A Field Poll this week indicated that SB 202 to move initiatives from the June 2012 ballot to November and moving a rainy day fund/spending limit scheduled for 2012 to 2014 was welcome by voters. However, a new poll giving more background to the question than the Field Poll question shows the reverse. By a 3 to 1 margin voters said the governor should not sign the bill.
After hearing about the Field Poll result the governor said he just might follow the majority sentiment. But, what that majority sentiment is now is in question with the new poll result. The more voters learned, the less they liked the idea.
The poll conducted for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the Small Business Action Committee by M4 Strategies asked the following question of 603 registered voters:
QUESTION: In 2009, the Republicans and Democrats in the state legislature reached a bipartisan agreement to balance the state budget in which the Republicans agreed to support significant increases to the state’s income, sale and car taxes and the Democrats agreed to put before voters in June of 2012 an initiative limiting state spending increases and increasing the state’s rainy day fund. On the last day of the current legislative session however, the state legislature passed a union-backed bill that would delay public vote on the initiative until November of 2014. Do you believe Governor Jerry Brown should sign this bill delaying the initiative or veto the bill and allow voters to consider the initiative next June? (And is that strong or somewhat (sign/veto)?)
Strongly Sign the bill 14.3%
Somewhat Sign the bill 6.1%
Total support 20.4%
Somewhat Veto the bill 15.6%
Strongly Veto the bill 44.3%
Total oppose 59.9%
Don’t know/Refused 19.7%
On the strength of these numbers, if the governor signs the bill, a rumored referendum effort on the bill would appear to have a chance of success.