Roberta also recognizes that wildfire safety must remain at the center of the district’s work. Lake County has experienced some of the most severe wildfire impacts in California, and communities served by the district—including Middletown, Cobb, and Hidden Valley Lake—continue to face serious risk from extreme wildland fire. Reducing that risk requires more than emergency response; it requires prevention, education, defensible space, fuel reduction, and coordinated community planning.

That is why Roberta will work closely with the South Lake Fire Safe Council and the Lake County Fire Safe Council to support projects that make neighborhoods safer. The South Lake Fire Safe Council has long worked to help residents reduce wildfire hazards through education, fuel reduction, shaded fuel breaks, and chipping programs, while the Lake County Fire Safe Council serves as a countywide convener for wildfire resilience planning and collaboration. Roberta will support stronger coordination among these groups, the fire district, CAL FIRE, county officials, community organizations, and residents so that South Lake County can compete for grants, expand mitigation projects, improve preparedness, and reduce hazards before the next major fire occurs.