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Lake County approves travel for Supervisor Jessica Pyska to testify before Senate Banking Committee
Summary
The Lake County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a request allowing District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska to travel to Washington, D.C., to testify at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on the federal role in insurance and disaster mitigation if she receives a formal invitation.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors on April 22 approved travel for District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska to go to Washington, D.C., to testify before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on the federal government’s role in insurance and disaster mitigation if she receives an invitation.
Pyska told the board the possible hearing responds to requests made last month in meetings with the National Association of Counties and the California State Association of Counties; senators asked for local accounts of how federal policy and federal grants interact with rising insurance costs. "I'm going to tell the Lake County story," she said, describing people who rebuilt to current codes after fires but remain uninsurable and the county use of federal grants for home hardening and infrastructure.
The hearing invitation was not yet official at the time of the vote. Board members discussed whether regional groups such as CSAC or NACO should help cover travel costs when supervisors represent broader regional platforms; one board member said they would raise that question with those associations. The board approved the travel request by voice vote after a motion and second; the transcript records the motion carried.
Why it matters: Lake County has been an outlier in wildfire losses and insurance market instability. Pyska said the committee asked for on-the-ground examples of how federal dollars are used and where residents still face gaps, information senators said they wanted to inform future federal action.
Context and next steps: Pyska said she met with Senate staff and gave interviews in the days before the meeting. Board members requested a future briefing to develop a unified county position on insurance and mitigation so that any testimony reflects countywide policy priorities in addition to Pyska’s personal observations. Because the hearing date may fall before the board’s next meeting, supervisors approved the travel now so Pyska can accept an invitation if it arrives.
No formal federal proposal or legislation was discussed at the meeting; Pyska said she would recount local experiences and ongoing county efforts if invited.
