( CNN ) -- California Gov . Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation that requires the state to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states while such marriages were legal in California . California will recognize same-sex marriages from a period of time before Proposition 8 was enacted . Same-sex marriages performed elsewhere between June 16 , 2008 , and November 5 , 2008 , are to be legally recognized , as are in-state marriages performed during that time . The end date represents when a ballot initiative , Proposition 8 , added a ban on same-sex marriage to the state constitution . Proposition 8 bars the state from recognizing any marriage performed outside the state outside those dates . The state Supreme Court ruled after the proposition passed that marriages performed before the ban would remain on the books . But Senate Bill 54 splits a legal hair and requires the state to recognize such marriages as `` unions , '' providing `` the same legal protections that would otherwise be available to couples that enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships out-of-state , '' the governor said . `` In short , this measure honors the will of the people in enacting Proposition 8 while providing important protections to those unions legally entered into in other states , '' Schwarzenegger said in a signing statement accompanying his signature . He signed the bill Sunday . Proponents of Proposition 8 lambasted the governor . `` The governor 's signing of SB 54 illustrates his disregard for the sovereign authority of California 's voting citizens , '' said Everett Rice , a spokesman for the California Family Council . `` In 2000 and 2008 , the voters expressed their desire at the ballot box to protect traditional marriage . They emphatically affirmed that marriage should retain its historical definition and identity . However , today the governor has joined with other elected representatives by choosing to place the demands of special interest groups over more than 7 million California voters . ''
Bill requires California to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states . State will recognize marriages performed between June 16 and November 5 , 2008 . Comment: State will recognize such marriages as `` unions ; '' bill angers those who voted for ban .