In 2 Counties Scorched By Wildfires, Politics Takes a Back Seat to Community

The 2020 election is being held amidst a deadly pandemic, extreme political polarization and, in California, wildfires that have scorched a historic number of acres while forcing thousands to flee their homes.

It has also brought into sharper view the issue of climate change, a key dividing line between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.

When Trump paid a last minute visit to California during the worst of the October fires, he disputed the notion that scientists know the cause of climate change, and instead reiterated his belief that better forest management was the best way to prevent the fires.

Earlier this month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stunned California officials by rejecting Gov. Gavin Newsom's request for an emergency declaration to help get federal assistance with six fires and their aftermath. Only after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and others intervened did Trump reverse FEMA's decision.

In the 2016 presidential election, where Hillary Clinton swamped Donald Trump by more than 4 million votes in California, the outcome in Lake and Butte counties was much closer — with Trump narrowly beating Clinton in Butte and Clinton edging out Trump in Lake.

Both counties have also been ravaged by wildfires, leaving them in the hands of firefighters and, in many cases, the help of neighbors.

We visited those counties this past week to see how those disasters are affecting the way voters there are thinking about this year's election.

Lake County isn’t part of the San Francisco Bay Area, but it’s bordered by two counties that are — Napa and Sonoma. And about 60% of Lake County has been burned by wildfires in the past few years.

Butte County is also rural with wide open spaces. It’s home to Chico State University and the town of Paradise, which was devastated in the Camp Fire two years ago. And these days, you see  a lot of burned out lots and shuttered businesses.

Here are some of the people we met along the way, and their thoughts about partisan division and how living through wildfires affects their thinking about government and politics.

Elizabeth Kelly, Clearlake

At the Lake County Farmers Market last weekend, vendor Elizabeth Kelly was selling soap and lotion made from goat milk.

"In 2018 — the Sulphur Fire — I lost all of my coops, pens, fencing. I had gotten my animals out, but I just kind of had to start completely over," Kelly said. "The only thing that remained on that property was my house, which ... thank you God, for that blessing. But everything else I lost."

She said despite the destruction, the fires have brought the community together.

"It's like, if you need a place to stay, my house is open. If you need something, you let me know (and) we plaster it all over Facebook and Lake County."

Dan Merrill, Lower Lake

"We have a lot of independent voters and they swing one way or the other depending on what they see. Whereas most counties you get that it's blue or it's red, I see a lot of change up over here."

Regarding political polarization: "I haven't seen the response that I've seen from, like, friends of mine that are out of the state. You can see a Democrat and Republican (yard) sign next to each other without anyone throwing stuff at their neighbor. You know, it's still civil, so to speak."

Deb Bauman, Chair, Lake County Democratic Central Committee

"I think the most important thing to remember about places like Lake County is that neighbors depend upon each other and we are neighbors first. And I have very good friends who are of other parties. And we stick together in terms of when a wildfire is coming, when animals need to be evacuated or anything like that. We're there for each other and we are neighbors first and always."

Joseph Armijo, Lower Lake

"I've lost family members and friends, good friends, just from political beliefs, you know? This has never been this way — it's like they just have a meltdown as soon as you start to say your side. But we can't meet somewhere in the middle. We can not. I don't know why. You know, I see way more Republicans trying to meet in the middle than Democrats."

Teresa Harborth, owner, Pasquinelli's Deli in Lower Lake

"I am a very avid Trump supporter because I think our economy needs that climate. We need to get back to brass tacks. We need to get back to what America is supposed to be. I was raised where you worked hard, you know, you made your own way. You made the right decisions. You had the opportunities to do what you needed to do."

Jennifer Navitsky, Paradise

Jennifer Navitsky spent much of 2019 rebuilding after her bar, Jen's Place, after it burned down in the 2018 Camp Fire.

“We've lost everything. And are trying to rebuild our community and our lives. It's tough. That's why I worked really hard to get this place open, because I knew our community, you needed a place to go.”

Navitsky tries to stay away from political discussions, though her customers often get into heated debates. And she said, between the election and the pandemic, everyone is exhausted.

“Everybody's torn with it. Everybody feels once the elections come and go, then COVID is going to be gone. I get a lot of that in here. I have a lot of people who don't want to wear masks and they're just totally over it.”

Kathi Hiatt, Magalia

Kathi Hiatt and her husband are Trump supporters. She believes both the state and federal government bear some responsibility for letting the forest get overgrown. But she also points a finger at environmentalists.

"I get protecting forests, but not to the point to where it's burned a whole community down because of lack of cleanup. So I blame both. Most fires that come through will go through the treetops. That thing came through here so hot and heavy and it just took everything out."

Phil Howard, Magalia

Phil Howard is lifelong Republican, but will be voting for Biden. Howard doesn’t support Trump. He doesn't like his stance on the environment.

“All the fixes that he is proposing right now are shortsighted. We've got to fix our environment or nothing else matters.”