City on record against Prop. 8

Laguna Beach became one of the first cities in the state to officially repudiate Proposition 8, officials said Tuesday after an emotional hearing.

The City Council voted unanimously to oppose the initiative on the November ballot known as the California Marriage Protection Act, which would add “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California” to the state constitution.

“Marriage was never a word in our minds in the 1970s, but now it is,” said North Laguna resident Frank Ricchiazzi, a founder of the Log Cabin Republicans and a longtime advocate of gay rights.

Ricchiazzi recalled 31 years ago when ugly name-calling was routine and gay bashing was not limited to words. Careers, he said, were ruined if a gay came out of the closet or was randomly ejected from a bar by a police officer for lewd conduct.

Councilwoman Toni Iseman was teaching at a junior high school 31 years ago. Twenty-two women were on the teaching staff, and nine of them got letters in their records because they lived in Laguna Beach and were not married.

Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Kinsman said some of the things Ricchiazzi talked about still happen.

“We still have a ways to go,” she said.

Laguna Beach did not always put out the welcome mat for gays.

“Years ago, one council member wanted to put up a turnstile to keep homosexuals off of Main Beach,” resident Arnold Hano said. “I asked how you could tell?”

That ended the notion.

Referring to Proposition 8’s title, Hano wondered who needed protection.

“Why would anyone think that our 57 years of marriage and two years of try-outs, would be affected by marriages of lesbians and gays?” said Hano of his union with Bonnie Hano.

Mayor Jane Egly and Iseman sponsored the agenda item to oppose Proposition 8.

”Because of the Brown Act, only two people can bring forth an agenda item, but I think you will find that it could have been brought by any of our council members,” Egly said.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson said she never doubted for a second that the every member would support opposition to the initiative.

“I have two gay members in my family, so I absolutely support this,” Councilman Kelly Boyd said.

The city’s official opposition was supported by gays and straights.

“Everyone should have the same rights,” resident Robin Levinson said.

However, resident Frank Visca questioned language in the agenda item. He objected to the identification of Proposition 8 supporters as primarily “folks from out of the state.” Visca said that wasn’t true.

As a matter of law, only registered voters are eligible to sign a petition to qualify an initiative for the ballot and the signatures must be verified.

“It’s on the ballot and the people will decide, not the City Council of Laguna Beach,” Visca said.

Attorney Gene Gratz encouraged people to attend a showing of “For the Bible Tells Me so,” scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, at the Congregational Church. Gratz said the movie is a key to understanding how badly opponents have misinterpreted the Bible, on which they base their opposition to homosexuality.

“It is a national disgrace that we should be here, having to oppose [Proposition 8],” Gratz said.

Egly thanked former Mayor Bob Gentry and resident Fred Karger for giving her the heads-up about the opportunity to be one of the first community’s in the state on record against the initiative.

Gentry, who served on the council for 12 years, might as well have changed his name to “the first openly gay elected official in Orange County,” it was so ubiquitously used. Karger was in the forefront to save the Boom Boom Room.

“I talked to Bob in Hawaii and he said this is such a Laguna thing to do,” Karger said.

“Laguna should be proud of itself,” Alan Boinus said.

City Manager Ken Frank said he will follow up the council’s vote and notify the Proposition 8 campaign that Laguna Beach is on record against the initiative.

BARBARA DIAMOND can be reached at (949) 494-4321 or coastlinepilot@latimes.com.