On May 3, SB 5, the Automatic Proposition Standing Bill, which would have required the state of California to defend ballot measures adopted by voters, including Prop 8, was defeated. The bill never made it out of the Senate Judiciary Committee; the five Democrats on the committee voted against the bill, the three Republicans voted for it. Anti-marriage equality advocates were solidly behind the bill; had it passed, it would have required the Attorney General to defend Prop 8. Former Attorney General (now governor) Jerry Brown and current Attorney General Kamala Harris refuse to defend Prop 8 on the basis that it is unconstitutional. The defeat of SB 5 was a legislative victory for the marriage equality movement in California.
Posted by Ruth Dell, Spectrum's Marriage Equality Correspondent
