A PPIC poll released this week shows that many Californians do want to see a restructuring of state and local governments, with the hope that it would improve transparency, accountability, flexibility, and performance.
The poll also found that voters wanted to have a say in whether or not to approve the extension of tax increases, with 68% of adults and 62% of likely voters saying yes to a special election. Though, when asked how they might vote on that measure, just 41% of adults and 46% of likely voters said they would vote no.
“Californians have favorable views of the governor’s revised budget plan and his special election idea,” says Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO. “Yet the fact that fewer than half support his tax and fee package raises questions about the outcome if the voters have their say.”
There is no consensus on how Californians would like to deal with the state’s multibillion-dollar budget gap: 40 percent prefer a mix of spending cuts and tax increases, while 36 percent favor mostly spending cuts. Just 9 percent prefer mostly tax increases and 8 percent say it’s OK to borrow and run a deficit. When it comes to the tough choices involved in state budgeting, half of Californians prefer the approach of Brown (23%) or of the Democrats in the legislature (27%), and 24 percent prefer the approach of the legislature’s Republicans.
Asked how they feel about the way Brown is handling his job, 42 percent of adults approve, 24 percent disapprove, and 33 percent don’t know. Likely voters rate the governor similarly (46% approve, 28% disapprove), but they are less likely to say they don’t know (25%).
To read the full report, go to the PPIC website.
