LAKE COUNTY— Since her election in 2020 Jessica Pyska has served the Lake County community as Supervisor for District 5, replacing Rob Brown after his five term career ended in January 2021. Now seeking re-election for her second term, Pyska hopes to continue the work she has begun.
Pyska shared her personal history stating, “I was born and raised in Cobb and went through the Middletown schools. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz, I moved to San Francisco to work in commercial real estate. In 2005, my husband and I moved back to Cobb Mountain to start our family.”
After losing their home in the 2015 Valley Fire Pyska “began organizing people around the idea that we could proactively plan and build resiliency into our community’s recovery.” Just one year later she found the opportunity sharing, “I was appointed to serve on the Cobb Area Council for four years before being elected to the Board of Supervisors. I served as Board Chair.” Pyska elaborated on this term noting “In 2016, I was a founding member of the Cobb Area Council. We began building a diverse partner network to focus on disaster preparedness, forest health, long-term economic recovery, and community engagement.” Working collaboratively the Cobb Area Council has developed an Economic Development Committee, its annual Blackberry COBBler Festival, and created 19 Fire-wise neighborhoods throughout Lake County.”
Since beginning her term Pyska has held a strong belief that collaboration and diversity make us stronger, and that “difficult conversations often lead to innovative action.” Pyska continued “I am not afraid of the long hard work that is before us, and finding opportunities to thrive in ways we have yet to realize.” The accomplishment she is most proud of lies within the county’s investment revenue sharing “Hiring an asset management firm and building an investment strategy for the County’s portfolio has fundamentally improved our financial standing.” In 2021 the county interest income was about $90,000 per quarter, two years later they are receiving $3.6 million per quarter. According to Pyska “Roughly half of this income goes directly into our schools, fire, and special districts.”
Looking towards Lake County’s future Pyska said, “The economic health of Lake County is the foundation for a thriving local business environment, education and job opportunities, and improved quality of life for everyone.” She believes the county will make these goals a reality through leveraging bi-partisan federal funding opportunities which Pyska mentioned include updating the General and Area Plans, the county’s broadband infrastructure, creating new positions and strategic plans for economic development and housing, investing in senior centers, and massive expansion in behavioral health programs. Pyska shared “These are once-in-lifetime funding opportunities used to propel our economy forward. Along with these investments, we have built up tens of millions of dollars in reserves from budget surpluses for the first time ever.”
Regarding the ongoing staffing and recruitment issues Pyska stated “Filling vacancies and retaining high-caliber staff is a top priority of the Board.” Utilizing recent raises, hiring bonuses for hard-to-fill positions, and improved insurance benefits has helped but as Pyska noted, “These strategies require constant attention to ensure we never get complacent again.” She added, “Additionally, we have brought on incredible new talent through nationwide recruitment.”
For District 5 specifically, Pyska shared her concern about how the “Climate Crisis is manifesting through drought, extreme heat, wildfires, storms, and flooding – all negatively impacting agriculture production, our lake and drinking water, and the overall health of our forests and ecosystems.” Through grants the county has been able to retain a Climate Resiliency Officer and was able to formulate a Climate Action Plan that will help to implement projects and prepare communities for adverse climate events. Pyska shared “As Supervisor, I will continue to advocate at the State and Federal levels when issues are larger than can be handled locally – such as declaring the tree mortality emergency to access funding for the 20,000 dead trees along our county roads.”
More information on Jessica Pyska’s campaign can be found online at www.supervisorjessicapyska.com, or facebook.com/SupervisorPyska, and also by email at supervisorjessicapyska@gmail.com, or by phone via 707-278-4007.
