PG&E sparks Prop. 8 opposition

The Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Friday contributed $250,000 to fight Proposition 8, a ballot measure that would limit marriages in the state to between a man and a woman. The company is calling for other California businesses to publicly endorse allowing gay couples marriage rights, said spokeswoman Eileen Chiu.

“We fought for immigration rights as well as for affirmative action,” Chiu said. “Gay marriage is the next initiative we felt is worthy to fight for. Every single employee and customer deserves the right to marry.”

If Prop. 8 passes, it would overrule the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the state as of June 16.

The ballot measure has attracted millions of dollars from groups fighting for and against gay marriage.

As of Monday, gay and lesbian rights groups around the country pumped more than $1.3 million into the fight against the ballot initiative. One openly gay businessman, Bruce Bastian — a co-founder of the WordPerfect software company — whipped open his checkbook and donated another million to the cause.

Supporters of the ban say they have taken in more than $1.2 million from out-of-state contributors.

Meanwhile, the battle over the wording of the measure as it appears on the ballot continues to stir up controversy.

Originally, Prop. 8 had been described as a measure to limit marriage between a man and a woman. But late last week, state officials changed the ballot title and summary to say the measure seeks to “eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.”

State officials said the wording was changed to more accurately reflect the May 15 Supreme Court ruling that allowed for same-sex marriage.

In response Tuesday, anti-gay marriage groups said they would file a lawsuit to block the language edits, saying the new wording is inherently argumentative.

maldax@sfexaminer.com

The Associated Press contributed to this story