Mayor supports effort to overturn state ban
By Jennifer Vigil
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER (San Diego, CA)
September 20, 2007
A tearful Mayor Jerry Sanders made a dramatic shift yesterday, explaining that he can no longer oppose same-sex marriages because he does not want to deny justice to people like his daughter, who is a lesbian.
Mayor Jerry Sanders paused as he explained his change of heart on the issue of same-sex marriage during an emotional news conference yesterday. Sanders was joined by his wife, Rana Sampson.
Joined at a late afternoon news conference by his wife, Rana Sampson, the San Diego mayor announced he will back a City Council decision to support same-sex marriage before the state Supreme Court, where California's ban on it awaits review.
?I decided to lead with my heart, which is probably obvious at the moment,? said Sanders, moments before he revealed his daughter's sexual orientation.
The mayor's new stance marked a reversal of his pledge Tuesday to use his veto power to block the council's move. At the time, he repeated his preference for civil unions, partnerships between same-sex couples that offer some but not all of the legal protections given to those who marry.
Speaking one day before he plans to formally launch his re-election campaign, Sanders' emotions began to overtake him almost immediately as he prepared to discuss his daughter Lisa's private life. Neither of his daughters attended.
He said his thoughts on same-sex marriage began to change late Tuesday, when he received word of the resolution.
That's when ?the enormity? of the council's action hit him, Sanders said, and he sought the counsel of a small group of friends and neighbors. They gathered at his Kensington home throughout the evening. Meanwhile, he spoke by phone to Lisa, a North Park resident in her early 20s.
Mayor Jerry Sanders, joined by his wife, Rana Sampson, exited yesterday's news conference during which Sanders choked back tears and paused several times to compose himself. The San Diego mayor discussed why he no longer opposes same-sex marriage.
Though this aspect of his daughter's life is widely known in political circles, Sanders had never discussed it publicly until yesterday.
Doing so led to a raft of emotions for the battle-hardened former police chief, who began choking back tears just seconds into his five-minute statement. He paused several times to compose himself.
He began by explaining his refusal to veto the council's decision, saying his beliefs had ?evolved significantly? since 2005, when he established his stance on civil unions during his first mayoral campaign.
In the time since, he said he realized he could not accept ?the concept of a separate-but-equal institution.? Because of that, he continued, he was unwilling to send the message to anyone that ?they were less important, less worthy or less deserving of the rights and responsibilities of marriage.?
The mayor, now crying openly, noted that he has close family members and friends in the gay and lesbian community, including staff members and ?my daughter Lisa.?
?In the end, I couldn't look any of them in the face and tell them that their relationships, their very lives, were any less meaningful than the marriage I share with my wife, Rana,? said Sanders, who quickly thanked reporters and dashed from the room.
Councilwoman Toni Atkins, a lesbian who pushed the city to take a stand on same-sex marriage, praised Sanders, calling him courageous for telling gay San Diegans that he supports them receiving ?equal protection under the law.?
Nearly 62,000 San Diegans are part of households led by a same-sex couple, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey conducted two years ago.
?At the end of the day, Jerry's true nature came through,? Atkins said. ?I was absolutely moved by his statement at his press conference. I think he was pretty much telling people exactly who he is.?
Steve Francis, a businessman who ran against Sanders in 2005 and is expected to do so again, said he was surprised that Sanders changed his position on same-sex marriage.
He called it ?a very difficult moment? for the mayor, but also repeated his opposition to gay couples marrying. He favors domestic partnerships.
?It's disruptive to our family structure as a culture and a society,? Francis said.
The path that led to the case before the state's highest court began in 2004, when San Francisco allowed same-sex couples to marry. Justices later invalidated the unions, but stopped short of issuing a decision on gay marriage.
Several lawsuits followed. All were ultimately heard by a San Francisco Superior Court judge, who in 2005 ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.
An appeals court overturned that decision last year, and by December, the state Supreme Court had opted to take up the broader question of whether gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry.
As a result of Sanders' action, San Diego can join Los Angeles, San Jose and Long Beach in signaling support for gay marriage, though none of the cities are formal parties to the case.
The documents being filed with the court must be submitted by Wednesday. Oral arguments have yet to be scheduled.
At a hearing packed by nearly 200 people, the City Council voted 5-3 on Tuesday to send the brief. Had Sanders not dropped his promise to veto the decision, Atkins believed the same voting block that joined her in the initial vote would have overturned the veto.
Same-sex marriage has been a recurring theme in state politics for most of the decade. Seven years ago, nearly two-thirds of California voters passed Proposition 22, a measure that barred officials from acknowledging the legality of unions between gays who married outside the state.
Yet a recent Field Poll indicated some support for same-sex marriage in California. In a survey of more than 750 registered voters in March, 43 percent said same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.
