Posted on 05/01/2009 7:46:46 AM PDT by SmithL
Sacramento -- California voters, frustrated by the recession and the state's fiscal crisis, gave Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature their lowest-ever approval ratings, according to the Field Poll released today.
Only 33 percent of registered voters surveyed April 16-26 said they approved of Schwarzenegger's job performance, while 55 percent said they disapproved and 12 percent were undecided. Schwarzenegger's rating is his lowest since becoming governor in 2003.
But the governor's numbers are better than the Legislature's approval rating, which sank to 14 percent, with 74 percent disapproving. It was lawmakers' worst rating since the Field Poll began tracking such data in 1983.
Voters are "frustrated and they don't think (the governor and the Legislature) are doing their jobs, or at least not very well," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the poll.
The recession doesn't help either, he said.
"The economic backdrop is so negative that whoever is governing will have lower job ratings because you're going to have to do things that the public doesn't like, which is to raise taxes and cut popular programs," DiCamillo said.
But what may be even more troubling for Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders is that voters' grumpiness is tied to their view of the six budget-related ballot measures in the May 19 special election, he said.
As part of a budget plan to close a more than $41 billion shortfall, Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders compromised to place measures on the ballot to set spending limits, create a rainy day fund, ensure billions of dollars for schools, borrow against future state lottery sales and shift taxes collected for children and mental health programs to other uses.
The Field Poll found that voters who have a negative view of the governor and the Legislature are much more likely to vote "no" on the ballot measures....
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Hey, you voted for them!
In Kaliforrrrnia they believe they weren’t near liberal enough. If they would just raise taxes more they could all get a raise.
Numbers like that don’t just pop up out of nowhere..
Now, if only the same folk that get polled were the ones voting, we might have a chance to pull out of this power-dice into the abyss of crass Socialism.
power-dive
Yawn. Yeah, right. - When do you overwhelmingly re elect all of them?
Exactly! And if you held the election tomorrow, almost all of them would be reelected.
All of those ballot propositions are going to fail May 19. Let them and the unions go and scratch their asses. That will be the biggest TEA party yet. Everybody I know thinks government should have an 11% unemployment rate also.
If our Gub and dem-controlled legislature were paid based on their performance, they’d be pan-handling to make ends meet.
They ARE pan-handling now, with those propositions to raise taxes. And they are being told to stay away.
I agree with the ratings.
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