San Diego clerk shifts gay-weddings staff

SAN DIEGO, June 20 (UPI) -- San Diego County Clerk Gregory Smith said Friday he reassigned several employees who objected to homosexual marriages, which are now legal in California.

Smith said an unspecified number of his staff would be shuffled to other duties due to "sincerely held religious objections."

The Los Angeles Times said Smith cited laws that require employers to make reasonable accommodations for the religious views of employees.

The Times said 14 employees had expressed objections to taking part in gay marriages; however, Smith said Friday, a number of them had changed their minds.

County clerks offices in California issue marriage licenses and can also perform civil marriage ceremonies. The Times said the San Diego office has had its business roughly double in the aftermath of a California Supreme Court ruling lifting the ban on same-sex marriage.