Election season is just around the corner, and soon ballots will land in mailboxes across Pacific County. Among the names and measures, you’ll find something that shapes our daily lives more than most people realize: commissioners. But what exactly do they do and why does it matter so much who holds these seats?

Today marks 90 years since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, a landmark moment in American history that fundamentally reshaped how we care for one another.

As fireworks light up the sky and flags wave proudly, July 4th is often seen as a day of celebration in the United States—a symbol of freedom, independence, and national pride. But for many, especially within BIPOC communities and immigrant populations, the holiday can also bring up feelings of dissonance, grief, and reflection.

It is a bittersweet day, one that honors powerful ideals while reminding us how far we still are from fully realizing them.

When Carolyne Perez was just 10 years old, she moved to the Long Beach Peninsula and she never left. A proud graduate of Ilwaco High School, Carolyne has deep roots in Pacific County and a strong sense of what makes this rural, tight-knit place special. Now, as the first Hispanic person to serve on her local school board, she’s making history and helping others feel seen.