The California
state senate approved a bill Friday that would allow
same-sex couples to legally marry, making this the
second time in two years that both houses of the
California state legislature have passed a marriage
equality bill, according to a press release from
Equality California.
The 22-15
vote added three new senators to the pro-marriage column:
Democrats Denise Moreno Ducheny, Alex Padilla, and Jack
Scott. The state assembly passed the bill earlier this
year, and it will now head to the governor's desk for
consideration. California remains the only state
in the nation where both of chambers have passed a bill to
legalize same-sex marriage.
The release notes
that a September 2006 poll by the Public Policy
Institute of California found 47% of likely voters in
California support marriage equality, while 46% oppose
it. (The Advocate)