Free Republic

The new California law that requires registered domestic partners to file their state taxes like married people is a symbolic victory for gay couples. But the financial impact won't always be positive, and most will face new tax-filing and planning headaches when the law takes effect next year. Under SB1827, signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger last weekend, registered domestic partners can no longer file their state tax returns as single or head of household. For tax year 2007 and beyond, they can choose married filing jointly or married filing separately, the same options married couples generally have. However, domestic partners must...

In a move that could bring a merlot low - and make a chardonnay shudder - a state lawmaker is proposing making zinfandel the official wine of California. State Sen. Carole Migden introduced the bill this week, saying the heady varietal is a "quintessential" California wine dating back to Gold Rush days and versatile enough to stand up to the spicy diversity of California cuisine. "It's about time we give it the recognition it deserves," ... Preliminary figures for the 2005 grape harvest put zinfandel at 10.4 percent of the crop, behind cabernet sauvignon's 12.5 percent. Chardonnay was the harvest...

WHY DID Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sign a bill Oct. 7 that requires manufacturers of cosmetics to disclose any ingredients that could cause cancer? This state has so many consumer warnings that people don't even notice them any more, and it's not as if folks don't know there are chemicals in beauty products. Then there's the fact that the bill's author, state Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, tried to pass the measure by pushing a "yes" button at the desk of a Republican Assembly member who opposed the bill. (She later apologized, and her voted was pulled.) The point is: Any...

Bowen punished by her own party South Bay state senator refused to blindly back a spending bill, prompting retaliation by Democrats. SACRAMENTO -- South Bay Sen. Debra Bowen has been dumped from a powerful committee that oversees spending measures, apparently for refusing to commit blindly to bills pushed by Democratic Party leaders. Little is being said officially about the punishment, which could dampen the Redondo Beach Democrat's fund-raising efforts but burnish her independent credentials in a looming campaign for secretary of state. In a twist, Bowen also had to cast a vote on her own fate as well. The rebellion...

California Success Splits Gay Activists Monday, 16 September 2002 SACRAMENTO -- California's Gov. Gray Davis last week signed into law a measure extending inheritance rights to registered same-sex partners, capping what many consider to be a banner year for gay civil rights in the country's most populous and powerful state. Of eight gay civil rights proposals put before the Democratically- controlled Assembly this year, six were passed and Gov. Davis has so far signed three into law. All of the new measures grant new rights to registered same-sex partners who suffer the loss of a partner. He is still considering...