LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to approve two new members for the Lake County Planning Commission.

New supervisors Helen Owen and Brad Rasmussen, who took office at the start of January, presented their choices for their planning commissioners at the board’s Tuesday meeting.

Owen, representing District 1, requested the appointment of Monica Rosenthal, a Middletown resident and farmer who previously served as the district’s planning commissioner from 2007 to the start of 2009 under then-Supervisor Ed Robey.

Rosenthal, who along with husband David grows winegrapes, is a previous Lake County Winery Association executive director, ran for District 1 supervisor in 2016 and in 2018 was named Woman of the Year by Congressman Mike Thompson. She also has chaired the Middletown Area Town Hall.

Rasmussen appointed Maile Field, a longtime pear and winegrape farmer with deep family roots in the community, to represent District 4 on the commission.

Like Rosenthal, Field also previously served on the Planning Commission representing District 5 for three years, appointed by Supervisor Jessica Pyska. She resigned last year after she moved outside of the district.

The board received two online comments opposing Rosenthal because she signed onto a Dec. 3 letter from a group calling it itself the Lake County Community Action Project: Planning
Coalition, or CAP, which has been raising concerns with local cannabis regulations and the Cannabis Ordinance Task Force’s work to modify those rules.

The two comments, from Michael Colbruno and Erin McCarrick, questioned Rosenthal’s ability to be fair to cannabis-related projects and decisions.

McCarrick suggested that “it would be good to find more balance” and select other candidates than Rosenthal and Field, pointing out that both are in the winegrape industry and Farm Bureau members.

During the brief discussion that followed, board members addressed those concerns.

“Everyone has the right to have their personal opinion,” said Supervisor Bruno Sabatier. “The job of a planning commissioner allows you to still maintain those personal opinions, but be able to follow the rules and regulations of what a planning commissioner is required to do, which is looking at our zoning ordinance and our municipal code as to whether or not projects fit within the code that exists.”

Pyska said the planning commissioners uphold the county ordinance the way it is written, and that it will be Rosenthal’s experience to do so.

“I have no doubt that she’ll do a good job. She’s been in this position before,” said Owen.

Rosenthal has experience with planning, and Owen said she has assured her that she is not anti-cannabis. “She’s just ‘smart cannabis.’”

Owen moved to appoint Rosenthal, with Sabatier seconding and the board voting 4-0. Board Chair EJ Crandell was absent, with Rasmussen, as vice chair, leading the meeting.

Rasmussen then introduced Field’s proposed appointment, noting her experience.

“Just for transparency, I will say I did receive some public concern. It didn’t go to the whole board. I reached out to those folks and addressed that yesterday before the meeting, so I’m comfortable moving forward having done that,” Rasmussen said.

Pyska moved to approve Field’s appointment, with Owen seconding and the board voting 4-0.

They are expected to take their seats at the next Lake County Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 27.

The other three commissioners are Everardo Chavez Perez, District 2; Batsulwin Brown, District 3; and Sharon Zoller, District 5.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.