Ballot description changed

California is going to have this Proposition 8 on the Nov. ballot:

Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

It was scheduled to have this official ballot description:

Amends the California Constitution to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: The measure would have no fiscal effect on state or local governments. This is because there would be no change to the manner in which marriages are currently recognized by the state.

Now AG Jerry Brown wants to change it to this:

Changes California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. Provides that oOnly marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Fiscal Impact: Over the next few years, potential revenue loss, mainly sales taxes, totaling in the several tens of millions of dollars, to state and local governments. In the long run, likely little fiscal impact on state and local governments.

The LA Times reports:

Gareth Lacy, a spokesman for the attorney general, denied that there was any political motivation for the move.

Instead, he said, the change was necessary because of the dramatic turn of events that have taken place since the petitions were circulated: namely that the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage and thousands of gay couples have since wed.

Of course it is political. The new description makes it sound like the California Constitution had a clause saying that same-sex couples had a right to marry. In fact Prop. 8 just affirms the existing law, before the California Supreme Court meddled with it in May.

Prop. 8 will not affect the ability of same-sex couples to form domestic partnerships and file joint state tax returns, adopt children, and enjoy the other state benefits of marriage. It only affects whether the partnership will be called "marriage" by the state.