County Offices Handling Hundreds of Same-Sex Marriage Requests

By City News Service

Business was brisk at Los Angeles County Clerk's offices today, as same-sex couples scrambled to get married, with the blessing of the federal court system.

According to Dean Logan, the county registrar-recorder/county clerk, more than 500 couples completed online marriage license applications between 4 p.m. Friday, when a federal appeals court lifted a stay and allowed same-sex weddings to resume in California, and today.

The decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals came two days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that proponents of Proposition 8 -- which banned same-sex weddings in California -- did not have legal standing to appeal a federal judge's ruling that the measure was unconstitutional.

Anticipating a crush of same-sex couples anxious to wed, the main Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office in Norwalk will remain open until 7 p.m. today and tomorrow. A long line of people showed up at the start of business today. Logan himself officiated over the first same-sex ceremony of the day at the office.

In West Hollywood, members of the City Council and other officials were temporarily deputized to perform same-sex marriages. The officials were presiding over ceremonies at the West Hollywood council chamber, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., during a six-hour event that will continue until 7 p.m.

The city was even providing a free shuttle between the council chamber at the county Registrar-Recorder's office in Beverly Hills so people could obtain licenses.

In Long Beach, Mayor Bob Foster presided over the wedding of Bob Crow, co-founder of Long Beach Gay & Lesbian Pride Inc., and his partner Tony Almeida at Harvey Milk Park.

On Saturday, a group of conservative legal experts filed an emergency request asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the same-sex weddings, claiming the court's decision on Proposition 8 would not become legally final until the passage of a 25-day period when parties to the case can ask for reconsideration. Justice Anthony Kennedy, however, rejected the request Sunday without comment.