Elections and Voting

Los Angeles' Historic Election Night for Gay Candidates Underlines 'Gay Okay' Trend in United States

While local media and L.A. political leaders are bemoaning the city's embarrassingly low voter turnout on Election Day, something quite positive, even historic, happened last Tuesday night: Gay candidates across Los Angeles kicked butt. Many gay politicos can't think of an election in Los Angeles h ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Makes A Play For Growing Latino Vote, But Turnout Is A Challenge

When Antonio Villaraigosa became the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles in modern times, he did it with record-breaking turnout from the Latino community. And since then, Latino voter registration has surged from 22% to about 29% of the city electorate.But without a major Latino candidate on the ball ... More >>

U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Oral Arguments on Proposition 8 in March

The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear oral arguments for the federal Proposition 8 lawsuit on Tuesday, March 26 -- followed up the next day with arguments on the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). So in a little over two months, the question of legalize ... More >>

Proposition 8: U.S. Supreme Court Will Rule on California's Gay Marriage Ban

Update: Reactions quotes after the jump. The U.S. Supreme Court has announced today it will rule on the federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn California's gay marriage ban. In August 2010, Proposition 8 was found unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker. That ruling was appealed and ... More >>

Proposition 33 Auto Insurance Changes: Absentee Ballots Show Tough Race Ahead

Proposition 33, the California ballot measure that would change the state's regulations for auto insurance, is off to a tough start tonight, according to an extremely preliminary vote total, including mostly absentee ballots, just made public. With 1.3 percent of precincts reporting, the California ... More >>

California Voter Guide for Nov. 6, 2012, Los Angeles Weekly

Confused about the measures and races on Tuesday's ballot? This California Voter Guide for November 6, 2012 contains a summary of all state measures and several key races. It does not take a position but does touch on controversies, polls and analysis. Proposition 30: Jerry Brown's Tax Hike Governo ... More >>

Vernon Vote Count Flips; 10 Disputed Ballots Give Advantage To Chamber Foe

Update below, Wednesday afternoon: Councilman Bill Davis interrupts Italian vacation to make quorum, establish a contest procedure.The outcome of the hotly contested Vernon City Council election flipped today, after county officials opened and counted 10 ballots from voters whose residence has been ... More >>

Voter Suppression Efforts Could Take Out Barack Obama This Fall

Gay Republican Fred Karger Wants Your Vote, Calls Mitt Romney 'Mechanical'

Gay Republican Fred Karger, who's based in Southern California, has been stirring things up on the campaign trail this year, seeking the Republican nomination for president. The uber-underdog Karger is not going to get it -- candidate Mitt Romney will get the nod. But he's still on the ballot for Ca ... More >>

Vernon Home With Nine Registered Voters Is Tied To Councilman's Car Wash

​The city of Vernon is continuing to look into allegations of voter fraud, as mail-in ballots are being distributed for the April 10 council election.John Van de Kamp, the city's ethics adviser, has sent investigators to interview the residents of a small, three-bedroom house where nine people are ... More >>

Dustin Lance Black's Play 8, Starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt

Clooney, Pitt, Kevin Bacon and Martin Sheen power a fundraiser reading

Will Stop SB 48 Get Anti-Gay History Initiative on 2012 Ballot?

​"Stop SB 48," the group that wants to repeal a state law that allows California students to learn about important people in history who were gay, claimed in an email to supporters yesterday afternoon that its petition drive for a ballot measure will be successful. "The signed petitions are ... More >>

Capitol Resource Institute Gets Okay To Gather Signatures for Anti-Gay History Ballot Measure

​The Capitol Resource Institute (CRI) has been given the okay from the state of California to start a petition drive for a ballot measure that will seek to repeal a state law that ensures the contributions of gays and lesbians are mentioned in school textbooks, reports Frontiers news editor K ... More >>

Stop SB 48 Campaign Seeks to Repeal California's Gay History Law

​Gay Californians and their straight allies may soon have to fight off another ballot measure. Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a state bill into law that ensures that the contributions of gays and gay rights are included in school textbooks. A group called Stop SB 48 now wants to repeal ... More >>

Equality California Seeking Relevance With Prospect of Pro-Gay Marriage Ballot Measure?

​And so Equality California leaders came to West Hollywood yesterday, holding one of their town hall meetings to understand if ordinary gays and lesbians in California want to go back to the voting booth with a pro-gay marriage ballot measure in 2012. There are many critics of such an expens ... More >>

Roland Palencia, New Equality California Executive Director, Repeats Old Excuses for Proposition 8 Loss

Debra EvansEQCA Executive Director Roland Palencia​On Monday, Roland Palencia was named the new executive director of Equality California, the statewide gay rights group. He is replacing Geoff Kors, who built the organization into a political powerhouse while also playing a major role in the ... More >>

Will Equality California Push For Pro-Gay Marriage Ballot Measure in 2012?

Patrick Range McDonaldGay marriage supporters in West Hollywood in October, 2008.​Equality California, the major gay rights organization, is looking into whether or not it will push for a pro-gay marriage ballot measure sometime very soon, probably 2012. "Legal experts advise that the case m ... More >>

West Hollywood 2011 City Council Election: John D'Amico Ousts Lindsey Horvath, Abbe Land and John Heilman Likely Win - By Few Hundred Votes

Jennie WarrenWeHo City Council candidate John D'Amico​Even with some 930 provisional ballots that still need to be counted, West Hollywood City Council challenging candidate John D'Amico has ousted appointed council member Lindsey Horvath, according to political consultants who talked with L. ... More >>

March 8 2011 Los Angeles Election Results at Your Fingertips: Click Here for Winners and Losers

Will Mona Field, a college trustee for years, be called to account by voters?​Beginning at 8:30 pm tonight, the Los Angeles City Clerk will issue the first Election Day results for seven Los Angeles City Council races where Jose Huizar, Bernard Parks, Tom LaBonge and other long-timers face ch ... More >>

Jose Huizar vs. Rudy Martinez: LA Weekly Exit Poll in Eagle Rock Shows Problems for Martinez

District 14 challenger Rudy Martinez​Update: Early election results reveal Martinez' problems may be even bigger than we thought. As of 9:08 p.m., Huizar holds over 60 percent of the vote, though only 15 percent has been reported (and that's mostly older absentees). Reporting by David Futch a ... More >>

West Hollywood Incumbents Dig In

A surprisingly pitched City Council battle for control of a town without term limits

Back Story: How Jeremy Bernard Became the White House's First Openly Gay Social Secretary

Ted SoquiJeremy Bernard, left, with former partner Rufus Gifford in 2008​On February 1, 2007, political fund raiser Jeremy Bernard wasn't thinking about making history. It was his first day on the job for U.S. Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and Bernard and his then-partner, R ... More >>

Scott Schmidt, West Hollywood Candidate: Gay Republican Tried to Stop Prop. 8, Now Aims to Unseat Incumbent John Heilman

WeHo City Council candidate Scott Schmidt​In West Hollywood, City Council candidate Scott Schmidt is apparently getting the reputation as the guy who worked harder to try to defeat Proposition 8 than incumbents John Heilman, Abbe Land, and Lindsey Horvath -- combined. Schmidt sent out a camp ... More >>

Gay Rights Activists Thrilled with Barack Obama's Decision to Back Off on Defense of Marriage Act

​Gay rights activists in California and across the United States are thrilled with the Obama Administration's decision today to stop defending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act in federal court. "This is a huge victory for gay and lesbian couples and removes any doubt that the freedom to marr ... More >>

Dethroning West Hollywood's Martinets

Can five intriguing gay men upset the City Council's 26-year dynasty?

Mission Drift at Gay Inc.

Is the most powerful gay lobbying group in California becoming irrelevant?

Proposition 8: Federal Appeals Court Drops Imperial County Officials From Gay Marriage Lawsuit

Patrick Range McDonaldLos Angeles Mormon Temple in Westwood in 2008.​The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to allow Imperial County officials to defend Proposition 8 in court. Imperial County Board of Supervisors and a deputy clerk sought to overturn an August ruling by U.S. D ... More >>

Special Elections Won't Offer Much Of A Test Of Open Primary Law

Ted Lieu: shoo-in for the 28th Senate District​As the Schwarzenegger era draws to a close, two major experiments that will form much of his legacy have yet to begin.Non-partisan redistricting gets most of the attention, but the new "jungle primary" may be the more radical reform. Redistricting won ... More >>

Gay Rights Activist Geoff Kors Will Leave Equality California in 2011 After Nine Years at the Helm

EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors​Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors announced today that he will leave his position in March, 2011, after leading the major gay rights organization for nine years. Many observers credit EQCA for helping California become one of the most gay-fri ... More >>

Fantasy Voter Fraud

Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was dissed by Russell Pearce over Prop 200's dismissal

Kamala Harris Victory in Attorney General Race Thrills California Gay Rights Groups

California Attorney General-elect Kamala Harris​Two prominent gay rights groups in California didn't waste any time celebrating Kamala Harris's victory over Steve Cooley in the state attorney general race, which L.A. Weekly called yesterday. "Today's decision in the attorney general race mea ... More >>

Rushed and Confused L.A. City Council

Library, weed, DWP measures aimed for ballot all get short shrift

Soft Revolution Ends Gerrymandering

Under Prop. 20, 14 citizens chosen this month will remake state political map

California Proposition 23 Election Results: Big Green Defeats Big Oil in Contentious Showdown Over What's Best for California's Economy

"No on 23" campaign poster​Update, 11:46 p.m.: With 39 percent of California precincts reporting, Prop. 23 is heading for a major loss -- 59 percent of voters oppose the ballot measure while 41 percent support it. Opponents of Proposition 23 won a major victory tonight, shooting down the bal ... More >>

Merlin Froyd Is The Poor Guy Taking On Gerrymandering Congressman Howard Berman In The Fixed California 28th District Election

By Hillel Aron No chance for Merlin Froyd or any other challenger from any party in the fixed Congressional races​When California Congressman Howard Berman was first elected to congress, Merlin Froyd wasn't even born. That's the poor guy the Republican Party found to run against Berman. He's ... More >>

Carly Fiorina Vs. Barbara Boxer

Running as a flat-out conservative, is Carly crazy, or crazy like a fox?

Democracy for Sale: How to Make Elections About Candidates and Issues

10 Terrified States Want Gay Marriage Ban to Stand in California

Wyoming Attorney General Bruce Salzburg​10 states not known for their gay-friendliness are mightily nervous about last month's federal court ruling that deemed California's Proposition 8 to be unconstitutional. Why? If the Proposition 8 decision stands as it goes through the federal appeals ... More >>

Attorney General Candidate Steve Cooley Would 'Defend' Proposition 8

L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley​Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, who's the Republican candidate for California Attorney General, would defend Proposition 8 in court if given the opportunity, says his campaign spokesman Kevin Spillane. "The role of the attorney g ... More >>

Proposition 8 Demonstration Planned for West Hollywood

Patrick Range McDonaldProposition 8 protesters in Westwood in November, 2008.​Angered by the fact that the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay to proponents of Proposition 8, gay rights activists are now planning a demonstration on Thursday night in West Hollywood. "There's a ... More >>

Ninth Circuit Says No Gay Marriages On Wednesday

Patrick Range McDonaldProposition 8 protesters in West Hollywood in October, 2008.​In a very brief order this afternoon, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has put a hold on gay marriages until at least December. U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker's decision, as a result, will not go ... More >>

Prop. 8 Stay May Be Lifted Today, West Hollywood Ready to Marry Gay Couples

Ted SoquiGay marriage supporter in West Hollywood last week.​U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker will issue a ruling today on whether or not he will continue a stay on his Proposition 8 decision, which found the anti-gay marriage ballot measure to be unconstitutional. If Walker lifts the ... More >>

Prop. 8: Judge Vaughn Walker To Issue Ruling on Stay

Patrick Range McDonaldProposition 8 protester in Westwood in November, 2008.​U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker will rule on Thursday on whether or not he will continue a stay on his Proposition 8 ruling. That decision found the anti-gay marriage ballot measure to be unconstitutional. I ... More >>

Proposition 8 Trial Video and Document Evidence Released on Federal Web Site

Ted SoquiGay marriage supporters at a West Hollywood rally last week.​Judge Vaughn Walker has released video and document evidence for the Proposition 8 trial on the official web site for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Such things as political ads f ... More >>

Cardinal Roger Mahony Slams Prop. 8 Decision

Cardinal Roger Mahony​On his blog on Wednesday, Cardinal Roger Mahony, who leads the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, slammed U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker for overturning Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that took away the existing right of gays and lesbians to legally marry in Ca ... More >>

UPDATE: Day of Decision Details for Prop. 8 Ruling and West Hollywood Rally

Patrick Range McDonaldProposition 8 protesters in West Hollywood in October, 2008.​The Day of Decision has finally arrived for anxious court watchers of the Proposition 8 federal trial, with U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker delivering his ruling this afternoon. Walker will decide whet ... More >>

Prop. 8 Overturned: Major Victory For Gay Marriage Advocates

Patrick Range McDonaldProposition 8 protesters in West Hollywood in October, 2008.​Updated throughout. Originally posted at 1:48 p.m. U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker has overturned Proposition 8 in San Francisco today, handing gay rights advocates a major victory in the continuing bat ... More >>

Proposition 8 Overturned in Major Victory for Gay Marriage Advocates

Patrick Range McDonaldProposition 8 protesters in West Hollywood in October, 2008.​U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker has overturned Proposition 8 in San Francisco today, handing gay rights advocates a major victory in the continuing battle over same-sex marriage. In November, 2008, Ca ... More >>