San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom told the San Francisco Chronicle August 11 that he is "not convinced" the planned Proposition 8 challenge will succeed in 2010.

In order for the challenge to be successful, "we need to have consensus and...a strong foundation of support," he told reporters before a town hall meeting in Santa Ana. "And without that, it's probably not the right time."

Newsom referred to the LGBT community's split over when to move forward with the issue. "I do not support [challenging Prop. 8] if we're divided. There's no other way we can win. We have to be pragmatic and political in our process," he said.

Mayor Newsom made waves in 2004 when he instructed San Francisco city-county clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. While the Supreme Court ultimately annulled those marriages, Newsom brought marriage equality to the forefront of California politics.

The Chronicle's Carla Marinucci reported in her blog that Newsom, a longtime vocal opponent of Proposition 8 (which bans same-sex marriage in the state), called for a "collective wisdom" before the issue progresses.

"So as much as I'd like to see it happen next year, I'm not convinced that it will," he said.