SACRAMENTO – In one of her first acts as a legislator, Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) added her support to new legislation that would end gender discrimination in California's marriage law.

Assembly Bill 19 (Leno, D-San Francisco) would enact the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act to provide that marriage is a personal relation arising out of a civil contract between two persons. Assemblywoman Saldaña is a co-author of the bill, which is expected to have its first committee hearing in early 2005.

"California was the first state to rescind the ban on interracial marriage back in 1948. Some states continued such bans for almost 20 more years before the U.S. Supreme Court struck them down," said Saldaña. "We must again show national leadership in this latest discrimination battle. No human being should be denied their full rights and responsibilities under the law."

Saldaña was sworn into the State Assembly yesterday along with 14 other newly elected Democrats, and was immediately appointed by Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) to be part of his leadership team and serve as Assistant Majority Whip of the Assembly Democratic Caucus.