Registrars Prepare for Marriage Rush

An answer on whether gay marriage can commence in California is expected
any day now, and some municipalities have already started to prepare.

West Hollywood, with its numerous gay residents and politicians, will be ready to officiate same-sex marriage licenses should Judge Vaughn Walker not issue a stay of his decision that overturned Proposition 8. West Hollywood city clerk Tom West tells The Advocate that on Tuesday staffers from the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder's office will travel to West Hollywood to deputize the city's council members so that they can officiate same-sex marriages.

Should same-sex marriages get the green light from Walker, gay couples in West Hollywood would have to get their paperwork at the county courthouse in nearby Beverly Hills — it's counties, not cities, that manage marriage licenses in California.

"We're hoping we might be able to open a satellite office [in West Hollywood] like we did last time [same-sex marriage was legal in California]," West says.