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TechnoratiSan Diego’s city council has voted to join other California cities in supporting a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on same-sex “marriages.”
In response, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders pledged to veto the 5-3 decision, which came two weeks after the city council deadlocked over the issue.
Sanders' spokesman, Fred Sainz, said the mayor prefers civil unions, which offer some, but not all of the legal privileges found in marriages.
Sainz also noted that 62 percent of city voters backed Proposition 22, the statewide measure that bars California from acknowledging same-sex "marriages" performed in other states.
The council's decision on Tuesday, however, would result in the city stating support for same-sex “marriage” in a case to be decided by the state Supreme Court. The court is considering whether California's ban on same-sex "marriage" is unconstitutional.
“This is not a struggle for civil rights,” argued Luis Mendoza, one of nearly 80 people who opposed the effort to send the brief, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “This is an attack on family.”
Nearly 200 people crowded into chambers Tuesday to hear the council's three-hour debate over whether to file a friend of the court brief, joining Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Jose and Santa Cruz, which have already expressed their support for same-sex “marriages.”
Although a 4-4 vote on the issue two weeks ago had killed the measure, Councilwoman Toni Atkins had called for another chance, arguing that state residents should be treated equally regardless of their sexual orientations.
Following Sander’s veto threat, Atkins said she expects “the votes will hold” to set aside the veto.
According to the Union-Tribune, mayoral vetoes, per city law, are required to be scheduled for review, so the council is likely to tackle the issue for a third time Monday or Tuesday.
Documents must be submitted to the court by Sept. 26.
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