Calif. will recognize same-sex marriages

SACRAMENTO, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill requiring California to recognize marriages performed in states where same-sex marriage is legal, his office said.

However, in a signing message, Schwarzenegger said California law will not recognize such unions as marriage, The Sacramento Bee reported Monday. Rather, he said the state will "provide the same legal protections that would otherwise be available to couples that enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships out-of-state."

"In short, this measure honors the will of the People in enacting Proposition 8 while providing important protections to those unions legally entered into in other states," the statement said.

Schwarzenegger also signed into law a bill to honor Harvey Milk, the slain San Francisco County supervisor and gay rights activist, declaring Milk's birthday, May 22, a state day of recognition. Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar measure in 2008 but subsequently named Milk to the California Hall of Fame.

The announcement came on the same day that the San Jose Mercury News reported a California judge will consider a motion from Proposition 8 backers to halt a trial and end efforts to overturn a law against gay marriage. Jim Campbell, a staff attorney with the conservative Alliance Defense Fund, said the case to overturn Proposition 8 can be dismissed on legal grounds without a trial, the newspaper said.