This survey – the second in a series of special surveys on the California state budget and fiscal system, conducted in collaboration with The James Irvine Foundation – is a special edition of the PPIC Statewide Survey. The intent of this series is to raise public awareness, inform decisionmakers, and stimulate public discussion about the current state budget and the underlying state and local finance system.
Some findings of the current survey
- 64% of likely voters currently approve of the way Arnold Schwarzenegger is handling his job as governor of California.
- 58% of likely voters disapprove of the way the California legislature is handling the state budget and taxes.
- 73% of likely voters think the state government in Sacramento can be trusted to do what is right only some of the time or none of the time; 93% think that the people in state government waste some or a lot of taxpayers’ money.
- Currently, only 35% of likely voters would vote yes on Proposition 57 — the $15 billion Economic Recovery Bond Act on the March 2nd primary ballot.
- 57% of likely voters would vote yes on Proposition 58, which would require the state to pass a balanced budget, address fiscal emergencies, and establish a budget reserve. (Prop. 58 can take effect only if Prop. 57 is approved.)