03 March 2009

CA Legislature passes anti-Prop 8 resolutions

The California Legislature has passed two resolutions stating opposition to Proposition 8 which was passed in November 2008.

Remember that resolutions are not laws - they are simply a statement. These resolutions tell the Supreme Court that the legislature agrees with the court's ruling on equal rights and disagrees with the legality of Proposition 8 which rewrites the California constitution.

From the AP:

SACRAMENTO—Both houses of the state Legislature passed resolutions Monday endorsing the legal effort to overturn California's same-sex marriage ban, just days before the issue goes to the state Supreme Court.

The resolutions passed along party lines, 18-14 in the Senate and

45-27 in the Assembly, with several members absent in both chambers.

Supporters of the resolutions said Proposition 8 should not have been placed on the November ballot through the initiative process. They said it represented a revision to the state Constitution because it stripped away existing rights and argue that only the Legislature can place such revisions before voters.

"We're talking about a radical revision to our Constitution," said Sen. Mark Leno, the San Francisco Democrat who sponsored the Senate resolution. "Do we have a constitutional democracy in California or do we have mob rule, where a majority of Californians can change the Constitution at any time?"

He equated it to the fight for racial equality decades ago. He noted that in 1964, voters overwhelmingly approved a measure that would have allowed landlords to discriminate against renters based on race.

Of course, the Republicans voted no to civil rights. Are we surprised? Read the entire article here.

Tip of the biretta to Ann for the news.