EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. — District 4 supervisor candidate Gina Posey is positioning her campaign around wildfire preparedness, fiscal accountability, and preserving the county’s rural identity, according to a recent interview with local podcast host Gary Kinghorn.
Posey, a former civil grand jury member and longtime technology executive, said her decision to run stems from both professional experience and personal investment in the community.
“I really love living in El Dorado County, and I decided I wanted to give back,”
she said, citing more than 27 years in high-tech leadership roles managing teams, budgets, and strategy.
The interview comes as voters prepare for the June election, where candidates are competing to represent a district that includes El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, and surrounding communities.
Fire Risk and Insurance Dominate Concerns
Posey identified wildfire risk and rising homeowners insurance costs as the most pressing issues among residents. She said outreach to more than 2,000 constituents showed overwhelming concern.
“90% of the time it was homeowners insurance,”
Posey said.
“That’s not an opinion. That’s a referendum.”
While acknowledging that counties have limited authority over insurance markets, Posey outlined a three-part approach: expanding defensible space education, supporting fire-safe councils and grant programs, and advocating for policy changes at the state level. She also promoted Firewise community programs as a way to reduce risk and potentially lower insurance premiums.
Critique of County Processes and Planning
Drawing on her time with the civil grand jury, Posey pointed to past inefficiencies in the county’s building and planning department, including a lack of performance metrics, limited digital systems, and inconsistent inspections.
Although she noted improvements in recent years, Posey said challenges remain—particularly for larger development projects requiring planning approvals.
“Once you touched planning, then all bets were off as far as how quickly you were going to get through something,” she said.
She proposed reframing the department as a “customer service organization” to improve responsiveness and accountability.
Budget Transparency and Economic Strategy
On county finances, Posey called for a more comprehensive understanding of the budget, including reserves and off-book accounts. She criticized past decisions to reduce economic development funding without fully assessing downstream impacts on tax revenue.
“Revenues need to either equal expenses or exceed expenses,” she said. “Borrowing money to make those balance is not a balanced budget.”
Posey emphasized tourism and rural economic development as key revenue opportunities, pointing to assets like the American River and the Rubicon Trail. She suggested expanding lodging, outdoor recreation, and agricultural tourism to support local businesses.
Growth, Housing, and Infrastructure
Posey described herself as a “smart growth” advocate, supporting development that aligns with infrastructure capacity and evacuation planning. She warned that failure to meet state housing requirements could result in loss of local control.
“We needed to have a plan, meet the numbers, and have as much control as possible before we lost all,” she said.
Her proposals include expanding accessory dwelling units, diversifying housing types, and ensuring developers bear infrastructure costs.
Community Engagement and Governance
Posey also called for increased public engagement, including restoring more robust opportunities for public comment during Board of Supervisors meetings. She said transparency and accessibility are critical to rebuilding trust in local government.
Looking ahead, she identified several priorities if elected: strengthening wildfire resilience programs, addressing homelessness through coordinated services, advancing broadband expansion, and reestablishing economic development initiatives.
“I want to protect our rural way of life and fix the problems we talked about,” Posey said. “I’m invested in this community, and I will work very hard.”
Campaign Context
The interview is part of a broader series featuring District 4 candidates. According to Kinghorn, not all candidates have participated in similar public forums, an issue Posey framed as important for voter transparency.
“I think it’s really important to talk to as many residents as possible,” she said. “Voters deserve to know who they’re voting for.”
