Special Election Measures in Trouble

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The four ballot measures backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are in serious trouble just 10 days before the Nov. 8 special election, according to a new statewide poll released Friday by the Public Policy Institute of California.


The poll of 2,003 state residents taken last week shows none of the four Schwarzenegger-backed measures have majority support. Respondents also gave low marks for the governor and the Legislature’s job performance and were pessimistic about the direction the state is headed in.


Two of the initiatives were losing by wide margins: Proposition 76, which imposes state spending controls, had only 30 percent support with 62 percent opposed, while Proposition 77, which changes the redistricting process, had 36 percent support with 50 percent opposed.


The other two measures were toss-ups. Proposition 74, the Schwarzenegger-backed measure to lengthen the time it takes teachers to get tenure, had 46 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed, largely unchanged from two months ago. Proposition 75, which requires consent to use union dues for political purposes, was evenly split at 46 percent, a sharp drop in support from 58 percent two months ago.


Schwarzenegger’s own favorability rating was 33 percent in the Public Policy Institute poll, while 58 percent disapproved of his performance, the same as it was in late August. However, the favorability rating was way down from a year ago, when 61 percent approved and 33 percent disapproved of his performance.


The Legislature’s job approval ratings were even worse: 25 percent of those surveyed approved and 56 percent disapproved.


Meanwhile, 60 percent of survey respondents said the state is headed in the wrong direction, a sharp increase from August, when opinions on the state’s future were evenly divided.

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Howard Fine
Howard Fine is a 23-year veteran of the Los Angeles Business Journal. He covers stories pertaining to healthcare, biomedicine, energy, engineering, construction, and infrastructure. He has won several awards, including Best Body of Work for a single reporter from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers and Distinguished Journalist of the Year from the Society of Professional Journalists.

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