Prediction: We aren’t out of the woods yet in 2023

▸ The threat of wildfire will be back. In 2022, we got a reprieve from the devastation Californians experienced the previous year — if you consider 7,600 fires consuming more than 350,000 acres across the state to be a reprieve. But experts say that has more to do with luck than prevailing conditions. The drought is likely to continue (recent wet weather notwithstanding). Weather forecasters are predicting a wet early winter then a dry February, March and April, which could make conditions even worse. The state has been pouring money into emergency preparedness and increasing prescribed burns designed to mitigate the threat, but it’s nowhere near enough to save us from catastrophic wildfires in the years to come.

▸ We won’t stop worrying about viruses. In the short term, through the winter, it seems safe to say that many of us will continue to grapple with COVID-19, the flu, and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. Not enough of us have been vaccinated and boosted; fewer still are social-distancing and masking up. Given the explosion of cases in China, the relative lack of some viral illness in recent years, and the recent wave of travel and forced togetherness at our nation’s airports, we can expect another surge of sickness, hospitalization and death.

▸ Interest in green technologies will grow, but unevenly. We all want a more sustainable future, but cost, supply and other factors threaten to make us take one step back when we need to be taking giant leaps forward. Take home electrification. Communities like Half Moon Bay are requiring more energy-efficient heat pumps in new construction, but such regulation may be outpacing supply and the ability to hire contractors to do the work. You say you want an electric vehicle? You may be on a waiting list or perhaps you just can’t stomach that windbag CEO who is synonymous with the brand. 2023 may also be the year we learn, again, that California’s largest electric company is less than reliable just as we clamor for more power.

▸ We’ll rethink our living arrangements. Here’s one on which we would bet the house, so to speak: Fewer of us will be living with just our immediate family in single-family houses. It’s not because it isn’t the American Dream — though that too is changing — it’s just too expensive, and not just in the Bay Area. Leave aside astounding down payments necessary for purchase and astronomical monthly mortgage payments. Rising taxes, increasing interest rates, soaring insurance premiums in some areas, and hikes in the cost of heating and cooling, home improvements and everything else will make the old ideal of one family in one house less than ideal. More of us will seek other arrangements, from living with extended family, to rooming with seniors who have too much house, to living in multifamily developments.

▸ Expect continued interest in educational options. For generations, most Americans sent their kids to the local public school. That may still be the plan, but the pandemic, uneven funding and security concerns are causing many parents to think again. No one thinks virtual learning was sufficient during the pandemic, but it did open eyes to the possibilities. We are no longer a slave to our geography. Many started schooling at home and some don’t plan to stop. Some school districts, including our own, are planning for fewer students, which could affect funding for years to come. And high-profile school shootings have led to fencing and other changes on campus. We’re sure some parents simply worry about sending their kids to school.

One last prediction: This newspaper will continue to serve the interests of the coastal community — that is so long as you support us. Thank you for your time and your interest in civic affairs.

— Clay Lambert