Dear Editor,
The Christmas holiday and New Year are at our doorstep. So am I, as I approach the last six months of my campaign for District 3 supervisor in our beautiful Lake County. This moment is also a very important time for the Third District.
If you haven’t already signed up for the Northshore Chapter of A Simple Gesture, our community-based food drive, I hope you will find it in your heart to do so this holiday season. All donated food stays within the Third District, which is the Highway 20 corridor from the Mendocino County line to the Calusa County line. It’s easy, impactful, and only takes three steps:
1. Go to the A Simple Gesture website, enter your ZIP code, and select the Northshore Chapter (there are chapters all around the lake — join one near you). Then click Register.
2. Gather shelf-stable food such as beans, rice, powdered milk, spices, cereal, etc., and place them in a bag on your front porch on the next pickup date. Volunteers will collect the food and deliver it to a local pantry. Our next pickup date is January 10, 2026, with monthly pickups thereafter.
3. Click Yes for next month, or, you can skip a month or more. We can do better together by feeding our neighbors in need.
Lake Pillsbury and Scott Dam are part of the PG&E Hydroelectric Project currently being decommissioned right here in the 3rd District. PG&E has chosen to sell off individual assets of the project. Mendocino and Sonoma Counties partnered to purchase everything except Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury. With no buyer stepping forward, the dam is now slated for removal—an outcome that would be detrimental to both humans and wildlife region wide, with Lake County being the hardest hit economically – something we can’t afford.
The decision to decommission with an application into the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) thus far is being made with little, if any, comprehensive scientific evaluation or empirical data regarding the long-term impacts. Concerns include fire protection, loss of wildlife sanctuary, tourism and property tax revenue declines, and reduced water availability for up to 600,000 people during summer months when the Eel River runs dry, among many others.
As of Dec. 19 at 2 p.m., FERC closed the public input portion of its decommissioning review process. I have read every one of the thousands of letters submitted—both for and against decommissioning. I appreciate Lake County’s unified position against decommissioning and the work they are doing. If I already was an elected official during this process, I would continue to be on the phone and at my computer day and night seeking state and federal funding for Lake County to purchase Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury, partner with others, and install a hydroelectric system to serve our residents. This would be a positive community and economic investment and directly supports my campaign priorities.
It also supports my vision of localized microgrids for food, power, and water as we move forward into an uncertain future—working together toward sustainability.
With six months left to earn your trust and your vote, I am shifting my focus away from attending 3rd District Municipal Advisory Council meetings and various committees where I do not hold a position, and instead spending that time knocking on doors and holding coffee conversations throughout our community, come rain or shine.
I continue to be amazed by the intelligence, compassion, and care our citizens share as I travel door to door and business to business — discussing issues, answering questions, brainstorming solutions, and genuinely connecting. Our citizens are our greatest sustainable resource. I am humbled and honored to work hand in hand with you to strengthen our community.
We can do better together.
We are living in unique times — times that create uncertainty but also opportunity. Running for public office during these moments brings renewed meaning to the words public servant. I am fully prepared to be in public service to my community of Lake County if elected as your 3rd District Supervisor.
This holiday season, I wish all Lake County residents peace, joy, and hope. God bless you and your families.
Julia Carrera is a candidate for Lake County District 3 supervisor.