Legislative findings and purpose

(a)

The city recognizes that a significant number of city employees establish and maintain important personal, emotional, and economic relationships with persons to whom they are not married; that individuals forming such domestic partnerships live in a committed family relationship; and that city employees in domestic partner relationships should be granted employment benefits through a system for the city to provide benefits to domestic partners of city employees.

(b)

The implementation of the provisions of this article shall be liberally construed to accomplish the policies and purposes of the article. However, no construction of this article shall supersede any federal, state, or city laws or regulations, nor be interpreted in a manner as to bring it into conflict with federal, state, or other city laws. Nothing in this article shall be construed as recognizing or treating a domestic partnership as a marriage or the substantial equivalent of a marriage.

(Ord. No. 13073, § 2, 6-11-09)