"This evening, some county clerks in California will stay open late to start issuing marriage licenses and officiating the exchange of vows for gay and lesbian couples - the first of thousands of same-sex marriages expected in the coming days," reports Jim Doyle in the Chronicle.
"It's a bold step that has been hailed by many gay-rights advocates as a significant milestone while being
attacked by opponents as an unmistakable sign of societal
decay.
"As of Friday evening, 646 same-sex couples had booked appointments to get marriage
licenses at San Francisco City Hall over the next 10 days - one couple will be wed just after 5 p.m. today, and there are 165 appointments and dozens of same-sex marriage ceremonies at City Hall set for Tuesday.
"Gay-rights leaders hope the landmark California Supreme
Court decision will set off a chain reaction that will
influence other states to legalize gay marriage.
"But the latest wave of same-sex marriages may be short-lived. The court's ruling could be undone when California voters are
asked on Nov. 4 to decide an initiative sponsored by conservative
religious and legal organizations. It would revise
the California Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriages by defining marriage as a union 'between a man and a woman.'"
George Skelton seems content with the ceremonies, and looks ahead to the November ballot battle.
The Oakland Trib's Josh Richman puts a new twist on the unions being good for the
economy story. It could also be good for the legal-industrial complex. "
"Legal
experts say California's same-sex weddings could be fertile ground for
a bumper crop of lawsuits and government claims from
coast to coast.
"If
California voters in November approve an amendment
banning same-sex
marriages, the courts will have to decide what to do
about those
already solemnized. And the amendment aside, couples
who marry here and
then go elsewhere could be on uncertain legal ground.
"The one
thing we're sure of is that there will be a lot of litigation," said
Brad Sears, executive director of the Charles R. Williams Institute
on
Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, a think tank
at the UCLA
School of Law.
The Merc News's Mike Zapler writes that Governors Schwarzenegger and Davis are very similar in the handling of the state budget.
"[E]ach governor allocated almost everything the state
took in, rather than using the opportunity to change
spending patterns. And while that's not a surprise for Davis, who promised nothing else,
it is more remarkable in Schwarzenegger's case, observers say.
"'Very little has changed,' said Stephen Levy, director of the Center for Continuing Study of the
California Economy, a research organization that assesses
economic and demographic trends. He said Schwarzenegger's mistake was in thinking he could do it all: Cut waste and fraud from government while keeping
taxes in check and continuing to boost spending on
schools, health care and prisons.
"California has an ongoing $6 billion to $8 billion gap between what it costs to provide services
and how much tax revenue it collects, Levy said. Closing
it, he said, would involve spending cuts or tax increases
that neither Schwarzenegger nor Davis were willing
to make. In fact, Schwarzenegger exacerbated the shortfall
by cutting the so-called car tax in his first act as governor, a move
that now costs the state $6.1 billion annually.
"'He thought it would be easier,' Levy said. 'Not only have both governors been unwilling to balance
the budget, but they know the public is unwilling to
accept the tough choices, so they keep pushing it forward.'
"As the budget has gone, so have the governors' political fortunes. Davis' budget woes helped fuel the recall in 2003 and handed Schwarzenegger ammunition to rail against
Sacramento's dysfunction."
The LAT's Evan Halper writes that state Republicans are hoping to make lemonade from the state's budget lemons.
"GOP lawmakers hope to use their leverage over the state
budget, which cannot pass without some of their votes,
to roll back landmark policies implemented by Democrats
and the governor. Among them are curbs on greenhouse
gas emissions, regulations banning the dirtiest diesel
engines and rules dictating when employers must provide
lunch breaks for workers.
"None of those laws has any direct connection to the
state budget; changing them will do nothing to close California's $15.2-billion deficit. And the Democrats who control the
Legislature already have rejected Republican proposals
to delay or eliminate the laws through the regular
legislative process.
"But as pressure mounts on lawmakers to resolve the
budget crisis, the GOP's renewed requests could get some traction. Republican
clout grows along with the state's financial problems -- at least during the summer budget season.
"'We think the budget is an appropriate place to talk
about these issues,' said Sen. George Runner (R-Lancaster). 'We are setting them on the table for discussion.'
"Runner acknowledges that the proposals won't help balance the books in the coming fiscal year,
but he argues that they would stimulate the economy
and thus generate cash for the state over time.
"'They are reasonable issues to bring up' now, he said."
"State Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Atwater, easily survived the June 3 recall campaign aimed at him by state Senate Prez Don Perata and other Democrats, but he's not rubbing it in," reports Steve Weigand in the Bee.
"See, under the state constitution (Article II, Section 18), Denham is entitled to be reimbursed by the state
for all his "recall election expenses legally and personally incurred."
"With the state's budget problems, however, Denham's chief political strategist, Kevin Spillane, says the senator will let the state slide on this
one.
"'We're not going to ask the taxpayers to pay for Don Perata's political ego,' Spillane said. 'But Sen. Perata ought to at least be buying somebody
dinner.'"
Speaking of recalls, a petition is being circulated in Kern County to recall the county clerk who is shutting down the county's marriages all together rather than allow the county to perform gay unions.
The Bakersfield Californian's Stacey Shepard reports, "Someone in Kern County thinks County Clerk Ann Barnett’s actions in recent weeks warrant a recall. A man picked up forms to initiate a recall election from the county elections office Friday, County Elections Chief Sandy Brockman has confirmed.
"About 38,000 signatures — or 10 percent of registered voters in Kern — would have to sign a petition in order to get a recall measure on the ballot, Brockman said."
Anyone else see a conservative icon in the making here?
The Bee's Jim Sanders reports on Mark DeSaulnier's efforts to clamp down on the private resale of state-issued hybrid stickers.
"State-issued stickers allowing select hybrids to use carpool lanes are being sold or replicated sporadically, aided by a glitch in the law, state officials say.
"Gas prices hovering near $5 a gallon may sweeten the market for fast-buck entrepreneurs offering fast-track privileges for personal gain.
"An eBay auction last week, for example, offered a full set of carpool stickers and received 26 responses, with a high of $406, before bidding was aborted.
"'There are clever people out there who will figure out a way to make money,' said DeSaulnier, D-Concord."
And even though they eliminated their Capitol bureau, the Stockton Record does take some time out of it's budy schedule to focus on the dangers of metallic balloons.
Reed Fujii reports, "State legislation is targeting the colorful metallic balloons filled with helium - popular as balloon bouquets, party décor and special-event gifts - for elimination.
"The move is backed by public utilities and municipal safety officials who blame the metal-coated Mylar balloons for triggering hundreds of power outages every year.
"Balloon retailers, distributors and manufacturers are fighting back, however, saying the problem is overblown, given that 45 million such balloons are sold annually in California, and only a tiny fraction, if any at all, can be blamed for outages.
"Senate Bill 1499, which would ban helium-filled metallic balloons as of Jan. 1, 2010, was approved recently by the California Senate and is under consideration by the Assembly.
"'This is no laughing matter,' Sen. Jack Scott, a Pasadena Democrat and the bill's author, said in a statement. "The balloons often get trapped in power lines, causing widespread outages resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue to both energy companies and businesses."
"In the statement following Senate approval May 29, Scott estimated the cost at $120 million annually."
And finally, AP reports, "A school bus driver and amateur artist from the Chicago suburb of Zion has legally changed his name to "In God We Trust."
"The 57-year-old's first name was changed to "In God," while his last name was changed to "We Trust."
"He says the new name symbolizes the help God gave him during tough times and says he can't wait to begin signing his artwork with the new moniker."
He immediately laid claim to all U.S. currency, claiming that it had his name on it.