PG & E gives $250,000 to defeat gay marriage ban Proposition 8

FOR THE RECORD:
An earlier version of this article said that AT&T and Wells Fargo made contributions to defeat Proposition 8. They have not.

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"We are thrilled to partner with PG&E," Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, said in a statement.

The donation from the utility, and the formation of the business council, represents a shift from the last time that the question of gay marriage was on the ballot, in 2000. Back then, many businesses stayed on the sidelines.

Analysts said businesses may be more willing to get involved this time because they have more gay and lesbian employees who are out and in positions of power and because they believe the amendment could hurt business if passed, by giving the impression that California is not friendly to gay and lesbians.

The other side has received donations from business as well. Doug Manchester, a major hotel owner in San Diego, has given tens of thousands of dollars, for example. Those donations prompted gay and lesbian activists to call for a boycott of the Hyatt hotels he owns in San Diego.

Republican strategist Allan Hoffenblum noted that PG&E probably doesn't have to worry about that. They are, after all, a utility with a monopoly in many areas.

"I can't in outrage call PG&E and say, 'Cut off my gas," he said.

Jessica.garrison@latimes.com