LAKEPORT, Calif. — Rotarians and community members gathered in Lakeport on Wednesday evening to build a bridge between the present and the future.

The Lakeport Rotary Club celebrated the burial of a community time capsule at Lakeport's Xabatin Park.

The time capsule, to be covered by a layer of concrete, is located near the park’s North Main Street entrance next to the curfew bell, a project Lakeport Rotary finished last fall.

With the time capsule, the club — celebrating its 100th anniversary this year — is looking toward 2050. That’s the year that the time capsule will be reopened.

Rotary President Pam Harpster credited numerous individuals for their help in the project, including city of Lakeport staff Jim Kennedy, Ron Ladd and Kevin Ingram, and many Rotarians.

“It’s been a group effort,” she said. 

Harpster also explained the reason for a time capsule.

“Why a time capsule? What the heck?” she asked.

For one, it will say hello to the future, and will preserve a bridge between now and 2050, Harpster said.

The time capsule will contain numerous items that she said represent the community, including letters, mementos and objects with sacred importance, such as a medicine bag gifted to the effort by Les Miller of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, containing soil from the grave of his grandmother, a tribal matriarch.

Miller called the time capsule a “super idea,” adding he is proud of Lakeport, the city where he grew up.

Harpster said a 5-foot-tall eagle statue also is planned to be located near the time capsule.

She said she and the club are looking forward to working with the city more.

Rotarian Jennifer Strong said being a Rotary president during a centennial is a tall order, but Harpster, who has had health challenges in the midst of it, met the moment.

“This park is a gift,” said Strong, who also grew up in Lake County. 

The park represents the past, present and future, Strong added.

Rotary has clubs in Kelseyville, Clearlake and Lakeport, with a satellite in Middletown. Strong said the club’s mission is to give back, and leave things better than they found them.

Strong said it’s overwhelming to think about all that volunteers do, and it’s a gift to be part of it. 

Rotary welcomes new members with the motto, “Service Above Self.” However, Strong said she thinks it’s more accurate to say “service feeds self.”

“We get more out of it than we give,” Strong said.

Rotary invites the community to take part in their centennial celebration, set for Saturday, Aug. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Soper Reese Theatre, 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport.  

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the Rotary Club of Lakeport's website at www.lakeportrotary.org. 

Below is the list of items included in the time capsule.

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Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 26 June 2025

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Community members are invited to upcoming meetings in order to  learn more about how Lake County could offer an alternative to Pacific Gas and Electric’s electric power sources, cut emissions and potentially trim rates while retaining PG&E for grid maintenance. 

Three public meetings will be held in July. 

Attendees will learn how Mendocino and Sonoma Counties have successfully replaced PG&E's power sources with their own, and how Lake County is considering a similar action.

Hearings will take place as follows:

• 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 8, Lake County Board of Supervisors, first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
• 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, Lakeport City Council, 225 Park St.
• 6 p.m. Thursday, July 17, Clearlake City Council, 14050 Olympic Drive.

Sonoma Clean Power, or SCP, is a community-owned organization fighting for lower rates and more renewable energy. 

Starting in 2014, SCP began replacing PG&E's power sources for customers across Mendocino and Sonoma counties. SCP is not a full municipal utility because it still relies on PG&E to maintain all the poles and wires in the power grid.

The county of Lake and Cities of Clearlake and Lakeport are considering asking SCP to expand its services to include our region.

SCP has trimmed power bills for its customers by over $100 million over the past decade, and built large solar, wind and battery systems. SCP is also leading an effort to build 600MW of new geothermal power to secure affordable rates and improve our region's energy independence. 

Today, SCP generates the power for 87% of all electric customers across Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

Earlier this year, the Lake County Board of Supervisors and the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake sent requests to SCP to consider extending service into Lake County. 

The July meetings will explore that option in detail.

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Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Published: 26 June 2025

Members of Congress this week heard from former commissioners of the Internal Revenue Service as well as tax experts about their concerns about the president’s efforts to undermine the agency.

Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures Rep. Mike Thompson co-led a briefing with Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Rep. Steny H. Hoyer and Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee Rep. Richard E. Neal. 

They were also joined by Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03). 

The members highlighted the Trump Administration’s continued attacks on the Internal Revenue Service. 

They heard testimony from Former IRS Commissioners John Koskinen, Fred Goldberg, Danny Werfel, as well as Natasha Sarin, president of the Yale Budget Lab, and Nina E. Olson, executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, as they discussed the consequences that IRS cuts have on law enforcement and America's fiscal responsibility. 
 
“The president’s decision to underfund the IRS is no accident. This administration is ensuring that the IRS can’t carry out audits of corporations and high-income earners, handing a free pass to their wealthy donors and guaranteeing billions of dollars lost in unpaid taxes. Meanwhile, the services ordinary Americans rely on will be worse. My constituents, and all Americans, deserve a government that works for them, not one that caters to the wealthy and the well-connected," said Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04).

"For years, the IRS has been desperately underfunded and understaffed, leading hundreds of billions of dollars in legally owed taxes to go uncollected each year," Ranking Member Hoyer said. "An attack on the IRS is an attack on America's fiscal health."

“The Trump Administration’s relentless effort to gut the IRS is nothing short of sabotage,” said Ranking Member Neal. “When the IRS works, America works, but Republicans are intent on tearing it down to protect the wealthy few. Their cuts mean fewer audits for millionaires, more burdens for honest taxpayers, and billions in lost revenue that could be invested in workers and families.”

"I spent 20 years in the private sector helping to turn around large, failed enterprises.  And it never occurred to us to starve the accounts receivable operations of any company to see how they did.  The goal was to protect revenues, not lose them.  I think it is nonsensical to maintain, on the one hand, that you’re concerned about the size of the deficit and, on the other hand, to undermine the agency charged with collecting taxes owed," said former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen (Obama Administration, Trump Administration). 

"Any executive — whether they are from a public company, a large of small private company, or from the government — will tell you that there is no way to effectively run an enterprise when each year's budget is completely unknown and unknowable in advance. Good management and strategic direction requires forward planning. You simply cannot do that if you do not have any idea what the budget outlook will be from year to year," said former IRS Commissioner Fred T. Goldberg, Jr. (H.W. Bush Administration).

"This is a critical time for the tax agency — and the nation. While the brave men and women of our armed services stand in harm's way across the globe and members of both parties have concerns about the deficit, there should be no political disagreement that the success of the IRS is vital to the short-term and long-term success of our country, whether it’s serving taxpayers or collecting revenue critical to the health and safety of the United States and our citizens," said former IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel (Biden Administration).

"The combination of staffing cuts, seriously damaged employee morale, technology starts and stops, replacement of human intervention with digital tools and decision-making, and erosion of the confidentiality of tax return and taxpayer return information — none of this bodes well for US taxpayers and the protection of their fundamental rights under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights," said Nina E. Olson, executive director, Center for Taxpayer Rights.

"The IRS interacts with every household and every business, and its dedicated civil servants take that responsibility seriously. Its workforce must grow and evolve, not indiscriminately be ransacked. It is unfortunate that the IRS has found itself under siege and without the tools its employees need to do the work they care so deeply about. I hope the testimony today, from a group of bipartisan tax experts across the ideological spectrum, can help to encourage course correction. If the IRS is not adequately funded we will be leaving significant revenue on the table and eroding our democracy," said Natasha Sarin, president, Yale Budget Lab.

A recording of the full meeting is available here. Witnesses' prepared remarks can be found here.

Thompson represents California’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties. 

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Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Published: 26 June 2025