Today, the Office of Vital records told all California counties can start issuing same-sex marriage licenses the minute after the California Supreme Court's order goes into effect, which is June 16, 5:01 p.m. Previously, officials had told county clerks that they could begin officiating gay marriages on June 17. Originally, marriages would have been allowed on June 14, but a request to stay the ban by opponents pushed back the date while justices reviewed a......

Photo LaMenta3 via Flickr Now that same-sex marriages are legalized in California (they begin June 17), this weekend's 38th annual Los Angeles Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgender Pride celebration will probably have more energy than ever before. From Friday through Sunday, events including the Dyke March, the two-day Christopher Street Festival (with headliners Joss Stone and Olivia Newton John) and the parade, West Hollywood will be abuzz with activity. And with festivals and parades......

The California Supreme Court denied the request to stay same-sex marriages until after a November vote by a 4-3 vote, it was announced today. That means marriages may be commenced starting June 17 throughout California. The order becomes final on June 16 at 5 p.m., according to a press release sent out by the state's Judicial Council. Last month, enough signatures were collected by opponents of same-sex marriage to put an amendment change proposal on......

Today, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced (pdf) that the initiative to ban gay marriage through a state amendment change qualifies for the November 4th ballot. 1,120,801 signatures were submitted and enough signatures qualified through a random sample signature check. If passed, the amendment would change California's consitutution to define marriage as a union “between a man and a woman.” One poll said that Californians "narrowly" reject gay marriage. LIMIT ON MARRIAGE. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.......

Photo by LaBellaVida via Flickr Changes could be brewing over at Olvera Street where a Downtown News investigation looks at the cost of rent, which is currently well below market rate. The area, which is run by a City of Los Angeles department not quite self-sufficient yet: El Pueblo, a collection of shops and cultural attractions on the site of the city's birthplace, operates on an annual budget of $4.1 million. The department earns......

Despite the uncertainty of gay marriages lasting in California, an upswing in travel and wedding plans is expected to bring a boost to the California economy. It could bring in $370-million, according to the research director at the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law. The estimate is based on half of the 92,000 same-sex couples in California getting married and using the average of $8,040. This......

Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick is bringing up one of LAist's favorite topics: Los Angeles. The once City Councilwoman (and probably future City Councilwoman when she runs and probably wins) wanted Los Angeles to be tourist friendly and not just for tourists, but for residents. "When I first got elected, I asked why we weren't doing more to market Los Angeles," Chick was quoted saying in the Daily News. "I recently went to Chicago......

Photo by delara-photos via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Attracting tourists to Los Angeles has never generally been a problem. The appeal of eternal sunshine, movie star sightings, and well-documented destinations means folks come here without much enticement besides a copy of US Weekly and a dream. Of course, parts of the city have more stigma than widespread appeal for out-of-towners, including the much-maligned San Fernando Valley (see: Clueless, Swingers, et al).......

Back in March, LAist contributor Julie Wolfson interviewed Design*Sponge's Grace Bonney. Among the questions was... Soon you will be in LA for the first time. What are you looking forward to doing while you are here? Oh man, first of all I'm looking to get out of cold, grey Brooklyn and get into the sun. But mostly I'm just looking to soak up a new city, new culture and take in as much as possible.......

Since the recent opening of LACMA's Broad Contemporary (BCAM) a flurry of international eyes have been on Los Angeles, and an ensuing flurry of words have issued forth in review. It seems irresistible to review the Broad without also reviewing the city that houses it, which was precisely the tact taken by Chris Haslam in London's Sunday Times today. It takes Haslam seven paragraphs into his article to even mention the precise reason he......

Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist Remember when there was that big freak out in the Santa Clarita Valley? Six Flags Magic Mountain was going to close and quite possibly become torn down for more housing. Not good. The "extreme" roller coaster theme park is the single largest employer in the area, it fills up the hotels with tourists, adding green to the local economy and hey, it's an institution of the little Valley that could......

Fairfax Avenue is the Bomb!!! Declining enrollment and rising costs means less expansion and construction to help relieve overcrowding in LAUSD schools. The LA Times reports that "since the fall, the school system has canceled plans for 19 new schools and additions to existing campuses in South Gate, Bell, Van Nuys, San Fernando, Sun Valley and central Los Angeles, among other areas, citing new enrollment projections." Kids, you don't mind sharing that book, do......

This week, Fodor's online published a little Q & A with editor Jennifer Paull who recently spent a long weekend in our dear city. She wanted to catch up on all that's been recently new to her as a frequent(ish) tourist. Among that was the Griffith Observatory, The Getty Villa, restaurants Osteria Mozza and Röckenwagner Café in Venice and Moss, the high-design housewares store on Melrose. What caught our attention the most, though, was her......

Is it already spring break? Once out of college, we have no concept of that weeklong holiday. Truly unfortunate. Today, Metro is encouraging those spring breakers (most notably the little ones) to use their $3 day passes for self-tourism in our own city. They list off a number of things to do along the Red, Gold and the 720 down Wilshire (the new Purple in XXX many years). However, it struck us odd that......

See, this is why we only email trusted friends, and trust no one. The other day AP reported that Britney and KFed want to bring their new offspring into the world at the pregnant-celeb-friendly Namibia (know your customer), and the next day they tell us it could have been a hoax. Is this what hoaxes have stooped to? LAist remembers when hoaxes were far more interesting than that. Bigfoot was a good hoax. Britibia,......

The California State Assembly must have plenty of free time on their hands. Otherwise, how else would Tom Umberg of Garden Grove get to introduce the "Truth in Sports Advertising Act"? The bill was unanimously approved today, by the state assembly's Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media (say that six times fast), and will now come to a vote before the full assembly. The bill would require all California teams named......