As part of what some are calling her last Southern California visit as a presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton is doing a fundraiser at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach this evening.

The cheap seats are $250 and you can RSVP at 310-785-9029 or by going here.

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“As past cases establish, the substantive right of two adults who share a loving relationship to join together to establish an officially recognized family of their own — and, if the couple chooses, to raise children within that family — constitutes a vitally important attribute of the fundamental interest in liberty and personal personal autonomy that the California Constitution secures to all persons for the benefit of both the individual and society.”

– from the California Supreme Court’s decision today overturning the state’s marriage ban against same-sex couples.

 The California Supreme Court ruled 4-1 this morning in favor of legalizing marriage for same-sex couples. One of the dissenting votes came from Justice Carol A. Corrigan, who said the court should wait for the inevitable swing in public opinion.

This makes California the second state in the U.S. to allow gay marriage, following Massachusetts.

We’ve got an AP story here.

Read the court’s opinion here.

The Reg’s Tony Saavedra has a follow-up this morning to his story yesterday about acting Sheriff Jack Anderson’s plan to give early release to some inmates in the county jails. The supes Tony talked to were diplomatic, he reports, but not pleased.

“He does have the authority, but it’s best that all of us know what’s going on, especially under the circumstances,” said Supervisor Chris Norby. “We all want to be kept in the loop.”

Those circumstances, of course, include Anderson’s candidacy for sheriff.

Update: here’s what the sheriff’s blog says about the early releases.

I was channel surfing late last night and when I stopped on C-Span who should I see on the screen but Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. So of course I stopped.

And I caught the last half hour of his speech on global warming. The Huntington Beach Republican ripped away at the science of climate change and the people who support regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

“The man-made global warming theory may be presented as scientific truism, but it is not,” Rohrabacher said during his nearly hour-long appearance on the House floor.

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The judicial candidates are actually getting some attention and coverage this year. Tomahawk at Red County has a series of Q&As, which gives perhaps the most comprehensive comparison that I’ve seen so far. Tomahawk favors Nick Thompson and Jon Fish, but his pieces are even-handed and each candidate gets basically the same questions. If you don’t already see them, click below for links.

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Assembly candidate and Rancho Santa Margarita Mayor Neil Blais is getting hammered by this piece on Red County (and subsequently printed this Blais rebuttal). I’ve been trying to cut through the hyperbole for a couple days now — here’s what the real situation looks like.

Blais and his wife, Destin, run a grant-writing consultancy. That’s at the root of his opponent’s attack, which claims that Blais is helping raise money for to benefit illegal immigrants. Three of the agencies and foundations with which Blais is contracted  benefit, among others, illegal immigrants in Los Angeles County.

Blais does not dispute that is has “on-call” contracts with the three or that they do, at times, benefit illegal immigrants. But he presents persuasive evidence that he has done virtually no work for the groups, and that he has received just $2,800 from one group and nothing from the other two.

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Just got a press release from Lynn Holton, the PIO for the state courts. It says that the  California Supreme Court will file a written opinion in on the gay marriage cases, S147999, at 10 a.m. tomorrow. 

“Following its usual practice, the justices and the court will have no comment on the opinion,” Holton said.

To see the opinion tomorrow, go to the court’s website.

Massachusetts is now the only state in which gays and lesbians can legally marry.

The unions are lining up to protest Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new plan on budget cuts. Looks like there will be deep cuts to health care, welare recipients and the disabled.

Just got a release from a coalition of labor groups (click below), which quotes Orange County Employees Association President Frank Eley. He said the the proposed reductions will cut services and programs to children, seniors and working families.

“Working Californians have been abandoned and are facing economic disaster. It is time we invest in the future of working families,” Eley said.

A protest is set for the Plaza of the Flags in the Civic Center in Santa Ana tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.

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Hillary Clinton was trying to do a buck up tour on the broadcast and cable networks today but in the midst of it first NARAL Pro-Choice America endorses Barack Obama and the networks are now reporting that John Edwards is geting ready to endorse the Illinois senator.

We’ll have stories up on our presidential page soon.