About Katherine

Katherine Yriarte – pronounced "YAR-tay" – candidate for Washoe County Commissioner, District 5, where every voice matters and every community counts.

A Nevada Story

Katherine moved to Reno as a child in 1986 and never left. This is home. She's built her life here with her husband Daniel, her partner since 2015 in marriage and in their professional horse training business, Team Yriarte Horsemanship, since 2016. Team Yriarte Horsemanship (www.teamyhorsemanship.com) is one of the most trusted training operations in northern Nevada, specializing in behavioral rehabilitation, gentling mustangs and rescue horses, and biomechanics.

Katherine lives in service every day. She has worked nearly five years as a veterinary assistant at Comstock Equine Hospital, runs a private mini pig rescue with 10 pigs in her care, and she founded and serves as president of the Nevada Equine Council, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit that exists to strengthen, unify, and represent the equine industry statewide in Nevada (www.nvequinecouncil.org). Prior to self employment, she had a successful career in biomedical research. In the past, she has volunteered with nonprofits providing equine-assisted learning to at-risk youth, children in foster care, and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. She understands responsibility and caring for the vulnerable, whether they have two legs or four.

Her faith is central to who she is. She is an active member of Granite Hills Baptist Church and the daughter of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. Her values of service, integrity, and community were shaped by both her faith and her upbringing, and they guide every decision she makes as a leader.

A Candidate Who Has Earned Broad Support

Katherine's campaign has earned endorsements from across the community she seeks to serve. She is proud to have the support of the Washoe County Republican Party, the Washoe County Republican Assembly, the Nevada Young Republicans, and the Public Safety Alliance of Nevada. These endorsements reflect her commitment to public safety, responsible governance, and the values of District 5.

Leading All of District 5

District 5 spans 5,827 square miles, 89% of Washoe County geographically, from ranches to suburbs, from Verdi and Somerset to the North Valleys, to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation and Gerlach, and everything north of those communities to the Oregon border. Katherine sees this diversity as the district's greatest strength.

She's a conservative Christian who leads with compassion, humility, and integrity. Her faith guides how she serves: with transparency, accountability, and genuine care. She respects separation of church and state while letting timeless values of service and dignity guide her decisions. She's not a career politician, and that's the point. Katherine brings real-world experience: managing budgets, running businesses, working on complex research studies, founding and leading a nonprofit organization, and the problem-solving skills learned from years training horses, caring for rescue animals, and working in veterinary medicine.

Her candidacy grew directly from lived experience. In August 2023, her equine training operation was anonymously reported to the county, and she spent years navigating Washoe County's code and permitting process firsthand. That experience led her to found the Nevada Equine Council in 2024 and become an active voice in the county's equine business code amendment process. She didn't just get frustrated with the system; she got involved in fixing it.

Standing Up for Public Safety

Katherine believes that safe communities are the foundation of everything else. You cannot have thriving families, growing businesses, or protected rural lands without the men and women who answer the call when things go wrong. She is an unequivocal supporter of law enforcement, firefighters, and all first responders, and she has earned the endorsement of the Public Safety Alliance of Nevada and its member organizations because they know she means it.

Because District 5 is the largest geographic district in Washoe County, the challenges of protecting it are real. Response times in rural and unincorporated areas can be dangerously long. Volunteer fire departments and rural first responders are stretched thin. Deputies are asked to cover vast territory with limited resources. Katherine has seen this up close. She has ridden along with Reno Police Department officers, spent time in the field with Washoe County Sheriff's Deputies, and joined the Washoe County Sheriff's HOPE Team to understand firsthand the work they do every day at the intersection of public safety and community need. She doesn't make policy recommendations from a distance. She shows up, asks questions, and listens to the people doing the job. That is how she leads.

Her commitments on public safety:

She will fight for adequate funding and staffing for the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, fire departments, and emergency medical services, particularly in the underserved rural communities of District 5. She will advocate for deputy and firefighter retention, including competitive pay, mental health resources, and the support structures that keep good people in these jobs. She will work to expand the reach of programs like the HOPE Team that connect people in crisis with the right resources before situations escalate. She will push for improved emergency response infrastructure in rural areas, including better communications, road access, and support. She will ensure that no community in District 5, whether it's Gerlach, Pyramid Lake, Cold Springs, or Rancho Haven, is treated as an afterthought when it comes to public safety resources.

Katherine believes first responders deserve a commissioner who shows up, listens, and goes to bat for them and that is exactly what she will do.

Fighting for the Vulnerable

Her personal journey of caring for her parents has deepened her commitment to supporting families at every stage of life. With her father in an independent senior living facility in west Reno and her mother living with her after the passing of her stepfather, Katherine is inspired to advocate for policies that make multigenerational living more dignified and attainable.

Her commitment to supporting individuals with disabilities is equally personal. One of her closest friends is the mother of a remarkable teenage daughter with special needs, whose tenacity and resilience have profoundly impacted Katherine's life. This experience has opened her eyes to the gaps in county resources and the pressures on parents and caregivers, inspiring her to advocate for stronger programs, better accessibility, and increased support for families of children and adults with disabilities. Katherine is particularly passionate about addressing the intersection of mental health care, homelessness, and our most vulnerable populations.

Seniors 55+ are the fastest-growing homeless population, expected to triple by 2030. People with disabilities experience homelessness at two-and-a-half times the general population rate. Mental health diagnoses among seniors spiked 57% between 2019 and 2023, yet two-thirds get no treatment.

Her solutions: Mobile Mental Health Support Teams, creating a Supportive Housing Pipeline through partnerships, streamlined accessible housing regulations, and a Caregiver Support Network with respite vouchers, peer groups, and a 24/7 hotline. She'll work to implement homelessness prevention through an At-Risk Registry and Hospital-to-Home Program that intervenes before people lose housing.

Her principle: build on what exists, partner instead of duplicate, remove barriers, and focus on those who want help.

Standing with Rural Communities

As a professional horse trainer, veterinary assistant, and president of the Nevada Equine Council, Katherine lives agricultural life daily. She'll protect farms and ranches by working to establish a Rural Infrastructure Fund directing growth revenues to rural roads, emergency services, and broadband. She'll work to require Rural Impact Assessments for large developments and implement Right-to-Farm protections. She wants to empower Community Advisory Boards to have meaningful input. Katherine will use her vote to safeguard open spaces, agricultural lands, and trails from unchecked development. She believes in smart growth that respects existing communities, infrastructure capacity, and local control over development decisions. Preservation of recreational access and natural resources is paramount.

Championing Small Business

Running her own training business, rescue operation, and nonprofit organization, Katherine knows government should enable success, not obstruct it. She will work to implement Fast-Track Home-Based Business approval, replace rigid regulations with performance-based standards, and conduct business-led regulatory audits. Her goal for an Agricultural and Equine Business Protection Ordinance would shield existing operations from encroaching development.

Honoring Tribal Sovereignty

Katherine's commitment to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe: work WITH them, not around them. Their sovereignty is foundational, not symbolic. She pledges government-to-government respect and early engagement on all issues. No county decisions affecting tribal land or water without tribal leadership involvement from the beginning is her goal.

Leadership That Listens

Katherine is a coalition builder offering practical, specific solutions, not vague promises. She brings authentic rural roots, business experience, nonprofit leadership, hands-on animal and people care, and genuine compassion for seniors, people with disabilities, and those struggling. Her leadership is anchored in real-world experience: navigating local regulations, collaborating with community partners, and listening to the concerns of first responders, her neighbors, and fellow business owners. Katherine believes that true leadership begins with listening, and she is committed to ensuring every resident of Washoe County has a voice in shaping the future.

She believes in faith, hard work, and neighbors caring for one another. She'll protect property rights, invest tax dollars wisely, strengthen emergency response, and make county government transparent and accountable.

Every voice matters. Every community counts. That's Katherine Yriarte's promise to District 5.