Posted on 03/30/2006 7:29:04 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The public has become deeply pessimistic that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature can work together since a massive public works plan failed to make the June ballot, according to a new poll.
The Legislature's approval rating has fallen to 25 percent — its lowest point since 2000 — the survey released Thursday by the Public Policy Institute of California shows, while the governor's popularity has changed little since January, with 37 percent giving him a positive rating.
In January, Schwarzenegger proposed a $222 billion, 10-year plan to improve the state's highways, levees, schools and public transit systems. It relied on $68 billion in borrowing that required voter approval over a series of elections.
The Republican governor had hoped to place the first bonds before voters this year, but the Democrat-controlled Legislature couldn't agree on a measure in time to make the primary election ballot. The bond measure was Schwarzenegger's top legislative priority for his re-election year.
The poll's findings show Schwarzenegger is not getting the blame for that failure, said Mark Baldassare, who conducted the survey in the week after the deadline passed.
"I think that people have a strong sense that the Legislature can't get anything done and that it's hard to get anything done in the state," he said.
Democrats disputed Baldassare's conclusion, saying their own polling shows voters are not focused on the public works proposal enough to judge who is at fault.
"This is based on a presumption that they actually know what was going on in the Capitol, and they don't," said Gale Kaufman, who advises Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez.
When Schwarzenegger proposed his plan in January, 41 percent of likely voters said they thought the governor and Legislature would be able to work together this year. That fell to 31 percent in the latest poll.
The Legislature's approval rating among all adults surveyed in the poll also fell by 4 points since January, when 29 percent of all adults said lawmakers were doing a good job.
When it comes to the governor, 37 percent of all adults surveyed gave Schwarzenegger a positive rating. Among the smaller but potentially more important sample of likely voters, 47 percent said he is doing a good job, compared to 45 percent of likely voters who gave him a positive rating in January.
The survey of 2,002 adults and 1,008 likely voters was conducted over a seven-day period starting March 15. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2 percentage points. For the smaller sample of likely voters, it is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government, March 2006
http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/survey/S_306MBS.pdf
We had a real chance during the Recall to turn things around but a lot of folks fell for hype&hoopla over substance and here we are.
It's what ya get when ya mix a demRat legislature with a moderate Gub with an R by his name?
And to this day, some here say it's all the conservatives fault, don'tcha know.
Some findings from the current survey
Californians overwhelmingly support (69%) Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan to restore and expand the state’s deteriorating infrastructure by spending $222 billion over 10 years. They also strongly support alternative infrastrusture proposals by Democratic and Republican legislators.
The number of Californians who believe the governor and legislature will be able to work together and accomplish a lot in the next year has plunged to 30 percent – a 13 point drop since January.
Among likely Democratic primary voters, 22 percent would vote for State Treasurer Phil Angelides, 23 percent for State Controller Steve Westly, and a majority 55 percent don’t know. Among all likely voters, Gov. Schwarzegger would beat both Westly (39% to 31%) and Angelides (41% to 29%) if the general election were held now.
Immigration, legal or illegal, has jumped 10 points (4% to 14%) and now holds the number two spot among the issues voters most want to hear gubernatorial candidates discuss. Among Republicans (22%), it is the number one issue.
Just a bunch of lefties getting what they deserve.
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