PPIC Numbers are encouraging on Revenue, Props 98 & 99

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

PPIC unleashed their latest statewide survey late last night, and the numbers are showing improvement for the progressive positions on a number of issues. Prop 98 is going down 37-41, and 99 is up 53-27, and both Democratic nominees are beating McCain. But for this post, I'll focus on revenue:

Nearly all Californians (94%) see the state budget situation as at least somewhat of a problem today. With the reality of state spending cuts hitting home, concern about the effects has grown dramatically. Today, 56 percent of Californians say they are very concerned about the effects of spending reductions in the governor's budget plan, up 20 points since January (36%).

The upshot is that Californians are now apparently more willing to consider tax increases as part of a solution to the budget crisis. When asked how they would most prefer to deal with the state's budget gap, 42 percent of Californians choose a mix of spending cuts and tax increases, up from 36 percent in December. And fewer seem to view spending cuts alone as an option (down from 42% in December to 30% today). Democrats and Republicans remain wide apart on budget solutions-but they have edged closer. Most significantly, Republicans today are less likely than in December to support dealing with the budget gap mostly through spending cuts (down from 61% in December to 50% today) and are more likely to support a mix of spending cuts and tax increases (up from 25% to 35%). One thing all sides can agree on? Majorities of Democrats (66%), independents (67%), and Republicans (69%) believe major changes are needed in California's budget process.

I added the emphasis there. Just 30% percent of Californians think that we should deal with our budget deficit through cuts alone, and even half of Republicans think that we should be looking at revenue increases. Yet the Republicans continue to fight for the privileges of yacht owners, or oil companies, or other large corporate interests over what is best for Californians. These numbers bear out the fact that the GOP delegation in the legislature no longer represents their constituents. They represent the Club for Growth. They represent the corpse of Howard Jarvis, but they do not represent real, hard-working Californians.

Flip it, please.
Another number that jumps out at you there is the strong support for budget reform. Now, there's a loaded question if I ever heard one. To Entitled McClintock and his ilk, that means that the legislature should have less power over how to deal with the finances, and letting a minority of the state thwart the democratically elected representatives of the people. While he's busy taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state to make sure his Ventura Cty. gardens are well maintained and attacking the Governator for his mathematics abilities, he's still got plenty of ideas on how to "fix" the budget on his blog. But, McClintock's ideas are out of touch with the sentiments of Californians. Californians want their state government to be responsive, rather than endlessly debate the revenue problems without doing anything. Why do 63% of Californians think that the state is run by a few big interests? Probably because they only need a small minority to block the passage of the budget. It's just too easy for the Chamber, and the HJTAs (Howard Jarvis Tax Association) of the world.