Couples exchange vows during Valentines Day instant weddings

In the era of Proposition 8 — the state constitutional amendment that says marriage is only legal between a man and a woman — same-sex couples are doing what they can to express their commitment to each other. Lindsay Nelson and Chelley Putzer participated in a Valentines Day instant wedding hosted by UrbanDaddy.com and the W Hotel. The ten couples who were married throughout the day had everything provided for them. For Lindsay and Chelley, that meant everything but a marriage certificate.

City Council passes ranked-choice voting

With new changes to the city’s election law, an Oakland voter could cast his ballot for Ron Dellums, Don Perata AND Jean Quan for mayor next year—and then rank each candidate in order of preference. This may sound confusing at first, but a majority of Oakland voters in 2006 said they preferred this system.