Pride parade, West Sacramento plant reopens: Your weekend news roundup
From heroic state workers to the death of a former NFL star, here are the weekend headlines you may have missed:
- Sacramento Pride parade: Attendees of all ages lined downtown streets Sunday morning as floats and entertainers marched from Southside Park to the state Capitol for the 2026 Sacramento Pride parade. The celebration, ongoing since 1979, has grown to include a two-day festival and a new Pride 5K race.
- West Sacramento plant restarts: A bottling plant that abruptly closed last year under Manna Beverages has partially resumed operations under new owner Redwood Beverage Group. The company has hired 94 people, 87% of whom are former Manna employees. The company has plans to hire 30 more in the next two months.
- Former 49ers star dies: Aldon Smith, who recorded one of the greatest rookie defensive seasons in NFL history before his career was derailed by arrests and suspensions, died Saturday at age 36. His 19.5 sacks in 2012 remain the 49ers franchise record.
- State workers honored: 36 state employees from six departments received California’s Medal of Valor at a Friday ceremony for heroic actions including ocean rescues, shielding children from gunfire and pulling people from car wrecks, including transportation workers Anthony Coscia and Tobin Hook who swam into the Pacific to reach a drowning woman at Scott Creek Beach.
- USDA subpoenas California: The U.S. Department of Agriculture subpoenaed the California Department of Social Services on June 4 for SNAP participant data as part of a fraud investigation.
- Afghan community listening session: Roughly 40 Afghan community members, elected officials and nonprofit leaders gathered Saturday in Old North Sacramento to discuss challenges facing the region’s growing Afghan population. Community leaders estimate 40,000 to 50,000 Afghan individuals live in Sacramento County.