By Ramy Eletreby

California Legislature passes same-sex marriage bill ... again

On Sept. 7, the California Legislature passed Assembly-member Mark Leno’s (D-San Francisco) same-sex marriage bill for the second time in three years. Sponsored by Equality California, AB 43 passed in the state Senate with a 22-15 vote split along party lines. The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act would grant same-sex couples in California the ability to marry, and is almost identical to the bill passed by the Legislature in 2005, which was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Once again, the bill must go to the governor’s desk for approval.

“We call on the governor to rise above right-wing ideology, as he has on many other issues, by signing this bill,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors, in a statement. “By a new Legislature passing this bill with an even larger margin than in 2005, our elected representatives have shown that the people of our state strongly support equality and fairness. The governor should keep up with the will of the people and show the kind of bold bipartisan leadership on this issue that will define his place in history.”

AB 43 gives all couples equal access to a marriage license while also protecting religious freedom. The bill states that no religious institution is required to solemnize marriages that defy its fundamental beliefs.

The California Log Cabin Republicans released a statement shortly after the Senate vote saying that while they applaud the Legislature for its growing dedication to marriage equality, the organization would prefer the decision to grant same-sex marriage come from the state Supreme Court first, which is expected next year, then implemented by the Legislature.

Gov. Schwarzenegger must take action on all bills by Oct. 14. California is the only state in the nation that has approved marriage for same-sex couples through the legislative process.

State Senate approves condom distribution in prisons

On Sept. 6, the California Senate voted 21-18 to approve AB 1334, a bill that would allow nonprofit organizations and public health agencies to distribute condoms and dental dams in prisons, the Los Angeles Times reports. Sponsored by Sandré Swanson (D-Alameda), the bill is expected to help curb the spread of HIV and other STDs among inmates.

A similar bill, AB 1677, was passed by the Senate last year, but was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Supporters of the new measure hope they have addressed the governor’s concerns with the previous bill and that it will be signed into law this year.

Sen. George Runner (R-Antelope Valley) says that the new legislation would send a mixed message to prisoners when sex among inmates is prohibited.

“It seems incredibly inconsistent for us to say that this behavior is not acceptable in prisons and then to provide devices to assist in that behavior,” said Runner, reports the Times.

Historic HIV testing bill passes

The California Legislature overwhelmingly passed AB 682, California’s Routine HIV Screening Bill, which cleared the Assembly with a final 64-0 vote on Sept. 10 after clearing the Senate with a 38-1 vote the previous week.

The bipartisan bill, authored by Assemblymembers Patty Berg (D-Eureka), Bonnie Garcia (R-Cathedral City) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), and co-sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would streamline the HIV testing process so that medical providers can identify Californians who are unaware of their HIV status and bring them into care and treatment while sustaining the fundamental voluntary nature of HIV screening.

“Nearly 40,000 Californians are unaware they are HIV-positive, which means they could be unknowingly transmitting HIV to their partners. In addition, too many people learn of their HIV status when they present themselves to a healthcare provider due to an illness, often when it is too late to fully benefit from lifesaving antiretroviral treatment,” said Whitney Engeran III, director of AHF’s Public Health Division.

The bill now moves on to the Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk for signature, which he is expected to sign without hesitation.

Gov. Bill Richardson dedicates last mural at Lincoln Park AIDS monument

At the unveiling of the final art mural for the Wall Las Memorias AIDS monument in Lincoln Park in East Los Angeles, New Mexico governor and 2008 presidential candidate Bill Richardson addressed a mostly Latino crowd on the morning of Sept. 7 to discuss his legislative history combating HIV/AIDS and his hopes for a promising future in the White House. The now completed monument, sponsored by Macy’s Passport, features eight art murals depicting HIV/AIDS and how it directly affects L.A.’s Latino community. On the reverse side of each mural are engraved names of Angelenos who have fallen in the struggle against HIV/AIDS.

Richardson, speaking in both Spanish and English, shared the story of a dear friend, Billy Griego, who died of AIDS a year after the governor first entered Congress in 1982.

“When I was first getting ready to run for Congress, people told me that I could not win. I did not have enough money or support,” Richardson said. “But what I did have was Billy Griego.”

In 2005, Richardson signed the Billy Griego HIV and AIDS Act to ensure consumers are the focus of the funding and services provided in all of New Mexico’s HIV/AIDS cases. As a special tribute to his friend, Griego’s name was revealed as the top engraving on the reverse of the final art panel.

“I am here today because I think that this monument is an important part of our fight against HIV and AIDS across this country and around the world,” Richardson said. “It is important because it is a reminder painted on steel of the innocent victims of this terrible disease. It is a reminder that our commitment to eradicating this disease must be made of the same steel—it must be unbreakable and immovable.”

San Diego diocese settles for $198 million

On Sept. 7, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego agreed to pay $198.1 million to settle 144 claims of sexual abuse by clergy, reports The Associated Press. In what is the second-largest payment ever made by a diocese, after the Los Angeles Archdiocese settled 508 cases for $660 million in July, the settlement comes after four years of state and federal court negotiations. Earlier this year, the diocese filed for bankruptcy protection in hopes that its assets would be shielded, but a judge threatened to throw out the bankruptcy case if church officials didn’t reach an agreement.

The Diocese of San Diego, with nearly one million Catholics and holdings throughout San Diego County, is the largest and wealthiest of the five U.S. dioceses to have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under the shadow of civil claims over sexual abuse.

“The diocese has always been committed to resolving this litigation in a way that fairly compensates these victims of abuse and would still preserve the ongoing ministries and programs of the church,” said Bishop Robert Brom, in a press release. “We pray that this settlement will bring some closure and healing to the years of suffering experienced by these victims.”

Sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests has cost the U.S. church at least $2.3 billion since 1950, the AP reports.

State Supreme Court to weigh in on breakaway Episcopal parishes

The California Supreme Court is expected to review a recent appeals court ruling that the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles is the legal owner of the buildings, prayer books and other properties of three Southern California parishes that broke away from the diocese and placed themselves under the authority of a conservative Anglican bishop in Uganda, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The case involves St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints in Long Beach and St. David’s in North Hollywood, which all pulled out of the diocese and the national Episcopal Church in 2004 because of differences over biblical authority and interpretation, including the Episcopal Church’s decision to consecrate openly gay Rev. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.

The diocese sued the three parishes, arguing that the properties were held in trust for the diocese and the Episcopal Church as a whole. While trial courts initially ruled in favor of the three parishes, a panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana reversed those decisions in June.