TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

A majority of Central Valley voters support a ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage but they may not get their way in November because statewide, more folks oppose it.

That’s according to a Field Poll released Friday that found 51 percent of likely voters statewide say they’ll vote against Proposition 8, compared to 42 percent who say they’ll vote yes.

In the Central Valley, the poll showed, the measure is winning 54 percent to 39 percent, with 7 percent undecided.

Proposition supporters hope to block a May ruling by the California Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage.

The Field Research Corp. talked to a random sample of 672 likely voters from July 8-14. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Ken Mettler, president of the conservative group Bakersfield Republican Assembly, said he’s not worried.

“It’s not really disturbing at all,” he said. “Proposition 22 was about at this same point, prior to the election on that proposition.”

Proposition 22, passed with 61 percent of the vote in 2000, declared that only heterosexual marriages are recognized in California.

He said the experience in 2000 showed that people may tell a stranger one thing, but then cast a different vote.

And, he said, the poll doesn’t have a lot of credibility with him, especially because of the small sample size.

“The Field Poll I think particularly is not a real good poll,” he said. “I just wouldn’t draw any big conclusions.”

Rev. Byrd Tetzlaff, who performed Kern County’s first gay marriage ceremony last month, said she is encouraged by the poll.

“I think that people are beginning to realize it’s been over a month and the roof has not caved in,” she said. “Heterosexual marriages are still safe.”

And, she added, many businesses are getting an economic boost from the weddings, and people are seeing that.

“I think it’s really just common sense to know that civil rights is for everyone,” she said.