Supporters for one of two renewable energy propositions Tuesday said early returns didn't look encouraging, with Proposition 7 being opposed by 66.3 percent of the vote.

The measure had 33.7 percent support, with about 28.5 percent of ballots counted.

"We're not calling it yet, but we are lagging," said Steve Hopcraft, a spokesman for Yes on 7.

David Pettit, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said he worked on the anti-7 campaign because passing the measure would've actually been a setback to renewable energy in California.

"It was so complicated and so poorly written that it would've hurt things," he said. "The voters saw through the feel-good advertising."

Hopcraft noted that with major utilities outspending the pro-7 side by a factor of 7 to 1, it wasn't hard to drum up opposition.

"They spent $35 million to mislead the voters," he said. "The results are not any reflection of what people in California really want."

Hopcraft said the measure's supporters would note the sizable support for renewable energy and keep working to promote it in the future.

Pettit said he also believed the push would continue, with a bill expected in the next legislative session that would enact a renewable energy standard for the state.

Proposition 7 would've required California to get half of its energy from renewable resources by 2025.