California Assembly Passes Marriage Equality Bill

Pam at The Blend reports on the passage of SB 11 (Migden) in California that Mad Professah blogged about yesterday but links it with the passage of AB 43 (Leno) the following day and the ongoing disappearance of rights for same-sex couples in Michigan.

Interestingly, yesterday's historic passage of the marriage equality bill by the State Assembly for the second time by a vote of 42-34 was far less controversial than when that body first considered the bill in Summer 2005. In fact, the bill (AB 19) failed to pass initially after four conservative members of the Democratic caucus balked and was only rescued through a controversial "gut and amend" procedure (becoming AB 849) and passed the State Senate by a vote of 21-15 first, making that body the first legislative chamber in the United States to pass a marriage equality bill on September 1, 2005. The Assembly then also passed the bill by the bare minimum of necessary votes 41-35 on September 6, 2005. Governor Arnold Schwarznegger vetoed the marriage equality bill on September 29, 2005.

The Los Angeles Times report ("Same sex unions OKd by Assembly") on the events on the Assembly floor notes that all Republican Assemblymembers voted no (so for anyone who says that "there is no difference between Democrats and Republicans" Mad Professah will point them to the respective voting records on LGBT-supportive legislation in California) and a number of Democratic Assemblymembers either voted no or abstained. "Democrats" Nicole Parra (30th District) and Wilmer Amina Carter (62nd District) voted no on Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act , while Juan Arambula, Mike Davis and Cathleen Galgiani were present but abstained. The odious Nell Soto was "ill" (not present) but would not have voted for the bill, since she did not vote for it when she was a state Senator in 2005.

Laura Richardson (who was called "homophobic" by the Dean of the California LGBT Legislative Caucus in the race for the 37th Congressional District recently) and most of the members in the Assembly of the California Legislative Black Caucus voted for the bill: Mervyn Dymally, Karen Bass and Curren Price although it is troubling to Mad Professah that Black Caucus members Mike Davis and Wilmer Carter either voted no or abstained. Here is the full roll call of the votes on AB 43:

AYES
****
Bass Beall Berg Brownley
Caballero Charles Calderon Coto De La Torre
De Leon DeSaulnier Dymally Eng
Evans Feuer Fuentes Hancock
Hayashi Hernandez Huffman Jones
Karnette Krekorian Laird Leno
Levine Lieber Lieu Ma
Mendoza Mullin Nava Portantino
Price Richardson Ruskin Salas
Saldana Solorio Swanson Torrico
Wolk Nunez

NOES
****
Adams Aghazarian Anderson Benoit
Berryhill Blakeslee Carter Cook
DeVore Duvall Emmerson Fuller
Gaines Garcia Garrick Horton
Houston Huff Jeffries Keene
La Malfa Maze Nakanishi Niello
Parra Plescia Sharon Runner Silva
Smyth Spitzer Strickland Tran
Villines Walters

ABSENT, ABSTAINING, OR NOT VOTING
*********************************
Arambula Davis Galgiani Soto

I would recommend calling your Assemblymember and giving them opinion of their vote on the marriage equality bill. I am going to call my members Anthony Portantino, Kevin DeLeon and the all members of the Black legislative Caucus.

Wow, that was fast! It took 20 minutes to call them all and say "I'd like to thank the Assemblymember for voting yes on AB 43 yesterday." In the case of Mike Davis, Nicole Parra and Wilmer Carter I said "I'd like to express my displeasure at the Assemblymember's vote(abstention) on AB 43 yesterday." Everyone was very polite, and Wilmer Carter's capitol staff was especially solicitous. Maybe you'd like to call or email them also:

Email:
Wilmer.Carter@asm.ca.gov

Capitol Office:
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0062
Tel: (916) 319-2062
Fax: (916) 319-2162

District Office:
335 N. Riverside Ave.
Rialto, CA 92376
Tel: (909) 820-5008
Fax: (909) 820-5098

Email:
Nicole.Parra@asm.ca,gov

Capitol Office
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0030
(916) 319 - 2030
(916) 319 - 2130 Fax

Bakersfield Office
601 24th St., Suite A
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 334 - 3745
(661) 334 - 3796 Fax

Hanford Office
321 N. Douty St., Suite B
Hanford, CA 93230
(559) 585 - 7170
(559) 585 - 7175 Fax

Email:
Mike.Davis@asm.ca.gov

Capitol Office:
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0048
Tel: (916) 319-2048
Fax: (916) 319-2148

District Office:
700 State Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037-1210
Tel: (213) 744-2111
Fax: (213) 744-2122

Be Nice, Do Good.