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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Worried about air pollution and related health problems, most Californians want lawmakers to make protecting the environment a top priority, even if it hinders economic growth, according to a poll released Thursday. The poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found wide support across racial, ethnic, regional and political lines for environmental protection programs to reduce air pollution, reduce auto emissions and develop alternative energy sources. "As our state becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, concerns about environmental issues are being seen across a broad spectrum of the population," Mark Baldassare, the San Francisco-based institute's...

Strong support for President Bush (news - web sites) in 2004 slightly outnumbers hard-core opposition, according to a new national poll. AP Photo   In an Ipsos-Public Affairs survey of 742 registered voters for Cook Political Report, 40 percent said they definitely would vote for Bush if the presidential election were today, 33 percent definitely would vote against him and 24 percent would consider someone else. Those national numbers have been pretty stable for Bush all year but his support is down a bit from early 2002, when at least 50 percent said they would definitely vote to re-elect him....