Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and First Lady Anne Gust Brown hosted the 86th Annual Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony this evening on the West Steps of the State Capitol.

"Tonight we have the joy of lighting this Christmas tree,” said Governor Brown. "We celebrate the children who put the ornaments together and all of you here on this wonderful occasion – a tradition thousands of years old and one we all remember with great fondness.”

Governor Brown and First Lady with Sofia Garcia and her mother at the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

This year, the Governor and First Lady lit the Capitol Christmas tree with 7-year-old Sofia Garcia of Los Angeles. The tree is illuminated by approximately 10,000 ultra-low wattage LED lights and decorated with more than 900 hand-crafted ornaments made by children and adults with developmental disabilities who receive services and support from the state’s development centers and 21 nonprofit regional centers.

Governor Brown delivers remarks at Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

This year’s tree is a 65-foot-tall white fir from the Latour Demonstration State Forest located near Redding in Shasta County, the sixth Capitol Christmas tree to come from a state forest managed by CAL FIRE on behalf of the public.

Kitty O’Neal of KFBK Radio emceed the ceremony, which included feature performances by the California Army National Guard’s DET 1, 40th Infantry Division Band, Brass Quintet, the Governor’s Own; students from the Oakland Military Institute and Oakland School for the Arts; Mariachi Puente; and St. Paul’s Baptist Church Choir.

Governor Brown meets with Sofia Garcia.

Photo Credit: Joe McHugh, California Highway Patrol.