SAN DIEGO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says if an initiative to ban gay marriage qualifies for the November ballot, he's prepared to fight it.

California's governor was in San Diego Friday speaking at the annual convention of the Log Cabin Republicans, the nation's largest gay Republican group.

Schwarzenegger said he was confident that a ban would never pass in California but called the effort "a waste of time," joking that he wished activists would focus on allowing naturalized citizens to run for president instead.

A Schwarzenegger spokeswoman did not say what prompted the governor to shift his position. He has previously vetoed bills that would have legalized gay marriage.