CFC Responds to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Vow to Oppose the California Marriage Amendment
Contact: Lynne Fishel, Director of Public Relations, California Family Council, 951-354-8362
RIVERSIDE, Calif., April 14 /Christian Newswire/ -- During comments to a recent gathering of Log Cabin Republicans, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed to oppose a constitutional amendment upholding marriage as only between a man and woman, stating "...it will never happen...I think we need a constitutional amendment so that foreign-born citizens can run for president, but not about gay marriage," he added. "That's a total waste of time." The Log Cabin organization promotes the policies of its homosexual constituents.
"Governor Schwarzenegger's flip-flopping reveals his false regard for the will of the people of California," said Ron Prentice, CEO of the California Family Council. "More than 61% of California's voters defined legal marriage as only between a man and a woman with the passage of Proposition 22 in 2000. However, the Legislature's devotion to special interest groups forces citizens to pursue a constitutional amendment to protect marriage." California Family Council is a leader in the ProtectMarriage.com coalition, comprised of national, state, and local pro-family organizations. The coalition has gathered more than 1 million signatures to place the marriage initiative on the November election ballot.
Governor Schwarzenegger has twice vetoed legislation that attempted to legalize same-sex "marriage," acknowledging the voters' approval of Proposition 22. In fact, the 2005 veto message of Assembly Bill 849 (same-sex marriage) states "the Governor believes the matter should be determined...by court decision or another vote of the people of our state."
"We at the California Family Council are very disappointed and puzzled to learn that the Governor would take a position contrary to his own actions where he repeatedly vetoed same-sex marriage legislation," stated CFC's Legislative Director Everett Rice. "Without a constitutional amendment, this issue will continually be needlessly fought in the legislature and the courts. We are hopeful that the Governor will reconsider his stated position; nonetheless, we are resolute in our goal to preserve the institution of marriage and the passage of the initiative."
CFC is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization whose aim is to protect and promote Judeo-Christian principles in California’s culture. CFC is a family policy council in association with Focus on the Family. www.californiafamily.org (951) 354-8362.