LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Valley fire has impacted not just the physical landscape in Lake County, but the political one as well.

This week, Cobb Mountain businessman and agricultural leader Beau Moore – who in February had announced his plans to run for Rob Brown's seat on the Board of Supervisors after Brown indicated he would not seek reelection – said he will not run.

Moore said he reached the decision after much consideration, and attributed his change of plans to the Valley fire's impacts on his family.

“The Valley fire destroyed my family’s home and devastated our entire community,” Moore said in a written statement. “It will take several years of hard work for those of us on Cobb Mountain to rebuild our homes and restore our lives. There is simply no time for me to engage in a campaign for county supervisor during this difficult rebuilding period. It would not be fair to my family or to the people of District 5.”

Moore, who said he is dedicated to helping his community rebuild, thanked those who supported his candidacy and asked them instead to give their support to keeping Brown on the board in order to continue his service to the county.

“Now more than ever, Lake County needs an experienced leader on the Board of Supervisors to guide us through our lengthy recovery process,” Moore said. “Supervisor Rob Brown has done a phenomenal job of going above and beyond the call of duty to help the people whose lives have been shattered by the Valley fire.”

Brown, in turn, confirmed to Lake County News that he will run again, a decision that, like Moore, he attributed to the Valley fire.

Now in his fourth term, Brown had said in January that he planned to leave the board in 2017 but had plenty of other plans for family and for business and personal pursuits.

However, this week he said that, due to the Valley fire and the need for the next several years to be dedicated to the rebuilding and recovery process, he decided to pursue another term in office.

Brown has been a ubiquitous presence in the county response to the fire so far, from helping direct traffic and visiting the fire area during the incident, to hosting meetings with the community, and working with state and federal officials on solutions to issues that have arisen during the recovery.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.