CA Readies For Marriage Rush

Here come the brides. And the grooms.

Los Angeles County will be ready to meet the increased demand for civil marriage ceremonies and license applications on June 16, when the recent state Supreme Court ruling overturning a same-sex marriage ban will take effect, acting County Clerk Dean Logan said Tuesday. "Our staff is busy going about the process of preparing to implement the court's decision in concert with all the other services we provide, and we believe that we will be able to do that in a timely and efficient manner," Logan said.

In a report delivered to the county Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Logan said that he would likely increase the number of hours that county facilities were open to perform civil marriage ceremonies and would expand the county's volunteer deputy marriage commissioner program, which allows ordinary citizens to be deputized to perform marriages.

At the moment, appointments for civil marriage ceremonies are scheduled at the main Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office in Norwalk every day, but only one day per week at its outlying offices. The Board of Supervisors directed Logan to consider opening a temporary district office in West Hollywood, a city whose population is 44 percent gay, bisexual or lesbian, according to a 1998 survey.

The supervisors also told Logan to work out a plan with local public safety officials to ensure security at his department's various facilities. While reporting to the supervisors, Logan addressed recently voiced concerns that county employees might be allowed to opt out of performing same-sex marriage proceedings if they are uncomfortable with them. On Monday, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo sent letters to Secretary of State Debra Bowen and county Supervisor Yvonne Burke, calling on them to reject such a policy and urging Burke to pressure Logan to resign should he try to implement it.

"I want to be unequivocally clear that all employees of the Registrar- Recorder/County Clerk are obligated to uphold the constitution of state of California and the Constitution of the United States," Logan said. "We will not and we have not issued any policies nor will I issue any directives that would compromise that obligation .

I already have friends complaining that they're gonna go broke on wedding gifts. It's a good thing.