State

The Senate Banking Committee Wednesday passed legislation that helps prevent unnecessary foreclosures when a primary mortgage holder passes away. Senate Bill 1150, authored by Senators Mark Leno and Cathleen Galgiani, closes a loophole in California law that fails to provide surviving spouses and children important protections against foreclosure that are available to other homeowners. “Instead of getting basic information on how to proceed with a home loan following the death of a loved one, surviving spouses and children face a labyrinth of paperwork and conflicting directions and requests, which only prolongs their grief,” said Senator Leno. “Many family members unnecessarily […]

Equality California today announced the endorsement of nine strong LGBT allies for Congress and the California Legislature.“Each of our endorsed candidates is a proven ally of the LGBT community,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “They come from communities large and small, and demonstrate that there are strong champions for LGBT equality throughout California. We are confident that they will have a powerful impact on the LGBT civil rights landscape in California and across the country.” The candidates are: Emilio Huerta for Congressional District 21 – Public interest attorney Emilio Huerta is a lifelong resident of the San […]

  LA Pride Music Festival & Parade officially launched their online pre-sale festival passes today. Taking place June 10-12, the most inclusive music festival and parade in the country will celebrate its 46th anniversary in West Hollywood. Poised as a leader where pop culture and community intersect, LA Pride Music Festival & Parade is an unrivaled festival experience featuring a lineup of today’s hottest performers alongside emerging artists. From the killer lineups to the curated festival experiences, the LA Pride Music Festival & Parade brings together good friends and good times creating great memories. Presale passes for the three-day festival […]

A delegation consisting of 13 members from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA), including its CEO Chris Verdugo, Artistic Director Joe Nadeau, and West Hollywood Council Member and Board President John Duran, returned this week from an unprecedented and historic visit to an island nation that is just beginning to re-establish normalized relations with the United States, and one in which there is still much mystery and curiosity surrounding it. Cuba. The contingent of members was invited to Havana by Fermin Rojas, a Cuban-American entrepreneur and the co-founder of Cuba’s first-ever gay men’s chorus, Mano a Mano. The […]

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on March 15 announced the creation of a council that will advise city officials on transgender-specific issues. The nine-member Transgender Advisory Council will advise Garcetti’s office, the Los Angeles City Council, city departments and other local officials on what a press release described as “projects and policies that address critical issues facing the trans community.” It identified them as economic development, public safety, accessibility and awareness. The council will work under the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission. “Today, the city of Los Angeles sends a clear message to transgender Angelenos: Your voices matter and your […]

Equality California has joined a diverse coalition of 326 immigration, civil rights, labor, and social service groups that filed an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Texas.  The brief urges the court to lift an injunction that blocks executive actions on immigration that President Obama announced in November 2014. The Obama Administration’s expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the newer Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) initiatives was blocked by a federal district court in Texas following a lawsuit by 26 states.  The court’s order was […]