With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
LA County says not so fast on wedding license fee increase after chapel outcry
A wedding in Los Angeles County.
(
Gary Friedman
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)
Topline:
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday put on hold a plan to dramatically increase wedding license fees, responding to an outcry from wedding chapels.
The details: Last month, the board initially approved an increase in the cost of a standard marriage license from $91 to $176. The board was scheduled to give final approval Tuesday but instead voted to send the issue back to the county clerk for review.
The cost of a confidential marriage license, which allows people to marry privately without public record, with no witnesses for the ceremony and with restricted access to the marriage certificate, would have gone up from $85 to $220.
Support for LAist comes from
Wedding chapels respond: Alan Katz, a spokesperson for the Wedding Chapel Coalition, argued the increase would prompt people to get married in Orange County, where the fee is $61, and hurt the wedding chapel business in L.A. County.
“The proposed increase was ludicrous,” said Katz, who owns the Cute Little Wedding Chapel in Long Beach. “Not every wedding in L.A. County is the big, glitzy, glamorous one. Those people, they don’t care. It's the everyday people, the people who are on low or fixed income, those are the ones that are going to get affected by this.”
County clerk: County Clerk Dean Logan had said the fee increases were needed to cover the rising cost of providing the service, noting the fees had not changed since 2009. A spokesperson said an updated proposal may be brought back to the Board of Supervisors at a future date.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. -
Users of the century old Long Beach wooden boardwalk give these suggestions to safely enjoy it. -
The Newport Beach City Council approved a new artificial surf park that will replace part of an aging golf course. -
The utility, whose equipment is believed to have sparked the Eaton Fire, says payouts could come as quickly as four months after people submit a claim. But accepting the money means you'll have to forego any lawsuits. -
The City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposal to study raising the pay for construction workers on apartments with at least 10 units and up to 85 feet high. -
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol.
Best of LAist