Farmer Lynda Hopkins enters 5th District Sups Race

[Shepherd]

Lynda Hopkins of Foggy River Farm has entered the race for 5th District Supervisor, notes the following PD article. She has major concerns about the over-growth of the wine industry.

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Forestville farm owner Lynda Hopkins enters 5th District Sonoma County supervisor race

BY ANGELA HART ~ THE PRESS DEMOCRAT November 18, 2015

Lynda Hopkins, a Forestville resident and independent farmer, has entered the race for Sonoma County’s 5th District supervisor seat, currently held by Efren Carrillo.

Hopkins, who with her husband owns Foggy River Farm in Healdsburg and has never held elected office, said her political aspirations were sparked recently by the controversial development proposed by the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians outside Windsor. The plans include a tribal housing project and, potentially, a new resort hotel and large-scale winery.
Hopkins has lodged objections to the proposal and has helped organize opponents.

“I discovered I have an ability to work with diverse groups of people to solve really complicated problems,” said Hopkins, 32. “I got involved because there was no outreach to any of the neighbors — we had no idea what was going on. I believe so deeply in government transparency, so that’s what drives me to run for supervisor.”

Hopkins’ farm is on Eastside Road, which falls into Sonoma County’s 4th District represented by Supervisor James Gore. She and her family live in the 5th District, which takes in Sebastopol and the coast up to Mendocino County. The couple grow vegetables and raise sheep, goats and chickens.

To continue reading, go here: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4...r-enters-race#

[Shepherd]

Following is this week's Sonoma West article on Lynda Hopkins running for 5th District Supervisor. Among her important qualifications, in my opinion, is that she is the mother of two young children.
Shepherd

Hopkins brings grassroots perspective to fifth district campaign

Photo by Tony Landucci
Lynda Hopkins stands in between rows of kale and chard at her farm with her husband Emmett and two daughters, Gillian and Adeline.

Posted: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 4:12 pm
by Ray Holley Managing Editor [email protected]

Lynda Hopkins owns organic farm

And so it begins. The first candidate has declared herself in what promises to be a long and complex race for the Fifth District supervisorial seat, representing western Sonoma County.

Lynda Hopkins, a writer, farmer and former journalist, issued a press release Friday announcing her candidacy. “There are many pressing issues that we as a community need to address, including the need for affordable housing and childcare. I don’t want to wait any longer,” said Hopkins in her press release.

Hopkins and her husband, Emmett, own Foggy River Farm, an organic vegetable farm off Eastside Road in the Russian River Valley, on land that has been in the Hopkins family for four generations. They have two daughters, Gillian, age two, and Adeline, age eight months. As a couple, the Hopkins’ moved to Sonoma County nine years ago to farm in an area that Hopkins said has a supportive climate for small farmers. She and her husband took-over seven acres from Emmett’s parents’ 80 acres of vineyards and converted five acres to vegetable farming and two acres to grain.

The small farmer has based much of her platform on personal experience with the high cost of living and crumbling infrastructure in Sonoma County. Hopkins hopes to address the high cost and low availability of childcare in Sonoma County by reducing permitting fees required to start in-home daycares.

The mother of two young children said there is little or no choice between staying at home and entering the work force without the availability of affordable childcare. “A lot of my friends have had to make a choice between working and staying at home that really wasn’t a choice. They had to stay at home because they couldn’t afford to send their child to daycare, or, there wasn’t a daycare available,” she said. ...

To continue reading, go to: https://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_we...18a614194.html