Today, California’s Supreme Court takes up the issue of whether Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that effectively banned gay marriage in that state, is legal or not. The hotly-contested proposition passed last year and heads to the court today over questions of constitutionality. The courthouse should be a spectacle as protesters on both sides of the issue rally and even Ken Starr is expected to make an appearance. To tell us more about the gay marriage debate in California and across the country, Kenji Yoshino of New York University Law School joins us.

For a comedic take on the gay marriage battle in California, here's "Prop. 8 The Musical":

After three days of intense negotiations, California lawmakers are still unable to deliver a budget. In the face of a multi-billion dollar deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is preparing to lay off 10,000 government workers and plans to halt the last 275 state-funded public works projects still in operation. To answer what this means for California and for state workers we turn to Zoe Corneli, reporter at KALW public radio in San Francisco, and Ryan Sherman, spokesperson for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, a union that is facing layoffs under the Governator's plan.

California waitress Val Simons has little faith in the legislator's ability to resolve this crisis.