Sacramento’s holiday lights will shine a little less brightly this season when Westfield Downtown Plaza goes without a giant Christmas tree for the first time in 30 years. Without a tree, the annual day-after-Thanksgiving tree lighting ceremony at the mall's Seventh and K streets entrance also won't be held. However, the plaza is likely to be the only place in Sacramento with a little snow this winter after artificial snow-making machines are set up in a children's play area. Sacramentans can enjoy two other Christmas tree lightings. Old Sacramento will light up its huge tree at 6 p.m. Wednesday at K and Front streets, followed by a light show and more to set the historic district sparkl

Attorney and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., called for the entire nation to be linked on one electricity grid in a fiery speech in downtown Sacramento on Friday. Kennedy was the keynote speaker for “Greenwise,” Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s environmental initiative. Since he started his initiative in June, Johnson has hosted talks with speakers including San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. About 300 people attended Kennedy’s speech, which was held at the Hyatt Regency at 12th and L streets. The country’s current energy system is irrational, Kennedy said, noting there are 50 different public utilities comm

Mayor Kevin Johnson and representatives from public agencies and small businesses said Thursday that ballot measure Proposition 23 would harm the environment, green businesses and air quality. The November ballot measure would overturn the state’s climate change law, AB 32, until the state reaches an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent or lower for four consecutive quarters. AB 32, which the California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger passed in 2006, aims to cut California’s greenhouse gas emissions. Backers of Prop. 23, officially called the “California Jobs Initiative,” argue that AB 32 hurts businesses that must pay the expense of making mandatory changes to comply. The Sacrame

A high-profile panel that included Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Washington, D.C., Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee met in Sacramento on Tuesday evening and discussed pitfalls in the nation’s education system. Most of the members of the panel, which also included Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and an official with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said state and national teachers’ unions have made efforts to halt education reforms. The panel held its discussion after a screening of “Waiting for Superman,” filmmaker Davis Guggenheim’s new documentary about education reform. About 200 people gathered for the screening, including special gu

On Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., approximately 2,000 members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) gathered on the west steps of the Capitol in a powerful end to Tuesday's outcry rally over the state’s budget decisions, which would cut the salaries of state workers by 15 percent. A giant screen was set up to project the image of the speakers. Tents were scattered providing first aid, food and information on how to contact the governor. Participants sat on the grass and milled around, but once Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker took the stage, most remained standing to listen intently to her words. Walker addressed SEIU's grievances with the state legislature's handling of the bu

Sacramento County’s public safety and social service programs will be harmed if the state advances a proposal to borrow $2 billion from local governments, according to county spokesman Zeke Holst. The county is planning cuts to close its own $180 million budget gap. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed borrowing property tax revenues from local governments as one of many ways to address the state’s $24.3 billion deficit. Holst noted that Sacramento County’s portion of the $2 billion would be $32 million. Lending $32 million in county revenues to the state “would directly impact public safety and social programs,” Holst said. “We are watching the state very closely to see what they ar

Mayor Kevin Johnson told media outlets earlier this week that possible layoffs of state workers may harm the city’s economy. Layoffs for about 5,000 state workers have been proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to address the state’s $24.3 billion deficit. Local governments throughout the state may be impacted by state budget cuts, Johnson said. But because many Sacramento residents are state workers, the city faces “a double whammy.” Sacramento is “very uniquely positioned as a state capital city to get hit twice,” Johnson said Tuesday. Johnson went on to say that if these workers are laid off, they may not be able to make their mortgage payments. In turn, these residents may foreclos