On the anniversary of the small window of opportunity to marry California presented to same-sex couples, the Sacramento News and Review featured lucky newlyweds on the cover.
That may have been a bad decision from a business perspective, as circulation suddenly plummeted.
Almost twice as many copies than usual of the free weekly were returned, and two area businesses decided to stop offering the paper entirely.
A local 24 Hour Fitness franchise removed the racks offering the tabloid, as did three locations of local chain Jimboy's Tacos -- the three that are wholly owned and operated by the chain.
In some areas on the outskirts of town, nearly a quarter of the papers never left the racks.
The photograph was part of a set of features on how supporters of same-sex marriage could move forward in their efforts to grant full marriage equality to loving couples.
When asked why Jimboy's decided to trash many copies and remove the News & Review from the restaurants, general manager Tom Boalt said that the company had recently received complaints about adult advertisements that had been running in the back pages for years.
"Sure, maybe it’s coincidental," Boalt told the paper.
Commenters on local site SFist familiar with the area didn't seem surprised -- but also won't be going back to Jimboy's any time soon.
Photo by Robert Couse-Baker.
Jackson West already cancelled his 24 Hour Fitness membership, but would cancel it again if he could.
