Simply

Proposition 8 is a law in search of a reason. What is the purpose of denying the use of one word - "marriage" - to a class of people deemed by the state itself fully capable of taking on all of the child-raising and other responsibilities associated with the word? The search for a reason may now go to theU.S. Supreme Court, assuming the court agrees to weigh the issue. Last week, in Perry vs. Brown, a divided panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional under the Constitution's equal protection clause.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vowed Sunday to fight the administration's requirement that insurers provide contraceptive coverage for faith-based employers. McConnell said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that he would press legislation to exempt all employers from providing insurance coverage for contraceptives if they have religious or moral objections. "We'll be voting on that in the Senate, and you can anticipate that would happen as soon as possible.…This issue will not go away until the administration simply backs down," he said.

In 1977, my dad, former state Sen. John Briggs, my brother-in-law and I got together to discuss California's death penalty. We agreed it was ineffective and decided a ballot initiative was needed to expand the number of murder categories eligible for capital punishment. We felt such changes would give prosecutors better tools for meting out just punishments, and that a broadened statute would serve as a warning to all California evildoers that the state would deliver swift and final justice.

A proposed change to the LAPD's vehicle-impound procedures, which would allow some unlicensed drivers to avoid having their vehicles taken away for 30 days, will move forward with tightened restrictions, Chief Charlie Beck said Thursday. In order to avoid the lengthy impound, unlicensed drivers must not have been stopped in connection with a serious accident and will have to show identification and insurance, as well as not have any previous convictions for driving without a license.

It's certainly not his goal, but when Mitt Romney releases his income tax returns Tuesday, he is likely to show how wealthy people grow even wealthier with the help of the U.S. tax code. The multimillionaire presidential hopeful has estimated that he pays about 15% of his income in taxes, less than many middle-class Americans and far less than the maximum 35% rate applied to ordinary income. Romney's returns are expected to show that his taxes are so low because of the steady reduction in capital gains rates over the last three decades.

Andre Guerrero is one hardworking chef with half a dozen restaurants to his credit, most successes. Though he came up in fine dining, the times are changing, and he's gradually moved to the casual, inexpensive side of the spectrum. When his most ambitious project, Max Restaurant, foundered, he turned it into Marché LA, serving small plates. Smart move, even if he was a bit too early an adopter: The idea didn't go over big in Sherman Oaks. But Señor Fred, his Mexican restaurant there, is still turning out big plates of enchiladas and potent margaritas.

Drivers with shovels and rakes in the beds of your pickup trucks, beware. Devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe, be on the lookout: That reflective sticker of the mother of Jesus you have on your car's rear window could make you a target. That's the warning that comes to us from the National Lawyers Guild, which earlier this month released a report that says some LAPD officers stop drivers who look like immigrants just to check and see if they're licensed. Undocumented immigrants can't get driver's licenses.

Reporting from San Diego -- San Diego's Philip Rivers, whose last six games represent the most challenging stretch of his football career, has been benched. But not in the way you might think. Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew isn't starting him as his fantasy quarterback this week. "Tell Philip this," the Jaguars running back said Thursday during a break from preparations for Monday night's game against the Chargers. "I got him on my fantasy team. This week I'm going to have to bench him because he's playing the Jaguars.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley said Wednesday that he has submitted paperwork to the NFL. Remain calm, USC fans. Barkley, at Coach Lane Kiffin's direction, simply made the standard evaluation request that most draft-eligible players file after their junior seasons. Nevertheless, it was the first step in what will be a weeks-long process as Barkley decides whether to turn pro or return for a final college season. "There's not really a timetable," he said in an interview on campus.

As Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's deadline for Occupy L.A. drew near, hundreds of people hurried toward the encampment on the grounds of City Hall, as if the tower were a signpost in the dark. Protesters carried their now-familiar signs, and revolutionary book sellers set out their wares. Sympathizers brought crates of food, Occupy tourists brought their dogs, and drummers supplied a continuous beat. PHOTOS: Occupy L.A. As the hour of eviction approached Sunday night, volunteer medics tensely inventoried remedies for tear gas and pepper spray.