Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 11:03:28 -0700 (PDT) From: Rex Wockner Subject: WOCKNER/CALIF DEMO CONV COVERAGE ----------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1999 Rex Wockner. All rights reserved. Do not publish, broadcast, or post online without first arranging affiliation with my news service. ----------------------------------------------------------- GAYS CAUCUS AT STATE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION Susan Davis to challenge Bilbray Steve Martin to run for Assembly by Rex Wockner (c) 1999 Rex Wockner SACRAMENTO, California -- Passing a state gay-rights law and beating back a voters' referendum that would ban gay marriage topped the agenda of the 250-strong gay/lesbian caucus to the California Democratic State Convention March 26-28. Although California does ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment and housing, the patchwork protections are inferior to those provided for categories such as race, religion and color. Assembly Bill 1001 (AB1001) would consolidate the gay protections in the state Fair Employment and Housing Act along side the other discrimination bans. Meanwhile, on March 7, 2000, voters will say yes or no to Palmdale state Sen. Pete Knight's referendum to ban gay marriage and prohibit California recognition of gay marriages that take place elsewhere. At present, gay marriage is not allowed anywhere in the U.S. An office and an executive director to fight against Knight's initiative are expected to be in place this month, said Mike Marshall of San Francisco, who is likely to be hired as the ED. A parade of state legislators addressed the gay caucus at its March 26 evening meeting. "It's great to have you here fighting to be sure we move California away from the hate politics of [former Gov. Pete] Wilson to a progressive and fair and humane rainbow of people for the 21st century," said East L.A. Assemblymember Gloria Romero. Assemblymember John Longville of San Bernardino told the group: "I'm proud to be a member of the Inland Empire gay and lesbian club and I'm damned proud to be a co-author of AB222. You need to hustle your butts and make sure you're calling and writing letters in support of AB222 because [anti-gay activist the Rev.] Lou Sheldon's people are flooding the Capitol." AB222, the Dignity for All Students Act, would amend the California Education Code to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in public schools. Subhead: Davis To Run Against Bilbray San Diego Assemblymember Susan Davis told the group: "[San Diego City Councillor] Christine Kehoe is going to run for my Assembly seat. I know she's going to win it and be a fabulous Assemblymember. And I'm going to run against [U.S. Rep.] Brian Bilbray. You all made the difference for Christine [when she ran against Bilbray]. Nobody else could have come so close -- just two percentage points off. She kind of worked up steam for me -- and I can work as hard as she did, and perhaps a little bit harder, if that's even possible -- and with your help we will take back the House of Representatives for the values of inclusivity and families and caring." Speaker of the Assembly Antonio Villaraigosa received wild applause from the gay caucus. "You can feel the energy in this room," he said. "Our party will be sponsoring and passing AB1001 and you know AB1001 is 20 years in the making. [Gov.] Gray Davis is going to sign this bill because we're the party of the big tent. "They used to say we were the party of special interests -- you know, the party of the Latinos and the blacks and the gays and lesbians and women and labor and the environmentalists and the disabled -- you know, the party of the majority of America. And we got a little squishy. We started running away from some of those groups, saying, 'No no no, we're the party of the common interests, we're not the party of the special interests.' Well, I'm here to say that we are the party of the common interests. The common interest is the interest of the common people. And we are the party of those people, the party that says we will not discriminate." Subhead: A *gay* candidate West Hollywood City Councillor Steve Martin and San Francisco Supervisor Leslie Katz were among the local gay/lesbian elected officials who joined the caucus. Katz spoke in favor of the gay boycott of United Airlines over its lawsuit against a San Francisco law that requires companies which have contracts with the city to extend benefits to employees' domestic partners. Martin announced he will run for the Assembly. "It is a very viable district for an openly gay candidate and ... I hope to make history by being the first gay man to be elected to the state legislature," Martin said, adding that he will run as "a gay candidate," not "a candidate who happens to be gay." "I can't [run as a candidate who happens to be gay]," Martin said. "None of us can. It's too much of what we are about and it's too much of the kinds of things that we face in our daily lives for us to just put it aside as 'I just happen to be gay, I just happen to be lesbian,' because that just doesn't happen. ... We need to claim the power that's rightfully ours, the leadership positions that are ours." Eric Bauman of the new statewide gay lobby group, the California Alliance for Pride & Equality, told the caucus: "We're sponsoring pieces of legislation that, number one, are going to pass the Democratically controlled Assembly and Senate, and then they're going to be signed by a governor instead of being vetoed. For once, for one year, it's kind of nice to know that at the end of the legislative session we're actually going to go home with something in our pockets." -end-