Capitol tree lighting spotlights disability services, holiday food drive and Eaton fire recovery

Raquel Williams, vice chairwoman of Wilton Rancheria, opened the state capitol tree-lighting ceremony with a traditional blessing that asked the audience to ‘‘deepen our roots’’ during the winter season and to keep families at home and elsewhere safe.

Josh Friday, chief service officer at the Governor’s Office of Community Service and Engagement, told the audience the ornaments on the capitol tree were made by Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities and asked attendees to participate in a holiday food drive supporting Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. ‘‘Across the state, more than 10,000 service corps members are stepping up,’’ he said, describing the California Service Corps as a large statewide volunteer force helping with tutoring, disaster response and food distribution.

Kim Johnson, California’s secretary of health and human services, framed the ceremony around regional supports for people with developmental disabilities and introduced the two children who joined the program this year. ‘‘Regional centers serve more than 480,000 Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities,’’ she said, and she referenced the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act as the statutory framework for services. Johnson also noted that the family guests being welcomed tonight had received ongoing supports after losing their home in the Eaton fire.

First Partner Jennifer Stiebelnitz praised volunteers and staff who prepared the event and called for continued mutual aid for communities affected by recent fires. The governor — identified only by role in the transcript — framed the lighting as a gesture of ‘‘civic unity’’ that dates to the 1930s and spoke about resilience in the face of disasters. He said he would visit Altadena and Palisades as part of ‘‘the second phase of the recovery’’ and supplied loss figures for the Eaton fire: ‘‘13,013 homes destroyed in that fire. 31 lives lost in that fire,’’ which he cited in his remarks.

The program included a musical performance by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and concluded with a countdown led by two child guests, Rebecca and Tadeo, who were invited onstage to flip the switch for the tree lighting.

The event combined ceremony and community outreach: organizers highlighted state disability services, asked for donations to a local food bank and underscored wildfire recovery needs for families still rebuilding.