warrior for our community, a man of inspiration, and a friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brad’s family, Mike and Jan the rest of the team,” Flora told Lake County News.
Thompson’s office said details for a service will be shared at a later date.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Lakeport City Council candidates to be featured at Sept. 23 forum
LAKEPORT, Calif. — A forum for the six candidates in this fall’s Lakeport City Council election is set to take place next week.The forum will be held in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
It will take place on Monday, Sept. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Seeking election in November are incumbents Kim Costa, Brandon Disney, Michael Froio and Kenny Parlet, and challengers Carl Porter and Christina Price.
The forum will be recorded for broadcast.
Elizabeth Larson, editor and publisher of Lake County News, will moderate the forum.
If you would like to recommend a question, email
McGuire legislation to help solve California’s tribal housing crisis signed by governor
Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire’s Tribal Housing Reconstruction and Resiliency Act, which will create the first-ever dedicated tribal housing funding program in California, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday morning.Senate Bill 1187, a two-year effort by Sen. McGuire to address the desperate need for tribal housing across the state, creates a tribal-specific housing program for the construction and rehabilitation of affordable homes for rent and sale.
The program will also provide technical assistance to help tribal governments navigate the complex web of regulations that often hinder tribal housing projects.
Native American communities continue to face some of the most severe housing shortages in the state.
Homelessness among Indigenous Californians is up to double that of the general population. One-third of tribal residents live below the federal poverty line, more than twice that of the rest of California’s population.
Approximately 9% of tribes in California have homes that lack complete plumbing, and 7% lack complete kitchens, according to U.S. Census data.
More than a third of Indigenous households live in overcrowded conditions, and nearly two of every five tribal member households are rent-overburdened, further exacerbating the housing affordability crisis, according to a study by the Rural Community Assistance Corp. and the California Coalition for Rural Housing.
“Housing insecurity is a public health crisis in many tribal communities. Native Americans are disproportionately represented among the state’s homeless population, which is rooted in historic racism, long-term underinvestment, and lack of funding for eligible housing,” said Pro Tem McGuire. “To truly fix this crisis, we’ve worked in close partnership with California Tribal Leaders and organizations to end this injustice by passing the Tribal Housing Act. This measure will advance desperately needed dedicated affordable housing funding that meets the unique needs of tribal communities. I appreciate Gov. Newsom’s support for this effort, and signing this critical legislation into law.”
Despite the clear need, the overwhelming majority of tribes in California have been unable to access existing state affordable housing funds.
Pre-existing funds are often too restrictive for tribes to meet the threshold and compliance requirements, and many of the requirements are mismatched compared to the needs that exist on Tribal land.
The Tribal Housing Act will address the severe housing shortage that exists on tribal lands by creating a new and separate housing program for tribal governments, taking a similar approach to the Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program, which is a designated fund that exclusively serves the housing needs of farm workers across the Golden State.
McGuire represents the North Coast of California, which stretches from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, including Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin counties.
Senate passes bipartisan legislation to help find missing persons on federal land
The U.S. Senate has passed bipartisan legislation introduced by senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) that would require the Department of Justice to add a new category to the existing National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems database, which would allow the public and law enforcement to mark cases where a person went missing or was identified on federal land, including specific location details.This new feature allows family and friends of people missing on public lands to more easily enter this information in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems, or NamUs, while law enforcement agencies work to improve national records of missing individuals.
The Tracking and Reporting Absent Community-Members Everywhere, or TRACE, Act also requires the DOJ to submit an annual report to Congress detailing the number of cases from the previous year involving individuals who went missing or were suspected of going missing on public lands.
“Thousands of people go missing on public lands in the United States every year, but without an effective system to track them, law enforcement’s ability to help bring them home is that much more limited,” said Sen. Padilla. “That’s why I’m glad to see the Senate unanimously pass our bipartisan TRACE Act to provide more accurate and readily accessible data, help equip law enforcement to resolve more cases, and help bring peace of mind to affected families.”
“Every year, thousands of people go missing on public lands without being recorded in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System,” said Sen. Tillis. “This oversight is impeding law enforcement from keeping track of those who go missing to help search and rescue efforts. I applaud the Senate for passing this bipartisan legislation so these cases can be added to the database and potentially save hundreds of lives in the future.”
According to a NamUs report, over 600,000 people go missing in the United States annually. While the majority of these cases are resolved, tens of thousands of people remain missing every year.
There are approximately 640 million acres of federal land which include national parks, national forests and Bureau of Land Management lands.
Estimates suggest that at least 1,600 people have gone missing on public lands, though the number is likely much higher, as isolated or rugged terrain on public lands can make it especially difficult to find or identify people who go missing.
Despite this, there is no functional system to report people who have gone missing on public lands. Having accurate data on how many people go missing on our public lands every year is crucial to aid search and rescue efforts and resolve cases.
NamUs is the main system used by law enforcement, families and friends of missing persons, medical examiners, and coroners to report unidentified remains and missing persons, and it is also used by the public.
The TRACE Act is endorsed by the American Rescue Project, Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Conservation Colorado, National District Attorneys Association, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Major City Sheriffs Association, Outdoor Industry Association, Public Land Solutions, Raven and Trust for Public Land.
Last year, Senator Padilla and Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02) called on the DOJ to place dedicated personnel in California as part of their Missing or Murdered Indigenous Women and People Regional Outreach Program.
