More couples are getting married in San Francisco, and same-sex marriage is one of the factors, city officials said Tuesday, the day before Valentine's Day.
Almost 4,000 more public marriage licenses were recorded in the fiscal year 2016-17 than in the fiscal year 2007-08 in San Francisco, said Assessor Carmen Chu, who dressed in Valentine's Day red for a news conference on the subject Tuesday.
In the fiscal year 2007-08, when same-sex marriage wasn't legal, 7,537 licenses were recorded, Chu said. After such marriages became legal in 2013, the number increased over the following years, hitting 11,419 in the fiscal year 2016-17.
The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.
"San Francisco has become a leader in inclusion and in promoting equality, including marriage equality," Chu said. "Valentine's Day is a great time to reflect on our history.
In 2004, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom made history by approving same-sex marriages in the city. Although the order was quickly overruled, it gave birth to a national movement for marriage equality for LGBTQ couples. After a series of fits and starts, the movement ultimately succeeded in 2013.
The other major factor that increased the number of marriages is the recovery of the economy, Chu said. The economy hit bottom in fiscal year 2008-09 and remained distressed for years before beginning to come back around 2012.
Local
"When the economy is in good shape, more people get married," Chu said. "These are all the issues that feed into these numbers."
With regard to Valentine's Day, Chu said the city generally sees about three times the normal volume of marriages that day.
