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

The good news is that sustainable or "green" home construction and remodeling -- and the businesses making it possible -- have been growing in Sacramento. The bad news is that the recession and other factors are making it hard for those businesses to stay afloat. Fledgling businesses that have taken off only within the last few years during a recent green building movement are being threatened by the virtual shutdown of housing projects and a lack of widespread support for ecologically friendly building materials. Businesses like Green Sacramento and GreenBuilt Construction also are suffering due to other types of income loss. "The economy is just taking its toll," said Green Sacramento