From CHINA DAILY Mar 26 2011
Public support for California governor's budget plan slipping: poll
LOS ANGELES, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Public support for California Governor Jerry Brown's budget plan has dropped to 46 percent, indicating the state's budget crisis could get worse, a poll released Thursday showed.
That was a drop from 53 percent two months ago when Brown took office, said the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), which conducted the poll.
Brown's plan includes a five-year extension on some sales, income and vehicle taxes to help balance the state's books. But Brown calls for an election in June to let voters decide due to the lack of support from Republican legislators.
The public appetite for a special election also seems to be waning. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they supported the idea to hold the election, according to a poll published by the Los Angeles Times website.
In January, two-thirds said they welcomed an opportunity to vote on Brown's proposal.
The governor promised voters during his campaign last year that they could sign off on any tax hikes.
Brown is reportedly considering delaying the election until late fall, but his treasurer's office warned that delaying the vote could trigger a cash crisis and a fresh round of state-issued IOUs.
Even if Brown manages to hold a special election, selling the taxes to the public will not be easy, the latest survey suggests. Ballot measures with less than 50 percent support before a campaign begins usually fail.
The fading public interest could further complicate Brown's efforts to persuade the legislature to place his tax measure on the ballot in June, The Times said.
"While many Californians still favor the approach the governor proposed in January, his plan to seek a budget solution through a June ballot has become a more difficult task to achieve," PPIC President Mark Baldassare said.
Soon after taking office in January, Brown announced a 127.4-billion-U.S.-dollar budget which slashed state spending by 12.5 billion dollars in a bid to eliminate the state's 25-billion-dollar budget deficit.
In addition to an extension of taxes, his proposal also included an eight to ten percent cut in take-home pay for most state employees, and a "vast and historic" restructuring of government operations.
Brown's plan has drawn resistance from Republican legislators as well as local elected officials.
Republicans said they are seeking changes to the state's pension rules and environmental regulations and a limit on future government spending before they will support a budget deal -- conditions characterized by Brown as "unrealistic."
this content is copyright protected 2010 by SEA CHANGE, llc.
Public support for California governor's budget plan slipping: poll
LOS ANGELES, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Public support for California Governor Jerry Brown's budget plan has dropped to 46 percent, indicating the state's budget crisis could get worse, a poll released Thursday showed.
That was a drop from 53 percent two months ago when Brown took office, said the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), which conducted the poll.
Brown's plan includes a five-year extension on some sales, income and vehicle taxes to help balance the state's books. But Brown calls for an election in June to let voters decide due to the lack of support from Republican legislators.
The public appetite for a special election also seems to be waning. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they supported the idea to hold the election, according to a poll published by the Los Angeles Times website.
In January, two-thirds said they welcomed an opportunity to vote on Brown's proposal.
The governor promised voters during his campaign last year that they could sign off on any tax hikes.
Brown is reportedly considering delaying the election until late fall, but his treasurer's office warned that delaying the vote could trigger a cash crisis and a fresh round of state-issued IOUs.
Even if Brown manages to hold a special election, selling the taxes to the public will not be easy, the latest survey suggests. Ballot measures with less than 50 percent support before a campaign begins usually fail.
The fading public interest could further complicate Brown's efforts to persuade the legislature to place his tax measure on the ballot in June, The Times said.
"While many Californians still favor the approach the governor proposed in January, his plan to seek a budget solution through a June ballot has become a more difficult task to achieve," PPIC President Mark Baldassare said.
Soon after taking office in January, Brown announced a 127.4-billion-U.S.-dollar budget which slashed state spending by 12.5 billion dollars in a bid to eliminate the state's 25-billion-dollar budget deficit.
In addition to an extension of taxes, his proposal also included an eight to ten percent cut in take-home pay for most state employees, and a "vast and historic" restructuring of government operations.
Brown's plan has drawn resistance from Republican legislators as well as local elected officials.
Republicans said they are seeking changes to the state's pension rules and environmental regulations and a limit on future government spending before they will support a budget deal -- conditions characterized by Brown as "unrealistic."
this content is copyright protected 2010 by SEA CHANGE, llc.
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