Queer Democrats’ Surprising Lieutenant Governor Endorsement (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club made a surprising choice in the June 8 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom became a nationwide hero to the Queer community in February 2004 when he unilaterally ordered city officials to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but the club rejected him in favor of Los Angeles City Councilmember Janice Hahn. Members’ concerns about Newsom included his less than progressive stands on economic issues, his notoriously messy personal life, his potentially rocky relationship with presumed Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown, and the risks of going into a statewide election with two white men at the top of the ticket against likely Republican nominees Meg Whitman for governor and Abel Maldonado for lieutenant governor.
California Legislature passes involuntary outpatient commitment bill (tags)
With bipartisan super-majority votes that stunned and dismayed mental health clients and advocates, the California Senate and Assembly passed involuntary outpatient commitment (IOC) bill AB 2357, sending the bill to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign or veto. The bill would extend Laura's Law, California's existing outpatient commitment law, by five years.