While county clerk offices in Lompoc, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo were buzzing Tuesday with people seeking marriage licenses - many of them same-sex couples - that was not the case in Santa Maria.

Officials issued five marriage licenses - a typical number - at the Santa Maria office, and no same-sex couples had appointments to get their marriage licenses in Santa Maria.

Appointments are required to receive marriage licenses in Santa Maria, and marriage ceremonies are not performed on site at the County Clerk's office in the Betteravia Government Center.

Employees of the County Clerk's office in Santa Maria speculated that same-sex couples might have appointments to obtain marriage licenses at a later date, as appointments are set up one to two weeks in advance.

Mary Quackenbush, Santa Barbara operations supervisor for the assessor's office in Santa Maria, said “we thought we might get walk-ups” to get marriage licenses, but there were none.

She said that walk-ins are not allowed to receive marriage licenses, but that an appointment is set up for them to get the license at a later time.

It was a different story in Lompoc, where Terry Bearman and Michael Crampton filled out some forms, obtained a license and stepped into a conference room at the Santa Barbara County building in Lompoc to exchange rings and vows.

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A few minutes later, dressed in natty summer suits, the two were married - after 22 years together and thanks to a change in California law making same-sex marriages legal.

They were the first gay couple to be married in Lompoc.

“I wanted to get married in Lompoc because this is my home, this is where my friends are,” said Bearman, a hairstylist. “I find Lompoc a very accepting town as long as you're honest with people.”

The brief ceremony was performed by Dana Bentley, who identified herself as a deputy marriage commissioner for the county. The couple's best friends witnessed the occasion before going through the ceremony themselves with Bearman and Crampton as the witnesses.

In the lobby, two sheriff's deputies stood by as a precaution against protesters. Though none appeared, the added security was in place because there had been a couple of phone calls expressing displeasure with the state Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriages.

Bearman said that being married is about love, but it is also a legal contract. He and Crampton, a nurse, are registered domestic partners, but wanted to get married because there are many legal issues not included in domestic partnership, he said.

“There are about a thousand things left out of domestic partnerships,” Bearman said. “A lot of issues aren't covered.”

In all of Santa Barbara County, 38 marriage licenses were issued Tuesday, compared to about 10 on an average day, said Mary Rose Bryson, recorder division manager for Clerk Recorder Assessor Department.

Like Santa Maria, Santa Barbara only issues marriage licenses and does not perform marriage ceremonies. Lompoc performs ceremonies. Those seeking marriage licenses could show up on a first-come, first-serve basis at the County Clerk's office in Santa Barbara.

Bryson did not say how many same-sex couples obtained marriage licenses in the Santa Barbara office.

“We had a lot of people coming in,” she said. “We're not distinguishing between the same sex and others.”

Bryson said there were no protesters at the County Clerk's office in Santa Barbara.

At one point later Tuesday afternoon, all five windows of the Santa Barbara office were issuing marriage licenses, she said.

“We just had a huge bunch,” Bryson said.

In San Luis Obispo, at least 20 same-sex couples received marriage licenses on Tuesday, said Deputy Clerk Angela McCormack. Someone volunteered to perform marriage ceremonies for the day, she said.

A total of 29 marriage licenses were issued Tuesday, McCormack said, compared to the 10 to 20 on an average summer day

Samantha Yale can be reached at 739-2159 or syale@santa mariatimes.com. Staff Writer Amanda Brooks contributed to this report.

June 18, 2008