NANCEE E. LEWIS / Union-Tribune Jan Garbosky and Bonny Russell were congratulated by Caroline Dessert of the the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender center in Hillcrest.

The state Supreme Court decision striking down California laws banning same-sex marriage was an epic legal victory for gay and lesbian civil rights advocates that capped a four-year legal battle. But that triumph might be short-lived, as opponents attacked the ruling immediately after it was released yesterday morning and readied for a potential November vote on a constitutional amendment that could make the court's historic decision moot.

• Both sides gear up for what's seen as big November fight
• S.D. gays celebrate court's decision
• National snapshot

Four years after flatlining, San Diego's borrowing ability was revived instantly yesterday when a ratings agency restored the city's credit and removed the biggest obstacle to a backlog of capital improvements. The action marks Wall Street's greatest show of faith in city finances since 2004, when plans for new libraries, fire stations and a range of repairs were scuttled amid credit problems caused by pension and accounting scandals.

MIANYANG, China – With the death toll from this week's earthquake rising rapidly, China made a sharp departure from past diplomatic practice yesterday, seeking disaster relief experts and heavy equipment needed for rescue operations from neighbors it has long shunned as rivals or renegades.