A federal judge ruled Thursday that same-sex couples will be able to marry on Aug. 18 at 5 p.m. The ruling could be reversed if opponents of gay marriage appeal the decision to the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The decision will lift the stay that last week he placed on his own judgement that a statewide ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. On Thursday morning scores of people gathered on the front steps of San Francisco City Hall to mark the occasion, with some same-sex couples hoping to get married on the spot if the stay were lifted immediately. There were also supporters of Proposition 8, the initiative that ended gay marriage in 2008. (READ THE RULING BY JUDGE VAUGHN R. WALKER — PDF)
Category: Elections
Posted inArts & Culture, Elections, Law & Justice, LGBTQ+, Social Justice
Gay-marriage attorney maps out strategy to defeat ‘state-sponsored discrimination’
David Boies, one of the two attorneys in the successful case to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage, said the case evoked fights he participated in during the civil rights movement decades ago, calling opposition to equality the “last bastion of official, state-sponsored discrimination in this country.” He spoke at the Commonwealth Club Thursday night.
Posted inElections, Government & Politics, Law & Justice, LGBTQ+
Prop. 8 gay marriage ban overturned; ruling unlikely to be the last word
A federal judge Wednesday struck down California’s ban on gay marriage, but that decision is unlikely to be the last word. The case will eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court, legal analysts predicted. Proponents of 2008’s Proposition 8 are expected to appeal judge Vaughn R. Walker’s ruling that the measure was unconstitutional. The first step to the Supreme Court would be the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Posted inElections, Transportation
Silver lining amid cutbacks: Muni’s on-time performance at all-time high
A report released Tuesday by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said Muni’s on-time service performance increased to a new high of 75 percent. Although this is a record, the agency is still short of a voter-approved proposition requiring it to meet an 85 percent on-time performance goal.
Posted inElections
Kellogg’s recalls cereals; Lucky Supermarkets in the city affected
Kellogg’s Co. announced Friday morning it was voluntarily recalling 28 million boxes of its cereal brands because of an unusual smell and taste. The affected cereals include Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, Corn Pops and Honey Smacks.
Posted inCity Hall, Education, Elections, Government & Politics, Public Safety
San Francisco props A and B pass; millions more for school, safety retrofits
San Francisco voters approved measures to retrofit schools and emergency services facilities Tuesday in an election in which five of seven local propositions passed. Twenty-three percent of voters showed up at San Francisco’s 590 precincts, passing propositions A, B, D, E and F. Proposition A, which will extend through 2030 a special property tax that was enacted in 1990, was approved by 69.9 percent of voters. Proposition B, the Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond, was approved by 79.2 percent of voters.
Posted inEducation, Elections
Prop. A looks to extend school parcel tax another 20 years
Proposition A on Tuesday’s ballot seeks to extend a 1990 parcel tax aimed at helping fund capital improvements in the San Francisco Unified School District. In addition to authorizing the tax for another 20 years, it would also allow it to be increased annually, up to 2 percent, based on inflation.
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Posted inElections
Prop. B would fix emergency water system, move police command center
A $412 million bond measure goes before San Francisco voters on Tuesday. The money would go toward the repair of the aging emergency water system and for replacement of the police department’s emergency command center. The measure is considered a key component in getting the city ready to handle the next big earthquake.
The USGS forecasts a 66 percent chance of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake hitting the Bay Area within the next 30 years.
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Posted inEconomy & Business, Elections, Utilities
Fact check: ‘Yes on Prop 16’ ads don’t convey PG&E’s huge fingerprints
Tuesday’s statewide election features a controversial industry-backed proposition that would amend the California Constitution to require a two-thirds vote before a community could change its energy provider. The largest tonnage of paper political ads flooding mailboxes in San Francisco sport a variety of images — some ominous, some silly and sarcastic — but the same message: Proposition 16, the “Taxpayers Right to Vote Act,” protects voters from spendthrift politicians. But the ads, paid for mostly by incumbent power provider Pacific Gas & Electric Co., are misleading in a few important ways.
Posted inCommunity, Elections
How Prop. D billboard plan was defeated
The defeat of the Mid-Market Street billboard plan last week was close because proponents hid the details over who would handle the funds coming from large ads, says the opposition’s key organizer.