by Harold Fong [courtesy of Blog for America]

Most Californians Call Global Warming 'A Threat'
By Steve Geissinger
MEDIANEWS SACRAMENTO BUREAU
11/10/2007 03:03:09 AM PST

SACRAMENTO -- An overwhelming majority of Californians believe global warming is a serious threat to their health and quality of life, according to a new statewide poll released Friday.

The Field Poll also indicates Californians believe the problem is more serious than people elsewhere in the United States.

More than seven in 10 Californians believe fears of air pollution and flooding are extremely or very important, compared with a national poll last year that put that figure at 52 percent.

Statewide, 43 percent say global warming requires immediate action and 32 percent believe at least something should be done.

Large majorities supported additional state government regulation, especially on businesses, or voluntary incentives.

Support slipped to lesser majorities across the board if the programs would increase the cost of goods and services.

Even slimmer majorities favored the idea of imposing emission taxes on businesses.

The least popular idea was taxing individuals based somehow on the amount of greenhouse gas they generate. But even that idea received 52 percent support.

The survey was commissioned by Next 10, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that provides information to a wide range of groups.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Ben Tulchin
Vice President
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research

California voters overwhelmingly oppose the Republicans’ partisan effort to change how California distributes its electoral votes.

Question wording: "This initiative is titled the Presidential Electors. Political Party Nomination and Election by Congressional District. It reads as follows: This initiative requires California to join two other states in selecting electors for president by the plurality vote in each congressional district. It provides for political party nomination of electors pledged to vote for that party's candidate. Independent electors would be chosen by independent presidential candidates and also elected by congressional district. Two at-large electors would be selected based on plurality of statewide vote for president. It mandates that electors vote for the candidate for whom they are pledged. The initiative eliminates 10 dollar compensation and five cents per mile reimbursement of electors. The fiscal impact on state and local government concludes it would reduce state expenses of less than 10 thousand dollars every four years.

"Now, if an election were held today, would you vote yes, in favor of this initiative, or no, to oppose it?"

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Saturday’s Field Poll release on the term limits reform initiative drives home an important fact: allowing a transition period for legislators doesn’t really affect support one way or another.

First I should mention that 59 percent of voters say they support term limits reform. Then, when those same voters are asked about a transition period for current legislators and if that would change their vote, 68 percent said "no."

Voters get and accept that law and fairness require a brief transition period for current legislators. And don’t forget, a far more generous transition was allowed under the first term limits initiative passed in 1990.

Also, voters understand that going from 14 to 12 years is a plain and simple reduction in the number of years a legislator can serve.

Another plain and simple fact is that statewide poll after statewide poll shows strong, bipartisan support for term limits reform.

See the poll here.

More on the initiative here. 

by juls [courtesy of Calitics: Soapblox California - Front Page]

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

The second half of the polling we released today is was designed to determine the dominant issues among Republican primary voters in California. We wanted to take the temperature of likely voters on Feburary 5th and see if they felt the Republican candidates were speaking to those issues. Mellman produced this polling memo analyzing the data.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

Today seemed like an appropriate time to release the second half of our presidential poll on the Republicans, given that all of them are attending the debate here. It is split into two polling memos from Mellman, our pollster. The first is on the horserace, post to come later on the issues. The summary says:

Our recent statewide poll shows Rudolph Giuliani currently sporting a 15-point lead in the California Republican primary. Despite Giuliani’s lead, however, the race is far from over. His advantage is based importantly, though not completely, on a malleable factor: the belief that he would be the strongest general election candidate. At present, John McCain, a popular second choice candidate, provides the only serious competition. Furthermore, if McCain were no longer running, his supporters would be more likely to move towards Giuliani, while Giuliani supporters are less likely to identify McCain as their second choice. While Giuliani is in a strong position, there is opportunity for other candidates to break through to California Republicans between now and February 5, 2008; the race is very much still up-for-grabs.

read more »

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

From Julia Rosen
Working Californians

To: Working Californians

Date: April 25, 2006
This analysis represents the findings of a statewide survey of 400 likely 2008 Democratic primary voters, interviewed by telephone April 9-12, 2006. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 4.9%. The margin of error is higher for subgroups.

SUMMARY