Jonathon Berg, right, puts his head on the shoulder of his partner, Ivan Morales during a rally held in support of a same-sex marriage bill, held at the Capitol in Sacramento,Calif., Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005. On Tuesday the state Assembly approved a same-sex marriage measure, that had already been approved by the state Senate, making California the first state Legislature to approve gay marriage. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that he will veto the bill.

The San Francisco Chronicle has Schwarzenegger aides to meet with gay leaders, Same-sex marriage bill isn’t on agenda, spokeswoman says.

Top aides to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have agreed to meet with leaders of gay and lesbian rights groups next Wednesday, two days before the same-sex marriage bill the Legislature passed this month is due to arrive on his desk.

The 90-minute meeting is not a sign that Schwarzenegger is considering changing his mind about vetoing the bill, said Margita Thompson, his spokeswoman.

In fact, the marriage bill will not be a topic of conversation between gay leaders and the governor’s acting chief of staff and other top aides, she said.

“This is an outreach meeting that happens within the normal course of business, and I understand there is heightened media interest,” Thompson said. “The legislation is specifically not going to be discussed.”

Somehow Flap is skeptical that the gay (same sex) marriage bill will NOT be discussed. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a definitive position on gay marriage but obfuscated his true position on the issue. Flap previously had the Governor’s veto announcement.

Schwarzenegger has said he believes the issue of same-sex marriage should be decided by the courts, not the Legislature. A separate challenge to Proposition 22, the initiative voters approved in 2002 that limited marriage to heterosexual couples, is making its way to the California Supreme Court.

But gay leaders said they would continue pressing the governor on the issue until he actually vetoes the bill — and they plan to bring it up during the meeting.

“There are real people he’s going to harm with the veto pen,” said Geoffrey Kors, executive director of Equality California, the LGBT rights organization behind the marriage bill. “Instead, he could be a shining example of a strong leader and someone who is going to stand for equality.”

If the governor believes the issue should be left to the courts, Kors said, he should sign the bill and let it face an inevitable court challenge.

There has been discussion of an Overlooked Legal Option That Would Let Governor Schwarzenegger Fully Respect Proposition 22 and the Will of the People, Yet Also Sign the Gay Marriage Bill.

For political purposes – SPELLED VOTES – Arnold is treading a fine line. He does not wish to alienate gay voters any more than he has. But, let’s face politcal facts if he equivocates on this veto he will alienate his conservative, faith-based and evangelical base.

Kors’ organization has been holding town hall meetings across California on the issue and started a campaign Monday highlighting different segments of the population that would be affected by the bill. More than 20,000 people have signed an online petition asking the governor to approve the bill, and 50,000 have sent e-mails to his office the first two days of the campaign, Kors said.

If the legislation is brought up, Thompson said, “it will be cordially listened to, but it won’t have any impact on the decision.”

The Governator cannot be a switch-hitter on this issue. He must have a strong and timely veto message to satisfy his base and quell the nervousness of conservatives.

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