Californians say they want a special election to decide for themselves on Governor Brown’s plans to help bring the state’s budget into balance, and they are inclined to support tax extensions in conjunction with cuts, but not new taxes or fees.
These are the results of a Field Poll released today and done in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley. The poll also found that the desire for a special election crosses party lines.
Some key findings were:
- A majority of those surveyed (58 percent) would support Gov. Jerry Brown’s extension of taxes and fees in a special election.
- Californians are generally (55 percent) not willing to pay higher taxes to help the state balance its budget.
- Only 36 percent of those surveyed prefer the Legislature to deal with the budget issues, while 61 percent prefer a special election.
- A majority of Democrats (62 percent), non-partisans (65 percent) and Republicans (56 percent) support calling a special election.
The Field Poll’s findings indicate Gov. Jerry Brown has a very slim window to get tax and fee extensions approved by voters. Once the temporary taxes expire at the end of June, voters might not be so willing to approve of what will then become tax increases.
Nearly 900 registered California voters were interviewed by phone for this survey.
Read the entire survey.
