Local elections are important. It gives us a chance to make choices that can change lives in our community every day, and that’s why this year I support re-electing Shanda Harry as Superior Court judge.

I have worked with her for many years and she has the right combination of intelligence and common sense to make her a very effective judge for Lake County.

She has been endorsed by Congressman Mike Thompson, Assembly Member Cecelia Aguiar-Curry, Lake County District Attorney Susan Krones, and many members of the defense bar and local civil lawyers as well.

She started a mental health court in Lake County to help shift the burden from our police and jails to mental health specialists and she is about to help launch a Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment, or CARE, court here as well, which will play an important role in addressing homelessness in Lake County by getting people with mental health and substance use disorders the support and care they need by using early intervention techniques.

Judge Harry will continue to work tirelessly to make our community a better place and I believe that she is the most qualified person for the job.

Right now we need a judge with the experience and support of the legal community to make our court system the best it can be, and that person is Judge Harry.

Megan D. Lankford, Esq., lives in Kelseyville, California.