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A plan to decrease library hours, scale back maintenance at parks and beaches, remove long-standing public-safety programs and lay off 200 workers to help close a 179 million budget shortage won reluctant approval yesterday from the San Diego City Council.
The council largely sided with Mayor Jerry Sanders by adopting his cuts in a 7-1 vote, in spite of complaints from a group of city workers that public safety would suffer greatly.
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A crucial New Jersey Senate vote on same-sex marriage, expected to be held today, was called off late yesterday as advocates struggled to find the support needed for passage.
The measures sponsors, Sens. Raymond Lesniak (D., Union) and Loretta Weinberg (D., Bergen), asked for the put off, hoping the bill may begin moving through the Assembly, where it is believed to have more massive patronize.
But no Assembly hearing has been scheduled.
The maneuvering appeared to be a impediment for the same-sex marriage motion, which has been focused on New Jersey since the defeat of a similar measure in New York state last week.
The Senate seems to be the biggest political obstacle to making New Jersey the next state to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.
Some supporters of gay rights had hoped a public vote today could force legislator to take a stand and potentially roust the final votes needed.
New Jersey has enabled civil unions for gay couples for nearly three years, but critics say the unions have failed to give gay couples the same preservation offered by marriages, as required by a court ruling.
In testimony Monday, gay and lesbian couples said they had been denied admission to their spouse in hospitals and benefits such as health insurance under civil unions.