CLEARLAKE >> Long time resident and real estate agent, Jessica Hooten is involved with substantial local youth and has had the opportunity to introduce many people to Clearlake, thus sharing their observations, concerns and dreams for the community, since she has been a resident of Clearlake in 1999. “I think my history and involvement give me a unique perspective and relatability to our community and ability to represent them, Hooten said.
Hooten has been a local realtor full time for nine years. She is 35 years old and on the Lower Lake Youth Football Board and serve as treasurer and is the Team Mom for the Pee Wee Football Team. “I also am involved with CORE, our local youth wrestling team,” she added. “In addition, my husband and I have started a nonprofit, Lake Dayz Inc, a group that strives to encourage and instill hope in our local youth through Lake Experiences, coupling water and boating safety with encouraging positive interactions that build confidence in themselves and pride in their community; all the while being a mom to three.”
Crime issues in Clearlake seem to be drug related, Hooten noted. “I would love to work with, and support creating new task force groups within our police department to give support and allow them to focus on specific issues,” she said.
Homelessness is also an issue that needs to be addressed at the roots, she explained. “I would love to see a group or task force that is focused on learning why these people are homeless, helping to get them into mental health programs, drug and alcohol programs, counseling programs, educational programs,” she explained. “I believe that any individual is just a few bad events or decisions away from being in the same position as most of our homeless. Compassion is a great tool to relate to hurting people.” It would be great to have a facility that takes them off of the street and rehabilitates them, and assists in employment housing, etc. Give them purpose and a reason to stay on the right path,” she added.
“I think that listening and supporting our local officers with their ideas on how to improve safety will be the best way to see a positive outcome, she said. “They are in the thick of it, dealing with the issues head on, they are the biggest asset to our community and safety.”
“I would like to hear from the police officers themselves about what they think could be done to retain and recruit more officers,” she pointed out. “I have never worked in that field and do not know what they go through, so I would look to them to formulate a plan to retain and recruit more officers like themselves.”
In regards to the myriad cannabis issues within the county she said, “In my day-to-day life, I do not see an issue with the cannabis businesses,” she said. “I am always open to hear from those that do have issues with them however and work towards a solution.”
Again, Hooten thinks that having a task force focused on Fentanyl/opioids would be beneficial, but also thinks that education is a great tool. “Getting more educational groups into our schools earlier can be beneficial,” she said. “Getting the youth’s attention early with the facts about these drugs can help them to make a better decision when faced with these issues in real life.”
“As regarding traffic in Clearlake; the only time I ever see traffic is at school drop off and pick up,” she recalled.
The number of new enrollees at city schools is growing with each year and youngster’ education is suffering, Hooten noted. “Our classes are jam packed and our teachers are having to pick up the slack,” she said. “We could really benefit from a secondary high school in the future. And I would also like to hear from the teachers who are in these overfilled classrooms about their ideas to solve problems, and what they can see working for them.”
“The water quality of Clearlake has become a huge problem in the city of Clearlake during the summer months,” Hooten noted. “It’s affecting our tourism, our youth’s ability to use it and the overall image of the city, she said. “I have been told the County’s Board of Supervisors directs care for Clearlake, so I would hope to find a way to be more involved with what’s available and going on at the county and state level to help our water quality.”
As far as the proposed name change of Kelseyville, she says she does not agree with the proposed change. “In my opinion the name is a piece of history, and even though it may have been a dark part in the history, renaming it cannot rewrite what happened.”
