Are Californians ready to try again on marriage equality?

Is it too soon to try for marriage equality again in California? Some major funders of last year’s failed “No on 8″ campaign, which opposed changing the state’s constitution to roll back marriage equality, say they aren’t convinced 2010 is the right time to once again put the issue to voters, according to an article in the New York Times.

David Bohnett, a philanthropist who invested heavily in “No on 8″ last year, said major funders are prepared to help a new campaign, as long as its the right campaign. ”In conversations with a number of my fellow major No on 8 donors, I find that they share my sentiment: namely, that we will step up to the plate — with resources and talent — when the time is right. The only thing worse than losing in 2008 would be to lose again in 2010,” Bohnett said.

One key player in the next battle will likely be Marc Solomon, marriage director for Equality California. In gauging whether or not the organization should put its muscle behind a 2010 statewide ballot initiative or wait for more favorable conditions in 2012, Solomon said political experts and the public polling suggest 2010 may be too early. ”I expected having watched the protests and the real pain that the L.G.B.T. community had experienced that there would be some real measurable remorse in the electorate. But if you look at the poll numbers since November, they really haven’t moved at all,” Solomon said.

But not everyone agrees with the funders and political experts. Younger activists, energized by the loss last year, want to move ahead quickly, according to some LGBT rights advocates.