S.F. honors same-sex weddings of 2004

Joe Thompson and Les Leventhal embrace after being pronounced spouses at S.F. City Hall on June 29, three days after the Supreme Court's ruling. Joe Thompson and Les Leventhal embrace after being pronounced spouses at S.F. City Hall on June 29, three days after the Supreme Court's ruling. Photo: Katie Meek, The Chronicle Photo: Katie Meek, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close S.F. honors same-sex weddings of 2004 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The traditional gift for a 10-year wedding anniversary is tin. But what do you give 4,000 couples whose same-sex weddings at City Hall 10 years ago were deemed illegal but who paved the way for the legalization of the unions in California and an ever-growing list of other states?

Yeah, that one's not in the etiquette books.

But one gift they will receive is a City Hall reception at 5 p.m. Wednesday with a speech by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Hey, it's better than tin, right?) As mayor, Newsom's bold move to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples starting Feb. 12, 2004, drew national scorn but is now considered a pioneering step in the same-sex marriage fight.

Also speaking at the celebration will be Mayor Ed Lee, a representative from the city attorney's office and emcee Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

"Ten years ago, then-Mayor Newsom and 4,000 couples took a stand against injustice and changed history," said Lee in a statement. "We honor them today, even as we recommit to the cause for marriage equality across our own country and around the world."

In 2004, national attention was trained on San Francisco as long lines of same-sex couples waiting to say their "I do's" stretched outside City Hall for a month before the California Supreme Court ordered a halt to the weddings on March 11. That led to a long and complicated road through the courts, culminating in the U.S. Supreme Court last year letting same-sex marriage in California stand.

Kendell said she can't believe it's been a full decade since those first same-sex weddings. At the time, she expected the courts to quash them almost immediately and had no idea that thousands of couples would wed and electrify supporters around the country.

"Even now just recalling the event, my heart starts to race and my blood pressure rises," she said. "It was surely one of the most enthralling moments of not just my career, but life."

One of the sweetest side notes to all those weddings 10 years ago was supporters from around the country calling San Francisco florists to pay for congratulatory bouquets to be delivered to couples waiting in line.

"I'm an 87-year-old grandmother wishing you well," read one anonymous note tied to a bouquet. "To a Loving Couple, Have a happy life. Love, Karen," read another.

We imagine growing acceptance for same-sex marriage around the country may be the best anniversary present of all.

- Heather Knight

Moving water: The Aquarium of the Bay, headquartered at Pier 39, is going to extend its reach to a part of the bay that's above water with a plan to operate the EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park in the Bayview.

The nonprofit aquarium, with the support of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and City College, wants to run the center, which focuses on environmental education, including green building, sustainability and baylands wildlife habitat.

The aquarium "is already well poised to operate the center," said Carol Bach, environmental affairs manager for the Port of San Francisco. "They want to expand their environmental education efforts to the southeast section of the city."

The Port Commission on Tuesday approved the partnership's five-year lease of the center, with the OK for the final language coming at the commission's Feb. 25 meeting.

The surrounding community has been involved with the center since it was built in 2009-10 by Literacy for Environmental Justice, a group formed to address "the ecology and health of Bayview-Hunters Point and the surrounding communities."

But faced with financial problems and a change in focus, the group ended its lease in December.

While City College is still running programs at the center three days a week, the partnership led by the aquarium could take full control of operations sometime next month.

The EcoCenter is a part of Heron's Head Park, 22 acres of waterfront land at the foot of Cargo Way on what once was planned to be Pier 98. The narrow spit of land that extends into the bay is home to a salt marsh that attracts shorebirds, waterfowl and a variety of aquatic wildlife.

- John Wildermuth

Heightened impacts: If it's about development, it's bound to be controversial in San Francisco, and a proposal that seeks to limit waterfront development is no exception.

If passed, a June ballot measure would require voters to approve any waterfront construction that exceeds existing height limits. On Tuesday, Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced a resolution asking seven city agencies to conduct an analysis of the measure's potential impacts on housing, infrastructure, transportation and open space needs, and the city's tax base.

"I respect that there are a lot of different views about this ballot measure, but whatever one's view ... it's very important the public has as much information and analysis as possible," Wiener said. "More information is a good thing, whatever conclusion you end up coming to."

Initiative proponent Jon Golinger immediately cried foul, saying Wiener is attempting to interject politics into what should be an impartial analysis and usurping the authority of the city's director of elections, who has already asked six city agencies to analyze the initiative. Golinger said that the request may be a violation of city law giving the elections director that power and that Wiener is clearly trying to influence how the initiative is explained to voters.

"This is a horrible precedent. If it goes through, what's to stop the supervisors from doing the same thing to slant debates over other measures?" Golinger asked. "We should leave it to the elections people ... and (Wiener) should make these arguments against the measure in the political world, not use taxpayer dollars to do so."

Wiener said state law clearly allows the board to request this sort of analysis and noted that the resolution - which still has to be approved by the supervisors - explicitly asks for "only objective, impartial information and analysis" and tells city agencies not to make any recommendations on the ballot measure itself.

"The fact is, this would be a significant change to how we do land use in a large portion of eastern San Francisco ... and it's important for voters to understand all the impacts of the measure, then they can draw whatever conclusion they want," he said.

- Marisa Lagos