An anti-gun protest organized by the liberal advocacy group CodePink took place in Downtown Sacramento afternoon, drawing a counter protest from gun rights advocates. Mother’s Against NRA and other anti-gun supporters gathered in front of the Five-Fifty-Five building on Capitol Mall, and were met on the sidewalk by National Rifle Association supporters. Attendees stated that it was tense until the police stepped in and made the NRA group step back. Officers maintained a police line to keep the groups separated. “I’m here because the shootings need to stop; I’m here working on this every single day,” said CodePink supporter Amanda Wilcox. "This not an NRA issue," said NRA supporte

A mixed bag of four new films It’s a busy week at the movies and a mixed bag of outcomes, including veteran stars who elevate their material and films that both benefit and suffer by being associated with true stories.   The Big Wedding Written and Directed by Justin Zackham This is the first of two movies this week that become more than they might otherwise be by virtue of their casts. In this case, what would otherwise probably be a C+ grade comedy romp is pulled up a notch or two by stars Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon (see below also), Diane Keaton, and a refreshingly understated performance from Robin Williams. It’s a surprisingly raunchy-at-times (and appropriately R-rated) take

Gun rights advocates have been on the defensive after the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn. last week, but that didn't stop one group in Sacramento from demonstrating their opposition to gun control in a way that was sure to get attention.  Sacramento police questioned and then released a group of men who walked down one of the city's busiest streets with shotguns over their shoulders Sunday evening. Two of the men in the group were carrying shotguns when police stopped them at 10th and J streets around 9:20 p.m., according to officer Michelle Gigante. They were found to be in compliance with current open carry laws as the guns were not loaded, Gigante said. One of the suspects told offic

Occupy Sacramento members say they will risk arrest as they plan to challenge the new city ordinance that sets restrictions for protests at City Hall. Protesters will assemble at City Hall at noon on Thursday to protest the law they call unconstitutional, according to a press release, which stated details won’t be released in advance. The new law, passed last month, goes into effect on Thursday and sets a curfew on the site, prohibits obstructing access to City Hall, bans the use of amplified sound without a permit and prohibits signs, displays or structures from being placed on the property. It also prohibits sponge baths in the fountain at Cesar Chavez Plaza, across the street from Ci

More than 100 protesters gathered outside the Environmental Protection Agency in downtown Sacramento on Wednesday evening to protest the oil and gas extraction method known as fracking. Fracking – short for hydraulic fracturing – is already used in California and many parts of the U.S. The protest occurred before a workshop organized by the California Department of Conservation Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, which was intended to gather public input as the state considers how to regulate the practice. Clean Water Action, Food and Water Watch, Culver City Council, the Sierra Club, Environment California and the Planning and Conservation League were some of the many organiz

Details of what the future will bring for U.S. Bank on the UC Davis campus are still hazy after the bank announced the branch’s closure in the wake of the Occupy UC Davis movement, but a school official said he is hopeful that the partnership can be restored. “The biggest impact if this relationship can’t be salvaged is that student programs won’t earn the money they were slated to earn,” university spokesman Barry Schiller said Tuesday, adding that the best-hope figures put those earnings at $3 million over 10 years. “In the last year, I believe that it was something on the order of about $167,000 for student programs,” Schiller said. The money was channeled to the student programs as

  Equality Action Now, a local grassroots civil rights organization based in Sacramento along with Marriage Equality USA is encouraging same-sex couples to go to their City or County Clerk’s Office on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 and request a marriage license. Here in Sacramento representatives of Equality Action NOW will be at the Downtown County Clerk’s (600 8th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 – 916-874-6334) at noon to cheer on same-sex couples. Tina Reynolds, EAN’s Executive Director is asking participants to, “bring lots of candy and flowers and bring a bunch of “LOVE” signs!” The annual event has never been more important or appropriate given the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appea

Federal Judge Morrison England denied a motion by attorneys for Occupy Sacramento Thursday to order a temporary restraining order against the city from enforcing a parks ordinance that limits park hours. The motion was filed Tuesday as an emergency request by local civil rights attorney Mark Merin on behalf of Occupy Sacramento in an attempt to prevent the city from arresting protesters who remained in Cesar Chavez Plaza – the site of the occupation since Oct. 6 – in violation of park curfew. “I’m disappointed in the decision,” Merin said after the ruling. “Obviously, we hoped the judge would see the case differently than he did.” The restraining order motion was part of a recent lawsui

Occupy Sacramento participants once again stood their ground at Ceasar Chavez Park in Downtown Sacramento. At midnight, an hour after the park is officially closed, dispersal orders were given and 4 (including one in a wheel chair) were arrested peacfully. 

Why Occupy? Right now, regular folks ― young, smart, educated young people ― are frustrated because they don't see a way to claim their piece of the American dream. For Julio Escobar, 19, a Sacramento City College student who grew up in Oak Park, the decision to stay and offer himself up for arrest by not leaving Cesar Chavez Park was one of principle.   The issue with the park started on Oct. 6, when 19 protestors elected to stay after closing at Cesar Chavez Park on behalf of the 99%. The nineteen took the bullet for the majority refusing to leave in civil disobedience despite repeated warnings by the police to disburse or be taken to jail. A video of the events unfolding can be se

'Occupy' protesters in Sacramento marched on Capital Mall Friday afternoon with a stop at the Bureau of Indian Affairs at 650 Capital Mall with some definite opinions of Columbus and the recent celebration of Columbus Day. After their brief stop and rally at John E. Moss Building, they continued east on Capital Mall where they rallied again on the north steps of the Capital Building See video from demonstration>> View some other 'Occupy' articles on SacPress>>      

Authorities said 20 protesters were arrested at about 12:45 a.m. Friday when they refused to leave Cesar Chavez Plaza, the site of the Occupy Sacramento demonstration. Both police and protesters described the arrests as peaceful. “They went without any problems or issues,” said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department. “They were booked for failure to disperse after a lawful order.” Anthony Bondi, a spokesman for Occupy Sacramento, agreed. “It was completely violence-free,” he said Friday afternoon. “The protesters laid down and chose to be arrested.” Despite what some protesters said they think was an overbearing police presence, Pettit said units involved w

Around 20 medical marijuana supporters protested Friday in front of the Sacramento Federal Courthouse. The protest started at 10 a.m. and is scheduled to end by 1 p.m.

Protesters took to Cesar Chavez Plaza Thursday to fight what they say is the richest 1 percent of Americans controlling 50 percent of the country’s wealth – and they plan to “occupy” Sacramento for at least a week. “I’m out here to fight for the people so we can get power back from the corporations,” said Neph Garcia, a diesel mechanic from Woodland. “The 1 percent is making the decisions, and the 99 percent suffers from those,” he added. “We have to be free from corporate decisions. The politicians are pretty much their puppets.” About 300 protesters with Occupy Sacramento assembled at Cesar Chavez Plaza downtown on Thursday morning before setting off on a march around the Capitol, cha

A proposed amendment to the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op bylaws is being seen by some as a necessary procedure to ensure equality, while others see it as an attempt to take the members’ voice away on certain issues. All 12,000 co-op members will have the chance to vote on the amendment, which must pass with at least a two-thirds majority in the next election cycle, scheduled for late summer or fall, said Board Member and Policy Committee chairwoman Michelle Reynolds. According to Reynolds, the amendment proposed at the June 7 board meeting is a procedural process designed to ensure that the co-op has written anti-discrimination policies in its bylaws after a restructuring of its polici

Equality Action NOW Hosts Event at the Crocker Art Museum Today, California Governor Jerry Brown officially proclaimed Sunday, May 22, Harvey Milk Day. Last year Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law the Harvey Milk Day bill, in honor of the slain San Francisco supervisor who fought for LGBT rights. The proclamation begins by saying, “In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man in the history of the United States to be elected to public office. This milestone achievement gave hope to millions of gays and lesbians across the country that a day would come when they could live their lives openly and honestly without fear

Four Sacramento State University students are facing disciplinary actions from the college for their participation in the three-day sit-in sy Sacramento Hall, which ended April 16 at 3:30 a.m. with police in riot gear. Last Thursday, the students – Nora Walker, Yeimi Lopez, Amanda Mooers and Mildred Garcia – had their first hearing inside Lassen Hall with a disciplinary officer, as many of their supporters stood in front of the building wearing tape across their mouths and carried signs with messages like “Defending education is not a crime” and “Silence is the quest before the storm.” In recent weeks, the protesters ignited a proverbial flame on campus that spread across an estimated 1,

In a display of symbolic death to the local workforce, a man dressed in a grim reaper costume stood with scythe in hand in front of the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District building on 65th Street Monday morning along with a half dozen other workers from the Carpenters Union Local 180. Protesters passed out fliers claiming that SMUD outsourced labor for the Solano Wind project to an out-of-state general contractor who made $830 million in 2009, but SMUD calls the protest a disruption of business with "false and inaccurate claims" about the project. SMUD states as many as 180 local construction jobs will be available in the Solano County area because of the project and that they didn't

The rain didn't stop an estimated 13,000 college students and faculty from marching on the State Capitol Monday to demand legislators work out their differences and put tax extensions on the ballot, which educators have said would make next year's cuts more bearable. Students were bused from all over the state to the Towe Auto Museum, where the march officially began. Called the “March in March,” Monday's protest was the fourth year in a row that the same group came out to the Capitol in such large numbers. As it stands now, Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 assesses a $1.4 billion cut to higher education, including $500 million to University of California schools a

About 20 protesters – many of whom were in wheelchairs – were arrested Wednesday afternoon after blocking L Street in front of the Capitol to protest cuts to in-home care services in the state budget. “Those services provide the means for people to live independently and stay out of nursing homes,” said Peni Hall, who came from Berkeley to participate in the protest but who left the street before officers started making arrests. About 40 police and CHP officers arrived at the protest, said Sgt. Norm Leong, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department. “We were notified of an improvised protest in the middle of L Street,” Leong said, adding that he believed the group had a permit to pr