Manhattan Beach City Council takes stand on marriage equality
The Manhattan Beach City Council. Photo courtesy of the City Amid a heated discussion that lasted over an hour, Manhattan Beach City Council addressed Tuesday whether to sign a petition in support of marriage equality for same-sex couples. The divisive issue, which brought out disparate opinions from both the community and the council, concluded with a motion to comprehensively review city policies and employee benefits to make sure same-sex couples are treated equally and afforded the same rights and benefits, as if they were allowed to be married under state and federal law. This resolution comes in light of a letter received by Mayor Wayne Powell urging him to join the ranks of “Mayors for the Freedom to Marry,” a pledge that supports ending marriage discrimination at levels of government. So far, 289 mayors from 33 states—including the mayors of nearby cities Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Long Beach and Los Angeles—have signed the pledge. Powell, who has declined to sign it, said that regardless of his personal views on the issue of same-sex marriage, this subject matter is outside the purview of city government. “I’m against this council and certainly my capacity as mayor to…
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