Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro and Hayward all are flying the rainbow flag Tuesday above their respective city hall buildings. Officials are optimistic about the Supreme Court's decision, even though the decision won't be announced until June.
The raising of the flag at Berkeley City Hall signifies a hopeful beginning of the end in the fight for marriage equality.
"I've been married to the same woman now three times. And now we're legally married because we got married during that brief window before Proposition 8 passed," said Judy Appel, a member of the Berkeley School Board.
Appel says she was the first lesbian elected to any office in Berkeley.
"I'm also a mother here in Berkeley, and I'm really excited about this day because this marks another step in the future for all of our kids," she said.
City Councilman Kriss Worthington proposed raising the flag Tuesday. He also wrote the original proposal for Berkeley to endorse marriage equality which the city passed in 1997.
He calls the Supreme Court's hear on the constitutionality of Prop 8 a success and something he didn't think would happen for another 15 years.
"If the court even takes a halfway step towards recognizing that states have a right to allow marriage equality, that would be the fastest civil rights movement probably ever," said Worthington.
Same-sex marriage supporters rallied in San Francisco Tuesday evening on the steps of the state Supreme Court.
