Sep 16, 2005  |  By: ELIZABETH WEILL-GREENBERG  | COMMENTS     

Despite Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s promise to veto a same-sex marriage bill passed by the California legislature last week, gay rights advocates are launching a full-scale campaign to change his mind.

Last week, soon after the California Assembly became the first state legislature to vote for marriage equality, Schwarzenegger indicated his plans to veto the bill.

After Equality California began its “Twelve Days of Equality” campaign, the governor’s office contacted Equality California on Wednesday to invite the group, along with lesbian and gay families, to a meeting next week. The meeting is likely to be with senior Republican administration officials, not the governor himself, said Eddie Gutierrez, spokesperson for Equality California.

“The wisdom of our message is working,” Gutierrez told the Blade.

Rather than sending the bill immediately to his desk, the Assembly leadership has decided to wait until the last possible day — Sept. 23 — to submit the bill. Their hope is that this will give them extra time to lobby the governor.

“It offers some opportunity for the governor’s office to do outreach to the LGBT community, which I think would be a good idea,” said Jeff Bissiri, California director of Log Cabin Republicans, a gay partisan group, which endorsed Schwarzenegger for governor. “I’m hopeful that there will be an opportunity in the coming week to have a meeting with his staff.”

Other California Republicans said they don’t see the point in postponing what they view as the inevitable. The California Republican Party did not take a stand on the specific legislation but opposes same-sex marriage in California, said Karen Hanretty, state spokesperson for the party.

“I think it’s a futile exercise,” Hanretty said. “The governor is very clear in his reasoning for not signing this particular piece of legislation. I don’t see them making any arguments that would persuade him to do otherwise.”

But that’s exactly what Equality California and its supporters plan to do with the “Twelve Days of Equality” campaign, each day dedicated to educating the governor about equal marriage and voters’ wishes.

50,000 e-mails to governor
So far, 50,000 people have e-mailed the governor through Equality California’s Web site, asking him to change his mind, according to Christine Chavez, political director for the United Farm Workers and labor activist Cesar Chavez’s granddaughter. Their goal is one million calls to his office, she said.

The governor’s office was not available for comment.

This week will provide them with the time the governor should have taken to consider the bill, supporters said.

“He immediately issued a statement he would veto — without any communication with Mark Leno. [It was a] slap in the face,” Chavez said. Leno (D-San Francisco), the gay lawmaker who authored the bill, did not respond to Blade inquiries.

The United Farm Workers and the NAACP actively lobbied with Equality California on behalf of the legislation. The NAACP was not available for comment this week.

Chavez said she was carrying on her organization’s commitment to civil rights.

“The largest gathering [Cesar Chavez] ever spoke to was when he spoke at the [gay and lesbian rights] March on Washington in 1988,” she said.

It’s also been especially important for UFW to stay involved because the group is seen as a voice for Latinos, she said, referring to a study by UCLA released in July. It showed that one-third of all same-sex couples in California include at least one Latino.

Same-sex marriage opponents welcomed the governor’s decision to “respect the will of the people.”

Governor defers to vote
In Schwarzenegger’s announcement last week he said, “Five years ago the matter of same-sex marriage was placed before the people of California. The people voted and the issue is now before the courts. The governor believes the matter should be determined not by legislative action … but by court decision or another vote by the people.”

The statement noted Schwarzenegger, “believes that gay couples are entitled to full protection under the law.”

California gay rights groups have decided to continue lobbying efforts to try and change the mind of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who announced he intends to veto a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the nation’s largest state. Here, trong>Jonathon Berg (right) puts his head on the shoulder of his partner, trong>Ivan Morales. (Photo by Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

According to the governor, Proposition 22, passed by voters in March 2000, which says, “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” invalidates the legislature’s action.

Roberta Combs, president of the Christian ...