LOS ANGELES - July 20 - Fifty-one percent of California voters now support the right for same-sex couples to marry, a two-point jump from last year, according to the Field Poll, a non-partisan, public-opinion news service. This mirrors the six-point jump, from 44 percent to 50 percent, in March's Public Policy Institute of California poll. The Field poll also shows that 50 percent of Latinos now support marriage equality. In response to the new data, Equality California's Marriage Director Marc Solomon issued the following statement:

"Over the past year, Equality California has had more than 900,000 conversations about the freedom to marry with Californians, and we are thrilled that our work is making a real difference. We're finding that the more people get to know same-sex couples and their families and witness the love and commitment these couples share, the more they support their right to marry.

"The poll also confirms that members of the Latino community are very open to the message of equality. As such, we are stepping up our work in communities of color alongside our coalition partners and tireless volunteers. We are wholeheartedly committed to sharing our stories in every community in order to achieve solid majority support by 2012, so that we can restore the freedom to marry once and for all."