Rick Jacobs

Decrying TV Attacks, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Gives A Boost To Wendy Greuel

So much for staying neutral. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has said that he would not get involved in the campaign to succeed him, saying he wants to maintain good relations with both Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti.But if we know one thing about this guy, it's that he's constitutionally incapable of st ... More >>

Friday Attack Ad Roundup: Garcetti Slammed Over Occupy L.A., Greuel Camp Threatens Lawsuit

Mic check! Finally, someone has dragged (finally, someone has dragged...) Occupy L.A. into the race for mayor. In a web-only video released today, the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce attacked Eric Garcetti for inviting the Occupy movement to "stay as long as you need to" on the City Hall lawn back in ... More >>

Why Los Angeles Deserves Major Credit for the National Gay Marriage Movement

When it comes to life-impacting stuff -- civil rights, political movements, or education reform, for example -- Los Angeles too often gets overlooked by snobby journalists and intellectual types in New York City and Washington D.C. Let's just admit it: They don't take L.A. seriously and they hate ... More >>

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, Who Railed For Months Against "Super PACs," Now Has One Of His Own

For the last three months, Eric Garcetti has been railing against the "super PACs" that support his rivals in the race for mayor. In fundraising e-mails, the Garcetti campaign has warned repeatedly about the ills of outside money.Said one such appeal: "A few people with a vested interest in the elec ... More >>

Equality California Hires New Leader, But Will John O'Connor Divide or Unify Gay Rights Activists?

It took one year and ten days to find a new, full-time executive director, but the gay rights group Equality California has hired a super-connected fellow named John O'Connor. "John is a bold leader with a history of leading nonprofits into the next phase of their journeys," said Clarissa Filgioun ... More >>

Gay Happiness, the New Frontier

Are mental and physical health problems really a reaction to bigotry?

Democratic War for L.A.'s Richest

Betsy Butler and Torie Osborn woo the carbon-counting strata of Assembly District 50

Manny Pacquiao Says Gay Men Should Be 'Put to Death'

Updated at the bottom with comments from the founder of the Courage Campaign. First posted at 12:51 p.m. See also: Manny Pacquiao: The Fight of His Life. Manny Pacquiao, who lives and trains in Los Angeles, is probably in deep shit in this liberal city of brotherly love. That's because the boxing ... More >>

Mission Nearly Accomplished for California's Gay Rights Movement?

Once full marriage equality is wrapped up in California, there's not much left for the gay rights movement to do in one of the most tolerant states in the nation, right? Wrong. "We're in a period of a different kind of activism," says Courage Campaign founder Rick Jacobs. "Things have advanced ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Wrote Measure H, Now He's Working Its Loopholes

'Stop SB 48' Fails to Gather Enough Signatures for Repeal of California Gay History Law

Gore Vidal​"Stop SB 48," the group that sought to repeal a state law that allows California students to learn about important people in history who were gay, has officially announced that it has not gathered enough signatures from registered voters to place an initiative on the 2012 ballot. ... More >>

'Stop SB 48' Doesn't Want California Students To Know About James Baldwin, Walt Whitman and Cole Porter?

​​​​In the history of the world, gays and lesbians have made invaluable contributions to many different societies: from the father of computer science, Alan Turing, to civil rights leader Bayard Rustin to one of America's greatest poets, Walt Whitman. "If you are American," once wrote liter ... More >>

'Stop SB 48' Doesn't Want California Students to Know About Alan Turing?

​​​In the history of the world, gays and lesbians have made invaluable contributions to many different societies. One such person is Alan Turing, widely considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. "Everyone who taps at a keyboard, opening a spreadsheet or a wo ... More >>

'Stop SB 48' Doesn't Want California Students to Know About Walt Whitman?

​​ Walt Whitman​​​In the history of the world, gays and lesbians have made invaluable contributions to many different societies. One such person is Walt Whitman, one of the most important poets in the history of the United States. "Whitman's greatest legacy is his invention of a truly ... More >>

'Stop SB 48' Doesn't Want California Students to Know about Edna St. Vincent Millay?

​Edna St. Vincent Millay​​In the history of the world, gays and lesbians have always made important contributions to many different societies. One such person is Edna St. Vincent Millay, the playwright, feminist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. At the time of her death in 1950, the New Y ... More >>

'Stop SB 48' Doesn't Want California Students to Know About James Baldwin?

James Baldwin​In the history of the world, gays and lesbians have always made important contributions to many different societies. One such person is James Baldwin, the American novelist, essayist, and social critic. ''I would place him very high among writers,'' Benjamin DeMott, professor o ... More >>

'Stop SB 48' Doesn't Want California Students to Know About Gertrude Stein?

​​Carl Van VechtenWriter and art collector Gertrude Stein​​​In the history of the world, gays and lesbians have always contributed to advances in many different societies. One such person is Gertrude Stein, influential writer and art collector who grew up for a period of her life in Oa ... More >>

'Stop SB 48' Doesn't Want California Students to Know about South African Simon Nkoli?

​ South African activist Simon Nkoli​​In the history of the world, gays and lesbians have always contributed to advances in many different societies. One such person is Simon Nkoli, the anti-apartheid, gay rights, and AIDS activist in South Africa. "Nkoli's brilliance, as an anti-aparthei ... More >>

'Stop SB 48' Doesn't Want California Students to Know about Bayard Rustin?

American civil rights leader Bayard Rustin​In the history of the world, gays and lesbians have figured prominently in contributing to many different societies. One such person is Bayard Rustin, an African American man the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum describes as the "the S ... More >>

For Courage Campaign Video Project, Dustin Lance Black Explains What Real Life Stories He's Looking For

Kevin ScanlonDustin Lance Black​Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and Courage Campaign recently kicked off a major video project, asking LGBTers across the nation to share their real life stories via a one- to two-minute videotape. "You change hearts and minds best by telling sto ... More >>

California Attorney General Kamala Harris Joins Obama as Friend of the Gays, Asks Court to Lift Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

​Updated after the jump with high fives from across the gay-rights community. After disappointing news came two weeks ago that the fight against Prop. 8 is being delayed until at least September, brand-new California Attorney General Kamala Harris took matters into her own hands today, airing ... More >>

Young, Gay Dreams of Matrimony

For 20-somethings, Prop. 8's demise is a barometer of equality, not a path to the altar

Prop. 8 Trial: Gay Marriage Testimony Ends, Closing Arguments Will Wait

After 12 days of testimony at the high-profile Proposition 8 trial in San Francisco, lawyers for both sides of the gay marriage lawsuit have rested their cases. The last piece of business for the attorneys will be closing arguments, which will be given several weeks from now.Patrick Range McDonaldPr ... More >>

Queer Town: Over 50,000 People Urge Judge to Televise Prop. 8 Trial

If anyone needs further proof that people respond to smart, grassroots organizing through the Internet, he only needs to look at yesterday's Courage Campaign petition drive.Patrick Range McDonaldPro-gay marriage marchers in Westwood in November, 2008.​According to a Courage Campaign press release ... More >>

Queer Town: Are Gay Pundits Hurting the Gay Marriage Movement?

Over the past few days, gay pundits such as blogger Michael Petrelis and Bay Area Reporter news editor Cynthia Laird have been hammering Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs for refusing to publicly release polling data for a pro-gay marriage ballot measure, with popular blogger Andy Towle writing that su ... More >>

New Chief Banishes Rivals To Siberia (Just Joking -- He Remixes The Brass And Gives One Challenger A Promotion)

Chief Charlie Beck.​New Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck took less than a week as the city's top cop to rearrange his command staff. While you might rightfully have a sharp eye on what he plans to do with his fellow challengers for chief, Deputy Chief Michel Moore and Assistant Chi ... More >>

Queer Town Exclusive: Rick Jacobs: Gay Marriage Can Be Won in 2010

For months, gay rights groups have been questioning whether 2010 or 2012 is the best election year to overturn Proposition 8, with the gay community and straight allies waiting for an answer. Today, they got it.Kevin ScanlonCourage Campaign founder Rick Jacobs​At a little after ten o'clock in the ... More >>

Queer Town: Courage Campaign Seeks $200k for 2010

Over the past few days, Courage Campaign, one of the leading political organizations in the fight to overturn Proposition 8, has been asking supporters to donate $200,000 so it can help launch a pro-gay marriage ballot measure in 2010. The self-imposed deadline for this major fund raising effort is ... More >>

Setting the (Gay) Wedding Table

Wiser, more diffuse, battle-savvy gay-rights groups craft a 2010 ballot measure for California

LA People 2009: Marriage Counselor — Rick Jacobs

LA People 2009: This Is LA

The waitresses and starlets ... the tech wizards and rock stars ... the activists, gang survivors, political warriors and policy wonks ... the scientists, teachers and fabulous nerds ... plus the nightlife shapers, art makers and fashion provocateurs

New Gay-Marriage War Coming to California

Many expect state Supreme Court to back Proposition 8

Queer Town: The Subtle Lessons of the Equality Summit

On Saturday, January 24, Equality California and other major gay organizations hosted an event called the Equality Summit at the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown L.A.. Since these groups, many of which were heavily involved in the "No on 8" campaign, never held a live, in-person town hall m ... More >>

Proposition 8 Gives Rise to New Generation of Gay Leaders

Failure to prevent passage of same-sex-marriage ban shifts political landscape

Young Gays Take Reins From Elders on Prop. 8

In wake of gay-marriage ban, the mantle is shifting from battle-scarred AIDS warriors

Dirty Laundry Over Prop. 8

Blame-game erupts over Latino and black support for the gay marriage ban

Queer Town: Day into Night at Outfest

On Saturday afternoon, inside theater number two at the Directors Guild of America building on Sunset Boulevard, California State Senator Sheila Kuehl sat on a panel with other gays and lesbians for a "special event" at Outfest called "Queer State of the Nation." Kuehl was feeling feisty. "Tell th ... More >>

Bubblegate Ballot: Votes They Didn't Count On

Nonpartisan voters get screwed when presidential choices are tossed

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

Election cross-over dreams become a nightmare Last Friday members of the nonpartisan election group, CourageCampaign.org, were surfing the Web when they discovered a blog posting noting that Los Angeles County voters faced what organization spokesman Rick Jacobs calls "bubble trouble." In order f ... More >>