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116-585: Buttonwillow is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the San Joaquin Valley , in Kern County, California . Buttonwillow is 26 miles (42 km) west of Bakersfield , at an elevation of 269 feet (82 m)). The population was 1,508 at the 2010 census, up from 1,266 at the 2000 census. The center of population of California is located in Buttonwillow. The town

232-662: A census-designated place (CDP). A CDP is an area defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. It is a populated area that generally includes one officially designated but currently unincorporated community for which the CDP is named, plus surrounding inhabited countryside of varying dimensions, and occasionally other smaller unincorporated communities as well. Otherwise, it has no legal status. The Census Bureau designates some unincorporated areas as "unorganized territories", as defined by

348-424: A county island is surrounded on most or all sides by municipalities. In areas of sparse population, the majority of the land in any given state may be unincorporated. Some states, including North Carolina , grant extraterritorial jurisdiction to cities and towns (but rarely villages) so that they may control zoning for a limited distance into adjacent unincorporated areas, often as a precursor (and sometimes as

464-597: A local services board in Ontario. In New Brunswick, where a significant population lives in a local service district , taxation and services may come directly from the province. The entire area of the Czech Republic is divided into municipalities ; the only exceptions are four military training areas . These are parts of the regions and do not form self-governing municipalities, but are rather governed by military offices ( újezdní úřad ), which are subordinate to

580-456: A "place or area with clustered or scattered buildings, and a permanent human population (city, settlement, town, village)." No legal boundaries exist, although a corresponding "civil" record may occur, the boundaries of which may or may not match the perceived populated place. Some nations have some exceptional unincorporated areas: Many countries, especially those with many centuries of history with multiple tiers of local government, do not use

696-603: A Caucasian background. The name of the committee in charge of the meeting was the Local Assessment Committee (LAC), which was formed in accordance with a law passed by California in the 1980s known as the Tanner Act. The law attempted to give county residents a say in the environmental occurrences and developments in their area. The LAC consisted of seven members, all of which met to discuss events and proposals such as those of Laidlaw Environmental. Despite

812-421: A civil union nor are blood relatives. It may be established by contract between the parties, but more often by registration according to procedures established by a state or municipal government. Benefits granted under a domestic partnership vary among different jurisdictions. Some accord full health benefits, others only a right of visitation. In still other jurisdictions, registered domestic partners are accorded

928-485: A company then known as Laidlaw Environmental, which subsequently became Safety-Kleen and was later purchased in 2012 by Clean Harbors , lies eight miles (13 km) west of the community. It was created in the 1970s, without the notification of any of the county's residents. Furthermore, Highway 58 , a busy road through the community, was used as the main route for trucks from the facility to transport toxic loads. At times, as many as 200 trucks per day could travel around

1044-627: A council of their own, usually an Ortsvorsteher or Ortsvorsteherin (village chairman / chairwoman) is appointed by the municipal council, except in the very smallest villages. In 2000, the number of unincorporated areas in Germany, called gemeindefreie Gebiete (municipality-free areas) or singular gemeindefreies Gebiet , was 295 with a total area of 4,890 km (1,890 sq mi) and around 1.4% of its territory. However, these are mostly unpopulated areas such as forests, lakes and their surroundings, military training areas, and

1160-516: A debate with the county about Spanish translation. A local community group, known as Padres Hacia una Vida Mejor, worked for these particular rights. Furthermore, the translation issue seemed to create a division among the county's residents. For example, in their efforts to institute Spanish translation of the EIR and public hearings, the Latino residents isolated themselves from the black and white people in

1276-499: A descriptive name, followed by the designation "unorganized territory". Unorganized territories were first used for statistical purposes in conjunction with the 1960 census. At the 2000 census there were 305 of these territories within the United States. Their total land area was 85,392 square miles (221,165 km ) and they had a total population of 247,331. South Dakota had the most unorganized territories, 102, as well as

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1392-475: A designated beneficiary agreement which will grant them limited rights. A law on civil unions went into effect on May 1, 2013. Washington, D.C., has recognized domestic partnerships since 1992. However, Congress prohibited the District from spending any local funds to implement the law. The prohibition was lifted in the federal appropriations act for the District for the 2002 fiscal year. Domestic partnership in

1508-658: A designated unregistered beneficiary agreement which will grant them limited rights such as the right to visit one another in the hospital, the right to share a room in a nursing home, and the right to make funeral decisions. A law on same-sex marriage went into effect on January 1, 2013. In Nevada domestic partnerships are granted all the benefits, rights, obligations and/or responsibilities of marriage (for any two adults over 18, regardless of gender) and these have become legally available since October 1, 2009. The act specifically excludes requiring any entity to provide health benefits to domestic partners. In addition, due to vagueness in

1624-419: A domestic partnership after comparing the potential tax consequences of being married. Recognized In August 1979, gay rights activist Tom Brougham proposed a new category of relationship called "domestic partnership". Initially, the requirements were that only two people who resided together and were qualified to marry except that they were the same gender. Additional requirements were later added for

1740-535: A domestic partnership bill. The law, which provides same-sex individuals with inheritance rights over their partners' property and guardianship over their deceased partner, went into effect on July 30, 2004. On May 6, 2009, Maine's legislature and governor enacted a law to legalize same-sex marriage, but on November 3, 2009, that law was repealed by voters. Maine legalized same-sex marriage in December 2012. Since July 1, 2008, unmarried couples have been able to enter

1856-466: A domestic partnership registry for same-sex couples, according to a Chicago Tribune article by Joanne von Alroth. Largely symbolic, the registry was the first of its kind in the state, and it required couples to swear that they were in committed relationships of at least six months. Oak Park's Village Board had approved the registry at a meeting in September 1997. In April 2004 the legislature passed

1972-706: A few other locations may choose between a local domestic partnership, a California domestic partnership, or marriage. Nothing in either the 1999 or 2003 domestic partnership legislation applies to any of the municipal or county domestic partnership ordinances, whose scopes are extremely limited and are not portable outside of the jurisdiction that issued them. The State of California has developed an Online Self-Help Center that provides resources and information to assist domestic partners in many areas, including filing domestic partnerships , dissolving domestic partnerships , parenting issues , tax issues , and more. Since July 1, 2009 unmarried couples have been legally able to enter

2088-453: A few other unique cases, almost all of Australia is part of an LGA. Unincorporated areas are often in remote locations, cover vast areas, or have very small populations. Postal addresses in unincorporated areas, as in other parts of Australia, normally use the suburb or locality names gazetted by the relevant state or territorial government. Thus, any ambiguity regarding addresses rarely exists in unincorporated areas. In Canada, depending on

2204-469: A form of direct democracy, such as the open town meeting or representative town meeting . Larger towns in New England may be incorporated as cities, with some form of mayor-council government. In New Jersey, multiple types exist, as well, such as city , township , town , borough , or village , but these differences are in the structure of the legislative branches, not in the powers or functions of

2320-597: A gay activist, to head the Domestic Partner Task Force and draft a policy. Working with Tom Brougham, members of the East Bay Lesbian/Gay Democratic Club, and attorney Matt Coles, the Domestic Partner Task Force drafted what has become the template for domestic partner/civil union policies around the world. The City of Berkeley's Human Relations and Welfare Commission held a public hearing early in 1984 on "Examining

2436-491: A headquarters and store near the tree. This tree is listed as California Historical Landmark No. 492. This landmark is now known as the Buttonwillow Tree. California Historical Landmark reads: The first United States Post Office at Buttonwillow was established in 1895. Buttonwillow is a major stop for motorists traveling on Interstate 5 . It includes gas stations, restaurants and travel centers. These are all at

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2552-466: A legal requirement) to later annexation of those areas. This is especially useful in rural counties that have no zoning at all, or only spot zoning for unincorporated communities. In California, all counties except the City and County of San Francisco have unincorporated areas. Even in highly populated counties, the unincorporated portions may contain a large number of inhabitants. In Los Angeles County ,

2668-516: A legal status similar to that of a married person with respect to matters of probate, guardianships, conservatorships, inheritance, protection from abuse, and related matters. Since the 2015 US Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex marriage, there have been fewer US domestic partnerships registered, but in many jurisdictions they are still allowed for couples of the same gender or different genders who do not want to marry but still would like to be eligible for certain benefits. Many couples opt for

2784-480: A median income of $ 19,514 versus $ 16,974 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 9,424. About 23.1% of families and 28.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 35.4% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over. Buttonwillow, California, is the host to one of California's two active hazardous waste landfills: the Lokern Facility. The facility, owned and operated by

2900-455: A part of an incorporated place, changes to another incorporated place, or disincorporates. For example, places in Kingwood, Texas , previously unincorporated, retained "Kingwood, TX" mailing addresses after the 1996 annexation of Kingwood into the city of Houston . The Houston city government stated on its website, "The U.S. Postal Service establishes ZIP codes and mailing addresses to maximize

3016-646: A petition for an original action in the Wisconsin Supreme Court , seeking a declaration that the domestic partner registry is unconstitutional under the state's Marriage Protection Amendment . The law went into effect on August 3, 2009. November 4, 2009: The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected Appling v. Doyle , Wisconsin Family Action's legal challenge to domestic partnerships. May 13, 2011: Governor Scott Walker asked to withdraw

3132-524: A place name is "acceptable" in a mailing address or not, as is the case with Lithia Springs, Georgia . ZIP Code boundaries often ignore political boundaries, so the appearance of a place name in a mailing address alone does not indicate whether the place is incorporated or unincorporated. Unincorporated areas with permanent populations in the United States are defined by the United States Geological Survey as "populated places",

3248-478: A population between 100 and 1,000 residents may have the status of designated place in Canadian census data. In some provinces, large tracts of undeveloped wilderness or rural country are unorganized areas that fall directly under the provincial jurisdiction. Some unincorporated settlements in such unorganized areas may have some types of municipal services provided to them by a quasigovernmental agency such as

3364-596: A relationship. These are de facto domestic partnerships that protect both parties and allow for shared property and court recognition of their relationships. Sometimes adult adoption by gay couples creates a de jure domestic partnership in all 50 states. On February 11, 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta submitted a memorandum (subject: Extending Benefits to Same-Sex Domestic Partners of Military Members) that outlined benefits that would be made available to service members in domestic partnerships. The newly listed benefits available to gay and lesbian service members

3480-470: A toxic waste incinerator, which would burn up to 108,000 short tons (216,000,000 lb; 98,000,000 kg) of toxic waste each year. The development and construction of the incinerator was never "green-lit" as a project for the facility. Then in 1992, the birth and death of a child with a physical defect— anencephaly —stirred suspicion from several residents. The tragedy created a bond between these residents, and they began to look to Laidlaw Environmental and

3596-742: A way to recognize same-sex marriage , statutes do exist which provide for recognition of opposite-sex domestic partnerships in many jurisdictions. In some legal jurisdictions, domestic partners who live together for an extended period of time but are not legally entitled to common-law marriage may be entitled to legal protection in the form of a domestic partnership. Some domestic partners may enter into nonmarital relationship contracts in order to agree, either verbally or in writing, to issues involving property ownership, support obligations, and similar issues common to marriage. (See effects of marriage and palimony .) Beyond agreements, registration of relationships in domestic partnership registries allow for

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3712-683: Is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation . There are many unincorporated communities and areas in the United States and Canada. In Argentina, the provinces of Chubut , Córdoba , Entre Ríos , Formosa , Neuquén , Río Negro , San Luis , Santa Cruz , Santiago del Estero , Tierra del Fuego , and Tucumán have areas that are outside any municipality or commune. Unlike many other countries, Australia has only one level of local government immediately beneath state and territorial governments. A local government area (LGA) often contains several towns and even entire metropolitan areas. Thus, aside from very sparsely populated areas and

3828-422: Is a small group of islands that forms the easternmost part of Denmark. This small archipelago lies 20 kilometers northeast of Bornholm and is the only part of metropolitan Denmark which is not part of a municipality. The islands have been under military jurisdiction since 1685 when Denmark turned Christiansø into a naval base to in response to Sweden creating Karlskrona naval base a few years earlier. In 1926,

3944-606: Is also known for hosting the Best in the West jet rally, an annual gathering of model jet enthusiasts. Buttonwillow's main industry is cotton farming. According to the United States Census Bureau , Buttonwillow has an area of 6.9 square miles (18 km), all of it land. Buttonwillow is also locally known as the cotton country, due to the abundant planting of cotton in the vicinity. Beginning about four miles (6.4 km) south of town along Elk Hills Road, between Buttonwillow and Taft ,

4060-601: Is at least age 62) to register in a domestic partnership registry that allows couples hospital visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations, and inheritance rights when there is no will. This follows the 1998 passage of a bill by the Washington State legislature that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman; this legislation was upheld by the Washington State Supreme Court in 2006. Same-sex marriage

4176-511: Is one of the most populated places in Georgia but is served by a branch of the Atlanta post office. Only after the city was incorporated in 2005 was "Sandy Springs" approved for use in mailing addresses, though "Atlanta" remains the default name. Accordingly, "Atlanta" is the only accepted place name for mailing addresses in the nearby unincorporated town of Vinings , also served by a branch of

4292-588: Is subdivided into 393 municipalities which are further classified, normally by population, as city , local council , or regional council . All three types of municipality provide services including zoning and planning. However, a few unincorporated areas exist, whether because of omissions and ambiguities left in official maps dating from the British Mandate for Palestine , or due to deliberate policy of ensuring facilities of national importance, such as Ben Gurion Airport , Mikveh Israel boarding school, or

4408-546: Is the Longyearbyen Community Council in Svalbard, which since 2004 in reality acts partly like a Norwegian municipality. Svalbard has a governor appointed by the government of Norway, ruling the area. Jan Mayen has no population, only radio and weather stations with staff, whose manager has the responsibility for the activities. Bouvet Island has only occasional visitors. In local government in

4524-549: Is the enormous Elk Hills Oil Field , formerly the Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1, which figured prominently in the Teapot Dome scandal that tarnished the administration of President Warren G. Harding . Occidental Petroleum bought the reserve from the U.S. Department of Energy in 1998, and is the current primary operator of the oil field. Buttonwillow has a cold desert climate ( BWk ) typical of

4640-541: The BAZAN Group oil refineries, would not have their operation affected by local considerations. The largest unincorporated area in Israel is the so-called "Reservation area", a triangular region whose vertexes are Beersheba , Dimona and Arad , in which all Negev Bedouins were concentrated in the 1950s. As no municipal services are provided within unincorporated areas, this effectively makes all Bedouin settlements in

4756-642: The California legislature passed an expanded domestic partnership bill, extending all of the state legal rights and responsibilities of marriage to people in state domestic partnerships. California's comprehensive domestic partner legislation was the first same-sex couples policy in the United States created by a legislature without a court order. The legislation became effective January 1, 2005. Pre-existing municipal and county domestic partnership ordinances remain in force unless repealed by their local governments. Thus, residents of San Francisco, West Hollywood, and

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4872-599: The Ministry of Defence . Note: The Brdy Military Area was abandoned by the Army in 2015 and converted into a protected landscape area , with its area being incorporated either into existing municipalities or into newly established municipalities based on the existing settlements. The other four military training areas were reduced in size in 2015 too. The decisions on whether the settlements joined existing municipalities or formed new ones were made by plebiscites. Ertholmene ,

4988-756: The Openbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders (Southern IJsselmeerpolders Public Body). In 1984, the Landdrost became the first mayor of the new city Almere. Since that date, the Netherlands does not have any unincorporated land areas. The Openbaar Lichaam remained, however, only governing the water body of the Markermeer . After the municipal division of the Wadden Sea (1985), the territorial waters in

5104-630: The Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled that under the New Jersey state constitution, the state could not deny the benefits of marriage to same-sex couples, although the court left it up to the legislature whether to call such relationships marriage or to use a different term. Complying with the court's ruling, on December 14, 2006, the New Jersey Legislature passed a bill establishing civil unions for same-sex couples, which

5220-665: The United States Postal Service (USPS) (indeed, some have their own post offices), and the Census Bureau uses the names of some widely recognized unincorporated communities for its CDPs for which it tabulates census data. In some instances, unincorporated areas have a mailing address indicating the name of an incorporated city, as well as those where residents of one incorporated city have mailing addresses indicating another incorporated city. Mailing addresses do not necessarily change whether an area becomes

5336-592: The northeastern states . All of the land in New Jersey , Connecticut , Massachusetts , New York , and Rhode Island , and nearly all of the land in New Hampshire , Pennsylvania , and Vermont , is part of an incorporated area of some type. In these areas, types (and official names) of local government entities can vary. In New England (which includes five of those eight states, plus the less fully incorporated state of Maine ), local municipalities are known as towns or cities, and most towns are administered by

5452-682: The Atlanta post office, even though Vinings is in Cobb County and Atlanta is in Fulton and DeKalb counties. In contrast, neighboring Mableton has not been incorporated in nearly a century, but has its own post office and thus "Mableton" is the only acceptable place name for mailing addresses in the town. The areas of Dulah and Faria , California, which are unincorporated areas in Ventura County between Ventura and Carpinteria , have

5568-531: The CDP was 34.28% White, 3.79% Black or African American, 1.66% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 55.06% from other races, and 5.13% from two or more races. 68.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 328 households 56.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.4% were non-families. 15.2% of households were one person and 7.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size

5684-575: The Croatian parliament passed a law allowing life partnerships for same-sex couples giving them the same rights married couples do have. In Hungary, since 1995 domestic partnership in the form of unregistered cohabitation offers a limited set of rights compared to marriage in a Civil Code (more in the field of health and pension; but no inheritance), although a growing number of Hungarian couples, both opposite-sex couples and same-sex couples choose this kind of partnership instead of marriage. In April 2009,

5800-518: The District is open to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples. All couples registered as domestic partners are entitled to the same rights as family members to visit their domestic partners in the hospital and to make decisions concerning the treatment of a domestic partner's remains after the partner's death. The measure also grants District of Columbia government employees rights to a number of benefits. Domestic partners are eligible for health care insurance coverage, can use annual leave or unpaid leave for

5916-551: The Hungarian Parliament passed a Registration Partnership Act 2009 with a vote of 199–159, which provides a registered partnership for same-sex couples with all the benefits and entitlements of marriage (except for marriage itself, adoption, IVF access, taking a partner's surname, parentage and surrogacy). The law was passed in December 2007 by a vote of 110–78, but the Constitutional Court of Hungary

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6032-578: The North Sea (1991) and the IJsselmeer (1994), all water bodies are now also part of a municipality and no unincorporated areas exist in the Netherlands anymore. The Openbaar Lichaam Zuidelijke IJsselmeerpolders was dissolved in 1996. The New Zealand outlying islands are offshore island groups that are part of New Zealand. The Chatham Islands is the only island group among these that are populated and it has its own territorial authority . Most of

6148-482: The U.S. Census Bureau where portions of counties are not included in any legally established minor civil division (MCD) or independent incorporated place. These occur in 10 MCD states: Arkansas , Indiana , Iowa , Louisiana , Maine , Minnesota , North Carolina , North Dakota , Ohio , and South Dakota . The census recognizes such separate pieces of territory as one or more separate county subdivisions for statistical purposes. It assigns each unorganized territory

6264-496: The United States , an unincorporated area generally refers to the part of a county that is outside any municipality. An unincorporated community is one general term for a geographic area having a common social identity without municipal organization or official political designation (i.e., incorporation as a city or town). The two main types of unincorporated communities are: Most states have granted some form of home rule , so that county commissions (or boards or councils) have

6380-574: The United States by Congress. Currently, the five major unincorporated U.S. insular areas are American Samoa , Guam , the Northern Mariana Islands , Puerto Rico , and the U.S. Virgin Islands . Unincorporated insular areas can be ceded to another nation or be granted independence. The U.S. has one incorporated insular area, Palmyra Atoll . Incorporation is regarded as perpetual by the U.S. federal government; once incorporated,

6496-761: The Use of Marriage to Determine Benefits and Liabilities in Berkeley and the Alternatives". A policy was adopted by the Commission and presented to the City Council. A copy was sent to the Berkeley School Board. In July 1984 the City Council voted down the proposal citing financial concerns. On August 1, 1984, the Berkeley School Board enacted the policy by a 4 to 1 vote. The school board motion

6612-654: The ZIP Code of 93001, which is assigned to the post office at 675 E. Santa Clara St. in Ventura; thus, all mail to those two areas is addressed to Ventura. If an unincorporated area becomes incorporated, it may be split among ZIP Codes, and its new name may be recognized as acceptable for use with some or all of them in mailing addresses, as has been the case in Johns Creek and Milton, Georgia . If an incorporated area disincorporates, though, this has no effect on whether

6728-475: The addition of 39 new provisions to the city's domestic partners law, bringing the law to a point where same-sex couples who register as domestic partners will receive most, but not quite all, of the rights and benefits of marriage under District law. Reciprocal beneficiary registration was enacted in 1997. The law took effect on June 1, 1997. The Village of Oak Park, Illinois in October 1997 began offering

6844-459: The apparent effort, the rules and regulations of the LAC were not fairly implemented. Even though LAC meetings were held in Buttonwillow, there were no residents from Buttonwillow on the committee. Furthermore, no members were of a Latino descent, although nearly all of Buttonwillow's residents belonged to this demographic group. While many Buttonwillow residents attempted to participate in meetings, there

6960-535: The area unrecognized , with the sole exception of those that were included from 2003 within the Abu Basma Regional Council . On 5 November 2012 that council was split into two new councils, Neve Midbar Regional Council and al-Kasom Regional Council . The Netherlands has had regular periods with unincorporated land when newly reclaimed land polders fall dry. Unincorporated land is since medieval times administered by an appointed officer with

7076-421: The area where spills are generally located. If intermodal facilities and transfer points are considered origins, Laidlaw Environmental would qualify. Furthermore, the hundreds of trucks that transport toxic loads travel in and out of the community every day. Given the results of Schweitzer's study, the residents of nearby communities (Buttonwillow, especially) are at the highest risk of experiencing side effects from

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7192-519: The assistance of the ACLU. Mr. Brinkin lost his case. Despite a great deal of evidence to the contrary, the judge agreed with his employer's claim that there was no way to know if his relationship was legitimate." In 1983, the City Council of Berkeley, California , under the leadership of Mayor Gus Newport, ordered their Human Relations and Welfare Commission to develop a domestic partnership proposal. The Commission appointed its Vice-Chair, Leland Traiman,

7308-505: The birth or adoption of a dependent child or to care for a domestic partner or a partner's dependents, and can make funeral arrangements for a deceased partner. The Domestic Partnership Equality Amendment Act of 2006, D.C. Law 16-79, came into effect on April 4, 2006. This act provides that in almost all cases a domestic partner will have the same rights as a spouse regarding inheritance, probate, guardianship, and other rights traditionally accorded to spouses. D.C. Council on May 6, 2008 approved

7424-615: The calculation of the solidarity tax on wealth but not for other purposes. All children enjoy equal right whether within or outside wedlock. Since 1999 French law also provides for a civil solidarity pact (in French : pacte civil de solidarité , or PACS ), a contractual form of civil union between two adults bringing additional rights and responsibilities, but less so than marriage. Hungary has registered partnerships for same-sex partners, which afford rights similar to marriage. Croatia also had unregistered partnerships until June 2014 when

7540-566: The city. The California Government Code allows cities to call themselves towns, if they wish, although the designation is purely cosmetic. In the context of the insular areas of the United States, the word "unincorporated" refers to territories in which the United States Congress has determined that only selected parts of the Constitution of the United States apply and which have not been formally incorporated into

7656-406: The community in a defined traffic route that does not permit trucks through the town. HISTORICAL BUT NOT CONFIRMED NOR VERIFIED: According to a study performed by Lisa Schweitzer, “transport spills [from toxic waste transporters, such as trucks] generally cluster near origins more than destinations." In the study, Schweitzer observed the amount of toxic waste that is spilled during transportation and

7772-461: The community. Many English-speaking residents did not support the translation and felt that speaking English was key if Latinos “wanted to live in [their] country”. Because of these divisions, a racial streak emerged in the community, further dividing the community and decreasing the strength of their resistance. The struggles of the Buttonwillow community still persist, and even as the residents make progress, they also face additional setbacks. Many of

7888-464: The concept of an unincorporated area. Same-sex partnerships The term is not used consistently, which results in some inter-jurisdictional confusion. Some jurisdictions, such as Australia , New Zealand , and the U.S. states of California , Maine , Nevada , Oregon and Washington use the term "domestic partnership" to mean what other jurisdictions call civil union , civil partnership , or registered partnership . Other jurisdictions use

8004-694: The council of Municipal District or Specialized Municipality within their boundaries, or by the Minister of Municipal Affairs within the boundaries of an Improvement District. For example, were they incorporated, the urban service areas of Fort McMurray in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and Sherwood Park in Strathcona County would be the fifth- and sixth-largest cities in Alberta. Unincorporated settlements with

8120-495: The county government estimates the population of its unincorporated areas to exceed one million people. Despite having 88 incorporated cities and towns, including the state's most populous, 65% of the land in Los Angeles County is unincorporated, this mostly consisting of Angeles National Forest and sparsely populated regions to its north. In California, the state constitution recognizes only one kind of municipality,

8236-609: The county level. In mid-Atlantic states such as New York and Pennsylvania, a hybrid model that tries to balance the two approaches is prevalent, with differing allocations of power between municipalities and counties existing. Throughout the U.S., some large cities have annexed all surrounding unincorporated areas within their counties, creating what are known as consolidated city–county forms of government (e.g., Jacksonville, Florida , and Nashville, Tennessee ). In these cases, unincorporated areas continue to exist in other counties of their respective metropolitan areas. Conversely,

8352-511: The deceased partner. The law's initial implementation was delayed by a federal Court, but the injunction was lifted on February 1, 2008 and the law went into effect on February 4. In the state of Washington , Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law legislation allowing limited domestic partnership on April 21, 2007. The law, which took effect July 22, 2007 and expanded to all areas except for marriage in 2008 and 2009, permits same-sex couples (as well as heterosexual couples when one individual

8468-402: The decisions were made based upon race rather than qualification. In fact, a white applicant was chosen over a Latino, even though this applicant had failed to submit their application. Because of the tension, the LAC decided to appoint a Latino member, Eduardo Montoya. After the application process, the LAC was told that it had ten weeks to convene and discuss the upcoming December hearing about

8584-445: The dump's capacity, making it one of the largest in the United States. Furthermore, it wanted to change the types of chemicals it took from strictly petroleum waste to more than 450 different types of substances, many of which were highly hazardous. According to Juanita Fernandez, a resident of Buttonwillow, those in attendance at the community meeting which discussed the proposed acts appeared to be businessmen and women who were mostly of

8700-428: The efficiency of their system, not to recognize jurisdictional boundaries." The USPS is very conservative about recognizing new place names for use in mailing addresses and typically only does so when a place incorporates. The original place name associated with a ZIP Code is still maintained as the default place name, even though the name of the newly incorporated place is more accurate. As an example, Sandy Springs

8816-565: The entire area was declared protected cultural heritage. Population of less than 100. Statistics Denmark groups it with Bornholm in Landsdel Bornholm . Since Germany has no administrative level comparable to the townships of other countries, the vast majority of the country, close to 99%, is organized in municipalities ( German : Gemeinde , plural Gemeinden ), often consisting of multiple settlements that are not considered to be unincorporated. Because these settlements lack

8932-486: The entities themselves. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Virginia "strong county" model. Virginia and other states with this model, such as Alabama , Maryland , and Tennessee , set strict requirements on incorporation or grant counties broad powers that in other states are carried out by cities, creating a disincentive to incorporate, and thus have large urbanized areas which have no municipal government below

9048-672: The exit of State Route 58 . There is a large electrical substation next to the town that is a part of a major north–south transmission corridor. It marks the northern end of Path 26 across the Transverse Ranges and the southern end of the Path 15 power lines . Buttonwillow is the motel hub for members of the Sports Car Club of America 's Cal Club region when they hold events at Cal Club-owned Buttonwillow Raceway Park . Several motels are located there as well. The town

9164-408: The first years, the soil is equivalent to quicksand . During the initial period of inhabitation, a special, government-appointed officer was installed, the landdrost . During the administrative office of a Landdrost , no municipal council forms. In 1975, the first homes in what is now the city of Almere were built, and from 1976 to 1984, the area was governed by the Landdrost as the executive of

9280-518: The hearing and the Board of Supervisors disbanded the LAC. Montoya said that “the Board knew beforehand they would approve the dump” and that “they were just going through the motions”. A major divider in the struggle of Buttonwillow against Laidlaw Environmental was the issue of race. While the LAC could have spent time gathering community support and increasing awareness about the toxins, the committee members were instead battling racial discrimination and

9396-441: The jurisdiction to formally acknowledge domestic partnerships as valid relationships with limited rights. Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, a Domestic Partnership, Same Sex Marriage or Civil Union are each separate and distinct legal concepts. The domestic partnership is a legal relationship between two people of the same or opposite sex who live together and share a domestic life, but are not married or joined by

9512-521: The largest amount of land under that status: 39,785 square miles (103,042 km ), or 52.4% of the state's land area. North Dakota followed with 86 territories, 20,358 square miles (52,728 km ), or 29.5% of its land area. Maine was next with 36 territories, 14,052 square miles (36,396 km ), or 45.5% of its land area. Minnesota had 71 territories, 10,552 square miles (27,330 km ), or 13% of its land area. Several other states had small amounts of unorganized territory. The unorganized territory with

9628-445: The largest population was Camp Lejeune, North Carolina , a United States Marine Corps base with a census population of 34,452 inhabitants. In the 2010 census , unorganized territory areas were identified in nine U.S. states: Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Many unincorporated communities are also recognized as acceptable place names for use in mailing addresses by

9744-427: The largest unincorporated areas in Germany (including all inhabited areas, but excluding lakes) with an area of more than 50 km (19 sq mi): In Bavaria, there are other contiguous unincorporated areas covering an area of more than 50 km (19 sq mi) which are however composed of several adjacent unincorporated areas, each one of which is under 50 km in area. In Israel, almost all land

9860-797: The like. As of 31 December 2007 , Germany had 248 uninhabited unincorporated areas (of which 214 are located in Bavaria ), not belonging to any municipality, consisting mostly of forested areas, lakes, and larger rivers. Also, three inhabited unincorporated areas exist, all of which served as military training areas : Osterheide and Lohheide in Lower Saxony, and Gutsbezirk Münsingen in Baden-Württemberg . They have fewer than 2,000 inhabitants in total. Gutsbezirk Münsingen has become uninhabited after losing its inhabited parts to adjacent municipalities on 1 January 2011. The following shows

9976-488: The myths that are often disproved by similar environmental justice cases apply to Buttonwillow. One of the primary myths initially believed by communities facing environmental injustice is that the government is “on our side.” According to Luke W. Cole, this myth is shared more widely among white Americans than among minorities, probably because minorities have historically faced several levels of governmental injustice. Unincorporated community An unincorporated area

10092-458: The name Landdrost or Drossaart . Also, Elten and Tudderen , both annexed from Germany after World War II , were governed by a Landdrost until they were ceded back to Germany in 1963. The most recent period with unincorporated land started in 1967, when the dyke around Southern Flevoland was closed, but several years are required before the polder is genuinely accessible for cultivation, and construction of roads and homes can start, as in

10208-557: The occupied units 184 (48.5%) were owner-occupied and 195 (51.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%. 699 people (46.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 809 people (53.6%) lived in rental housing units. At the 2000 census there were 1,266 people, 328 households, and 270 families in the CDP. The population density was 181.7 inhabitants per square mile (70.2/km). There were 364 housing units at an average density of 52.2 per square mile (20.2/km). The racial makeup of

10324-400: The other island groups are not part of any administrative region or district , but are instead each designated as an Area Outside Territorial Authority . In Norway, the outlying islands of Bouvet Island , Jan Mayen , and Svalbard are outside of all of the country's counties and municipalities . They are ruled directly by national authorities without any local democracy. An exception

10440-471: The partners to maintain mutual financial responsibility and for both to be at least eighteen years old and able to enter into a legal contract. In 1982, Brougham's definition was modified by Supervisor Harry Britt , a gay man appointed to replace Harvey Milk . Britt's version was adopted and passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, but Dianne Feinstein , mayor of San Francisco at

10556-474: The proposed expansion of Laidlaw Environmental. In this short amount of time, the LAC battled not with Laidlaw Environmental, but rather with the county. It appeared to many as if the county would not let the committee run their own meetings. The committee wanted control—the ability to set their own agenda and hire outside consultants. However, the county did not want to grant this authority to the LAC. Ten weeks later, in December, Laidlaw Environmental proceeded with

10672-454: The province, an unincorporated settlement is one that does not have a municipal council that governs solely over the settlement. It is usually, but not always, part of a larger municipal government. These range from small hamlets to large urbanized areas similar in size to a town or city. In Alberta , unincorporated communities can be classified as Hamlet, Locality or townsite. A Hamlet is an unincorporated community that can be designated by

10788-484: The same powers in these areas as city councils or town councils have in their respective incorporated areas. Some states instead put these powers in the hands of townships, which are minor civil divisions of each county and are called "towns" in some states. Differences in state laws regarding the incorporation of communities leads to a great variation in the distribution and nature of unincorporated areas. Unincorporated regions are essentially nonexistent in eight of

10904-617: The southern part of California's Central Valley with hot, dry summers and cool winters. At the 2010 census Buttonwillow had a population of 1,508. The population density was 217.7 inhabitants per square mile (84.1/km). The racial makeup of Buttonwillow was 534 (35.4%) White, 36 (2.4%) African American, 11 (0.7%) Native American, 10 (0.7%) Asian, 0 (0.0%) Pacific Islander, 890 (59.0%) from other races, and 27 (1.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,183 persons (78.4%). The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one

11020-420: The spills. Generally, spills occur as a result of human error, in which the load was packaged incorrectly or the driver experienced a vehicle accident or some other force which allowed for the leaking of toxins. It was nearly ten years before the residents of Buttonwillow became aware of the facility. Even then, residents felt as if they could do nothing to stop it. In 1988, Laidlaw Environmental proposed to build

11136-548: The state's defense of the domestic partnership registry. June 20, 2011: Dane County Judge Dan Moeser ruled that the domestic partnership registry does not violate the state constitution, finding that the state "does not recognize domestic partnership in a way that even remotely resembles how the state recognizes marriage". Wisconsin ended its domestic partnership registry on April 1, 2018. Many states recognize through their judicial systems cohabitation agreements and common law partner agreements concluded between two partners in

11252-568: The state; city residents can apply for both. According to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission , "In 1982, the term 'domestic partner' was first used in a lawsuit filed by San Francisco Human Rights Commission employee Larry Brinkin. Mr. Brinkin, then an employee of Southern Pacific Railway, had recently suffered the loss of his partner of eleven years. When he was denied the three days of paid bereavement leave given to married employees, he filed suit with

11368-400: The term as it was originally coined, to mean an interpersonal status created by local municipal and county governments, which provides an extremely limited range of rights and responsibilities. Some legislatures have voluntarily established domestic partnership relations by statute instead of being ordered to do so by a court. Although some jurisdictions have instituted domestic partnerships as

11484-564: The territory cannot be disincorporated . The United States Minor Outlying Islands without a permanent civilian population are "unorganized" in the sense that they do not have a local government, and they are administered by the Office of Insular Affairs directly. The populated American Samoa is "unorganized" in the sense that Congress has not passed an organic act , but it does have a constitution and locally elected territorial legislature and executive. An unincorporated community may be part of

11600-580: The time, came under intense pressure from the Catholic Church and vetoed the bill. In 1989, a domestic partnership law was adopted in San Francisco. However, voters repealed the domestic partnership law by initiative ; a modified version was reinstated by another voter initiative, 1990's Proposition K, also written by Britt. Currently, the city still offers a domestic partnership status separate and differing in benefits from that offered by

11716-459: The toxins that it released as the root of the issue. No health study or data collection has ever been performed and/or produced to confirm a direct correlation between the activities taking place at the facility and the health of any residents in Buttonwillow or the surrounding areas. Also in 1992, Laidlaw Environmental proposed an expansion of its facility in Kern County. It wanted to double

11832-492: The two-year span, a draft and final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was designed for Laidlaw Environmental. The EIR , required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), “examines the potential environmental impacts of many projects such as toxic waste dumps”. In addition, speculation surrounded the decisions that were made in appointing new committee members. Many people believed

11948-547: The verbiage of the act, most companies and entities within Nevada refuse to acknowledge or afford any major benefits or rights to registered domestic partners, leaving legal action as the only avenue to garner individual rights. Domestic partnerships in New Jersey have been available since July 30, 2004 for same-sex couples, and for opposite-sex couples in which both people are above the age of 62. However, on October 25, 2006,

12064-638: Was "deeply concerned" that the law was a duplication of opposite-sex marriage benefits and entitlements, so same-sex couples only registration was chosen. Some politicians of the Alliance of Free Democrats and Hungarian Socialist Party parties have argued for the introduction of marriage for same-sex couples. The Registration Partnership Act 2009 came into effect from July 1, 2009. Since January 9, 2018 same-sex marriage became legal throughout Australia . Since July 1, 2009, Australia also recognises de facto relationships for all couples of any sex. In 2001,

12180-421: Was 3.81 and the average family size was 4.25. The age distribution was 38.0% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% 65 or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males. The median household income was $ 28,370 and the median family income was $ 29,716. Males had

12296-571: Was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.98. There were 320 families (84.4% of households); the average family size was 4.30. The age distribution was 561 people (37.2%) under the age of 18, 162 people (10.7%) aged 18 to 24, 428 people (28.4%) aged 25 to 44, 265 people (17.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 92 people (6.1%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 26.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.9 males. There were 406 housing units at an average density of 58.6 per square mile, of

12412-493: Was institutionalized. There were 379 households, 225 (59.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 217 (57.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 64 (16.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 39 (10.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 36 (9.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 1 (0.3%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 46 households (12.1%) were one person and 29 (7.7%) had someone living alone who

12528-552: Was legalized in Washington with effect from December 6, 2012. As a result, the domestic partnership law was amended so that from June 30, 2014, domestic partnerships will be available only when at least one of the partners is sixty-two years of age or older. Wisconsin was the first state in the Midwest to legislatively enact same-sex unions. Out of about thirty states that have bans on same-sex marriage and civil unions, Wisconsin

12644-528: Was made by board member and community activist Ethel Manheimer. In November 1984, all the city council members up for election who had voted against the policy lost reelection. Progressives from the Berkeley Citizens' Action (BCA) slate who replaced them had voiced strong support for a domestic partner policy. The East Bay Lesbian/Gay Democratic Club had worked hard to elect the BCA Slate. This

12760-463: Was no one in attendance who was willing to translate for Spanish speakers. Because the majority of Buttonwillow residents predominantly spoke Spanish, their presence at the meetings had little influence. Finally, in June 1992, a Spanish translator was provided at the meetings. One month later, the Local Assessment Committee was suspended indefinitely. In September 1994, the committee was reinstated. During

12876-427: Was originally called Buena Vista when it was founded in 1895, but the name quickly became Buttonwillow. Buttonwillow was named for the buttonbush ( Cephalanthus occidentalis ) . A lone buttonbush served as a landmark on an old trans-valley trail and was used by ancient Yokuts Indian as a meeting place, later becoming the site of settlers' stock rodeos. The Miller & Lux holdings company eventually established

12992-443: Was passed by the city council and created the first domestic partnership registry . California created the first state-level domestic partnership in the United States in 1999. Effective from January 1, 2020, domestic partnerships will be legally available to all couples consisting of any two people, regardless of gender over 18 years old. The California Governor signed the bill SB-30 into law on July 30, 2019. On September 4, 2003

13108-541: Was signed into law by the governor on December 21 and came into effect on February 19, 2007. The governor of Oregon, Ted Kulongoski , signed a domestic partnership bill into law on May 9, 2007. Called the Oregon Family Fairness Act , the law would provide several major rights to same-sex couples that were previously only given to married couples, including the ability to file jointly on insurance forms, hospital visitation rights, and rights relating to

13224-785: Was the first (and only) to enact domestic partnerships. On March 5, 2009 Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle proposed legislation for same-sex partnerships in Wisconsin. In June 2009, the Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate both passed the biennial state budget which includes domestic partnership protections for the state's same-sex couples. On June 29, 2009, Governor Jim Doyle signed the budget, giving final approval to limited domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples living in Wisconsin. On July 23, 2009, three members of Wisconsin Family Action filed

13340-870: Was the first time domestic partners was a campaign issue. At the first meeting of the new City Council in December 1984, the Berkeley City Council enacted a policy extending employee benefits to unmarried couples of any gender . The first couple to file for benefits under Berkeley's sex-neutral policy were Brougham and his partner Barry Warren. However, the City Council did not create a registry for domestic partners until 1991. On October 11 of that year, 28 lesbian and gay male couples and one heterosexual couple registered their partnerships. The registry and benefits were also extended to non-resident couples that same year. In 1985, West Hollywood city council member John Heilman successfully introduced domestic partner legislation for city residents and employees that

13456-546: Was to include: Implementation of the plan was cancelled once the Supreme Court handed down its opinion in United States v. Windsor . In France since 1968, article 515-81 of Code civil defines domestic partnership (in French : concubinage or concubinage notoire ) as a de facto union between two persons, of different sex or of same sex, characterised by a stable and continuous cohabitation and partnership. The French fiscal administration takes it into account in

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