SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown signed landmark legislation today addressing the growing epidemic of smartphone theft in California. SB 962, authored by Senator Mark Leno and sponsored by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, requires all smartphones sold in California to come pre-equipped with theft-deterring technological solutions to render the devices useless if stolen. The…
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation today that brings state law in line with court rulings that recognize marriage for same-sex couples. While both the California and U.S. Supreme Courts have affirmed the right for same-sex couples to marry, current state laws have not been revised to reflect these changes. Senate Bill 1306, authored…
SACRAMENTO—Today, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the historic School Success and Opportunity Act into law, ensuring transgender youth have the opportunity to fully participate and succeed in schools across the state. Assembly Bill 1266—which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2014—was authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and passed the California State Senate and Assembly earlier this…
Last September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill protecting LGBT youth from the psychological abuse of reparative therapy (sometimes referred to as conversion therapy). SB 1172, due to a temporary injunction by the federal courts, isn’t currently being enforced. The Liberty Counsel argued for three plaintiffs who practiced reparative therapy that implementation of the law…
(CNN) – A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction on California’s ban on “conversion” therapy — a method some say can help turn a gay person straight. The first of its kind in the United States, the state ban was intended to prevent young people under 18 from undergoing the controversial treatment. It would…
Following the controversy surrounding the Dr. Oz Show for airing an episode debating the merits of reparative therapy and the subsequent call from three LGBT organizations for Dr. Oz to distance himself from the practice, he has now written a blog post agreeing with the established medical opinion that the practice is dangerous. Dr. Oz…
Gov. Jerry Brown made history yesterday as he announced the appointment of the first openly gay justice in the state’s history. Jim Humes, a 53-year-old gay man from San Francisco, will serve as associate justice of the First District Court of Appeal, Division Four. Humes has served as executive secretary for legal affairs, administration and…
(CNN) – Two therapists who try to turn gay people straight, along with a student who says he was successfully converted to heterosexuality, are suing nearly two dozen California state officials, including Gov. Jerry Brown, saying a new state law infringes on their civil rights. The plaintiffs’ legal team will file a motion sometime this…
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Senate Bill 1140 (Religious Freedom in Marriage Solemnization), authored by Sen. Mark Leno and co-sponsored by Equality California and California Council of Churches IMPACT. The new law, which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2013, reaffirms the freedom of clergy to make faith-based decisions regarding which marriages they solemnize and…
