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Governor says state has 'bigger fish to fry' than gay marriage ban
By Kevin Yamamura - kyamamura@sacbee.com
Last Updated 5:31 pm PDT Thursday, May 15, 2008
After the state Supreme Court overturned California's gay marriage ban Thursday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reiterated that he opposes a proposal to insert a similar ban in the state constitution, explaining that "we have bigger fish to fry."
The Republican governor told The Bee's editorial board he would not commit to campaigning against the proposed initiative, though he said he will make it clear that he is against it in other ways. He called the initiative a "big mistake."
"I don't know how much time I have campaigning because, you know, I get requests all the time for campaigning," Schwarzenegger said.
A coalition of conservative organizations and churches has submitted 1.1 million signatures for a ballot initiative in November that would place a gay marriage ban in the state constitution. The Secretary of State's Office is reviewing the signatures. The proposal is seen as a stronger version of the law the court struck down Thursday because it would exist in the constitution rather than state statute.
"I think we have bigger fish to fry than do people have a right, if they are gay, to get married or not," Schwarzenegger said. "I think that we should think about fixing the budget system and think about fixing the health care system and rebuilding California."
The governor already has identified three ballot measures he wants to support on the November ballot -- an initiative to change the way California draws its political boundaries, a budget tool that would allow the governor to enact more spending cuts and establish a "rainy-day fund" and a measure to borrow against future California Lottery profits.
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