"The California Supreme Court has asked state Attorney General Jerry Brown to reply
by Monday to lawsuits challenging the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage - a sign that the justices are taking the cases seriously
and will not dispose of them quickly," reports Bob Egelko in the Chron.
"Two groups of gay and lesbian couples and local governments
led by the city of San Francisco filed the suits a
day after the Nov. 4 election, when Proposition 8 passed with a 52 percent majority."
If you're a legal beagle, here's San Francisco's challenge.
"They argue that the initiative, a state constitutional
amendment, violates other provisions of the California
Constitution by taking rights away from a historically
persecuted minority group and stripping judges of their
power to protect that group. The couples' suits contend that Prop. 8 makes such fundamental changes that it amounts to
a constitutional revision, which can be placed on the
ballot only by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature.
"Brown has said he will defend Prop. 8 in court while also supporting the legality of an
estimated 18,000 weddings performed under the court's May 15 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage."
"More than a week after the passage of Proposition 8, activists opposed to the ban on gay marriage have
shifted their protests to new arenas -- using boycotts to target businesses and individuals
who contributed to the winning side," write Tami Abdollah and Cara Mia DiMassa in the Times.
"The effect of the boycotts remains unclear. Merchants
said that the overall poor economy made it difficult
to tell whether their businesses were declining specifically
because of the threats. But the protests have been
highly visible and have drawn strong objections from
backers of the initiative.
"'No matter your opinion of Proposition 8, we should all agree that it is wrong to intimidate
and harass churches, businesses and individuals for
participating in the democratic process,' Ron Prentice, of ProtectMarriage.com, said in a statement. Boycotters
were 'unabashedly trampling on the rights of others,' he said.
"Activists behind the boycott effort argue they are
simply exercising their political rights.
"'People are determining who their friends are, and who
are not their friends,' said Fred Karger, a Los Angeles resident and retired political consultant.
'I think people need to be held accountable for their
financial support.'"
The Chron's Heather Knight looks at the vote breakdown on Proposition 8 in San Francisco .
"One in 4 San Franciscans voted in favor of Proposition 8, far fewer than the 52 percent who voted to ban same-sex marriage statewide. But a closer look shows race,
age and education influenced voters more than anything
else - even among those living in one of the world's most gay-friendly cities.
"Voters in 54 of San Francisco's 580 precincts supported the ban, with a high of 65 percent of voters favoring it in parts of Chinatown
and downtown. More than half of voters in large swaths
of Bayview-Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, the Excelsior and
areas around Lake Merced also voted to ban same-sex marriage.
"Neighborhoods including the Marina, Laurel Heights
and Mission Bay - which almost always vote more conservatively than
neighborhoods such as Bayview and Chinatown - voted overwhelmingly against Prop. 8.
"'With the racial and religious overprint that we're seeing, the standard San Francisco politics get
thrown out the window on this one,' said political consultant David Latterman, who further crunched the precinct-by-precinct voting results that The Chronicle obtained
this week from the Department of Elections."
Dan Walters takes note of the lobbying frenzy sparked by the governor's special session budget proposal. "The outcome of California's great tax battle is still very uncertain. But the Capitol's lobbyists hope it never ends."
"Assemblyman Dave Jones won his third Assembly term only last week, but he's already running again, this time for state insurance commissioner in 2010," reports Jim Sanders in the Bee.
"The Sacramento Democrat announced on Thursday that
he has socked away about $1 million in campaign funds and is vying for the seat
of Steve Poizner, a likely GOP gubernatorial candidate.
"'The insurance commissioner should be a strong advocate
for consumers,' he said. 'I think with my background and experience, I would
be a very strong advocate.'"
Meanwhile, Don Perata may be preparing for his next gig as well , reports the Chron's Chip Johnson.
"In a half-hour segment on KQED-FM's "Forum" show, the lame-duck East Bay senator was asked about his future - and said Oakland's top post had been a goal for much of his political career.
"'Ironically, the only job I've ever wanted was to be the mayor of Oakland,' Perata, 63, who lives in the city, told host Michael Krasny. 'And it may be the last job I ever have.'"
"As California sheds jobs at an alarming rate, increasing
the ranks of the uninsured, the state-run Healthy Families program for children is preparing to close enrollment for the first time
in its 10-year history," writes Aurelio Rojas in the Bee.
"New enrollment in the program, which provides medical,
dental and vision care to more than 900,000 children whose families earn too much to qualify for
Medi-Cal but not enough to buy insurance, has averaged more
than 27,000 a month during the past year.
"That is an all-time high, and has already created a $17.2 million deficit in the program.
"Lesley Cummings, executive director of the state's Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which administers
Healthy Families, has told the board the only way to
manage costs is to limit enrollment.
"Failure to do, she said, could ultimately force the
state to stop coverage for children who are already
in the program."
"California's two public university systems are warning that student fees could increase about
10% next year, and maybe more, if the state's dire budget situation does not improve," reports Larry Gordon in the Times.
"The 10-campus University of California released a report Thursday
that projects a 9.4% hike for most in-state student fees. That would mean $662 more for undergraduates who are California residents,
bringing their average bill to $8,670. That figure includes campus-specific charges but not housing, books and other expenses,
which can add $12,000 to $14,000. Graduate and professional school fees would rise
more steeply.
"The 23-campus Cal State system recently said it would seek
enough state funding to avoid a 10% student fee increase for the 2009-10 school year. If that does not succeed, average undergraduate
fees for Cal State would rise by about $300 to $4,150, including campus charges but not housing and books."
"For the first time, the costs of global warming's projected effects in the nation's largest state have been quantified: About $2.5 trillion of real estate assets in California are at
risk from extreme weather events, sea level rise and
wildfires, with a projected annual price tag of between
$300 million and $3.9 billion, according to a new report, "California Climate Risk and Response," written by UC Berkeley researchers Fredrich Kahrl
and David Roland-Holst," reports Margot Roosevelt in the Times.
"The final number will depend on how much the Earth
warms under various scenarios and whether the nations
commit to slashing greenhouse gas emissions.
"'This is a good review of existing studies,' said Anthony Brunello, a California Resources agency
official. 'It assesses the real, comprehensive statewide impacts
for the first time.'"
And finally from our When Crockett Gets Drunk Files, "Huntington Beach authorities were called in after a man took a 3-foot alligator on a leash to Johnny's Saloon, a punk rock bar in Huntington Beach."
Hmmm, bad idea? Maybe?
"At 1:11 a.m. Saturday, Huntington Beach police were called to help Fish and Game and animal control officers in the parking lot outside Johnny's, at 17428 Beach Blvd.
"We received an anonymous phone call that somebody had an alligator in a vehicle," said Ryan Drabek, a spokesman for OC Animal Care.
"During the conversation, the man mentioned he had another alligator at home, Drabek said."