Letters
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- Written by: Carolynn Jarrett
I would like to sing about the unsung heroes: the board and volunteers of the Lake County Wine Alliance who handed out $170,000 to 43 different nonprofits at the Konocti Harbor Inn on Nov. 13.
The Wine Alliance has been funding nonprofits in our community for 25 years and has contributed over $3.2 million to them.
It has supported a wide variety of groups including high school art programs, senior center support, literacy programs, and children’s after school and weekend activities programs — everything that enriches the lives and well-being of our community.
The Wine Alliance could not do all this without the help of businesses, restaurants, wineries, high school and college culinary programs, and other groups which help them put on their fundraising dinner. Proceeds from this dinner become the checks which are handed out to the nonprofits.
So it is one big wonderful circle of volunteers in our community helping other volunteers in our community. It just shows how big a heart Lake County has.
So as a recipient of one of those checks (and I believe on behalf of all the recipients) I would like to express my deep gratitude for the efforts and support that Wine Alliance and all the volunteers have shown. Really, thank you!
Carolynn Jarrett works with the Adopt a 5th Grader Program. She lives in Clearlake, California.
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- Written by: Jennifer Normoyle
I recently listened to an NPR broadcast on its Weekend Edition about Lake County's wildfire community preparedness activities and the limited impact these initiatives have had on home insurance costs. California's wildfire crisis is truly transforming how communities approach safety, insurance and resilience.
Lake County has emerged as a leader in wildfire preparedness, investing in home hardening and defensible programs, community fire breaks, evacuation planning, and homeowner education.
These efforts deserve recognition: they show that local governments and residents can work hand in hand to reduce risk, protect property, and save lives. Applauding Lake County is not just symbolic — it highlights the power of grassroots resilience in the face of climate-driven disasters.
The county has embraced the notion that preparedness is a dual responsibility. On one side, homeowners need to take steps such as clearing brush, hardening structures, and maintaining defensible space.
On the other hand, communities must coordinate larger-scale protections — shared evacuation routes, fuel-reduction projects, and neighborhood fire-safety plans. Individual action is necessary, but collective action is indispensable. Wildfires do not respect property lines, and resilience requires both scales working together.
Unfortunately, no matter how well homeowners and communities meet the challenge of this dual responsibility, there is a disconnect between these local efforts and the insurance industry. Even when homeowners and communities invest heavily in mitigation, insurers often fail to recognize or reward the net impact of these shared efforts. Policies are canceled, premiums skyrocket, and families are left scrambling for coverage. This gap undermines trust and discourages investment in preparedness. If the insurance market cannot align with on-the-ground realities, it risks becoming irrelevant to those most at risk.
The state of California should step in and devote more effort to reforming insurance rules to reward wildfire mitigation, strengthen the FAIR Plan (the state’s insurer of last resort), stabilize premiums, and make it easier for communities like Lake County to access funding and recognition for their preparedness efforts.
One possible note of solace to homeowners and communities, no matter what, if they do the work, they may reduce their reliance on insurers altogether. A hardened home in a fire-adapted community is less likely to burn, leading to fewer claims and less reliance on a system that has proven unreliable.
True resilience starts at home and within the community, and other areas should not wait until they have faced nine devastating wildfires to take action like Lake County. Insurance should function as a safety net, not as the first line of defense.
The challenge now is to bridge the gap between local action, state support, and insurance recognition — so that preparedness becomes the norm, not the exception.
Jennifer Normoyle lives in Hillsborough, California.
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- Written by: Michael S. Green
Simple truth is, Donald Trump put Prop. 50 on the ballot. The Nov. 4 statewide special election is being held in direct response to Trump’s attempt to avoid losing power over Congress in the 2026 mid-terms, when Democrats are expected to regain the House of Representatives. Texas and other Republican-led states are willing co-conspirators in this travesty, and Californians must fight to keep their fair share of representation.
In an ideal world we would ride out the current maps as they were drawn and adopted by the state’s independent redistricting commission. Prop. 50 leaves that same process in place for the maps that will be drawn following the 2030 U.S. Census.
Of note, the current maps aren’t perfect. You can see them in your voter information guide, along with the one-time maps that will be used for 2026 mid-term elections if Prop. 50 passes. Lake County would get a second congressional representative vs. only one, and that’s not a bad thing.
Let’s mess with Texas. We're bigger and better than they are. Fight to ensure the 2026 mid-terms are not locked up in advance. Put California back on the moral high ground, using Trump’s constant attempts to rig elections in his favor as a powerful argument to make independent redistricting the national law of the land.
Californians can and will beat Trump and Texas at their own wicked games. We didn’t start this fight, but we can end it in the most democratic way possible: a statewide election. Yes on Prop. 50.
Michael S. Green lives in Lakeport, California.
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- Written by: Gillian Parrillo
I am voting YES on Proposition 50 to use my vote to say, in the strongest possible terms — NO MORE.
No more complicity in the guerrilla tactics being used to destroy the last vestiges of democracy in our beloved country.
No more voter fraud and manipulation.
No more pricing our most vulnerable citizens out of access to basic healthcare.
No more deploying federal troops in cities that neither need nor request them.
No more standing by as women lose the last vestiges of control over their own bodies — or their lives — because of someone else’s moral judgment.
No more dismissing science and replacing facts with conspiracy theories. Climate change is real.
No more refusing to share a tiny fraction of our nation’s immense wealth to fund life-saving global programs that build goodwill and stability — a far greater return on investment than endless wars (though less profitable for big corporations!).
And so many no mores.
I am voting for decency, for embracing our differences, and for restoring America’s role as a beacon of hope for millions around the world. That is the kind of world I want to hand over to my grandchildren.
This vote may well be our last chance — because if Proposition 50 fails, the likelihood of any truly free and fair elections in the future will be practically zero.
How hard is it to cast this important vote with so much at stake?
YES on 50 — help steer our nation back onto the road to democracy.
Gillian Parrillo lives in north Lakeport, California.
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