Four years ago, when Del Martin, Phyllis Lyon and more than 4,000 other couples said "I Do" this country took an irrevocable step toward securing equality for every American.

While many feel what we did was too much, too fast, too soon – we stand firm in the belief that our actions were not only just, but legal and constitutional. The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the pursuit of happiness.

Today, the California Supreme Court is hearing arguments on whether excluding gay couples from marriage violates the state constitution. Today, these Justices have a unique chance to follow in the proud tradition of California's high court, which took a courageous stand on marriage equality in 1948 when it ruled that the state's ban on inter-racial marriage was unconstitutional.

After eight years of disastrous Bush-Republican policies, America is reeling. Still at war, moving into a deep recession, saddled with crushing debt, Americans face the most important election for president in generations.

In this environment, the most important thing Democrats and progressives can do is to unite in support of our common goal: Reversing the damage done by George Bush and the Republicans. In this environment, the worst thing we can do is to fight each other. But that is exactly the threat presented by the recently announced candidacy of Ralph Nader.

Nader’s candidacy has a special meaning to me – because his new running mate, former San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ President, Matt Gonzalez, was my opponent in 2003 when I first ran for mayor.

The Governor and Assembly Speaker have emerged from negotiations with a healthcare plan that needs to be sent back for major reconstructive surgery.

The plan has some very good elements – such as preventing insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, a long-overdue expansion of children’s healthcare coverage and, potentially, the creation of the largest purchasing pool in the health insurance market outside of the federal government.

But the proposal has major flaws that must be fixed before it has a chance of final approval by California voters.