June 20, 2008
California Gold Rush II (and where should you get your marriage license?)
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So, how many of us are getting married in California, and where are we getting our licenses? A whole lot, and everywhere (almost). Check this out, from the LAT:
Gay marriages contribute to a June boomMore than 2,700 wedding licenses are issued in California in the first two days of legal same-sex unions, exceeding the total for a whole typical week.
… Just over 2,700 marriage licenses were issued in the state between 5:01 p.m. on Monday — when the state Supreme Court’s ruling lifted the ban on gay marriage — and the end of business on Tuesday. The statewide average for a whole week in June is about 2,460.
Topping the list is Los Angeles County, the state’s largest with a population of about 9.9 million, which issued one license on Monday evening in Beverly Hills and 648 Tuesday. San Diego County, population about 3 million, was second with 230. San Francisco County, population 765,000 was third with 212. Officials in Sacramento County, which usually issues about 25 licenses a day, issued 134 by closing time at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The county has 1.4 million residents.
Among the most dramatic increases in business Tuesday were Ventura County, which with 798,000 residents saw more than 20 times the normal traffic — from two to 45 — and Riverside County, population 2 million, which saw an increase from an average of nine applicants on a weekday in June to 133. …
Having observed the rush in San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties, Buffy and I decided to scope out which county clerk’s office in our neck of the woods might have the shortest lines, and decided on San Mateo (which, to our surprise and delight, is the only county we’ve found yet that offers an online application you can complete in full before showing up to claim your license).
If you want to do the same — increase your chances of not spending half a day waiting in line — the LAT has a nifty interactive map showing the number of licenses issued in each of California’s 58 counties — but make sure to click on each county you’re considering for more info, since three counties — Kern, Calaveras, and Butte — hate homos so much, they’re refusing to marry anybody.
More info on the three counties that shame the whole state:
Kern County: Bakersfield: ‘We are silent today, but we’re just biding our time,’ one foe says.”
Butte County: County clerk’s explanation unconvincing
Calaveras County: Calaveras County Joins Kern and Butte
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Filed Under: California, Homophobia, Marriage
