Napa city officials sued real estate financier Richard E. Warren last month on allegations that he is running illegal hotels in Browns Valley, but court records reveal the city may have to stand in line if it wants a piece of him in court.

Toting pink balloons and signs proclaiming "Marriage equality now" and "Equal love = equal rights," about 20 local gay and lesbian couples marched into the Napa County Clerk's office to request marriage licenses on Valentine's Day.

County prosecutors have sued the former owners of Napa Pipe, claiming the company fouled local waterways with sludge from its south Napa plant.