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LA Daily News Poll rejects special election A solid and growing majority of voters want Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to put his government reform proposals on the regular ballot in June 2006 rather than holding a special election this fall, a poll being released today shows. The Public Policy Institute of California found 62 percent of likely voters support delaying the vote, up from 52 percent in January. "Voters do not appear to be strongly motivated to make (major) redistricting reforms at this time," said poll director Mark Baldassare. "Support is also divided for an initiative that would limit state spending." Even so, the Republican governor continued attacking labor unions and the Democrat-controlled Legislature, telling a large crowd of business leaders on Wednesday they will not stop him from taking his measures to a special-election ballot this year. "The only way we can rebuild California is if we first reform California," Schwarzenegger said in condemning special interests' influence. "A fight cannot be won unless a fight is fought." Schwarzenegger advisers released an internal poll that showed strong support for the governor and his special-election plans. The independent, San Francisco-based Public Policy Institute poll found: The governor's May budget revision, which uses windfall revenue to reduce the state's deficit woes and adds nearly $2 billion for transportation upgrades, sparked little public interest. Most voters instead support additional funding for education. Schwarzenegger's approval rating remains at a low point, with just 40 percent expressing satisfaction. The governor now has a lower approval rating on education issues than former Gov. Gray Davis did in January 2000, before Schwarzenegger replaced him in an unprecedented 2003 recall election. Schwarzenegger's recent comments supporting better border controls have inflamed the longtime debate, especially among Republicans. Voters are still worried about budget cuts but still want the rich and corporations, not themselves, to pay higher taxes to blunt them. Even though a majority of voters oppose a special election this year, Californians still want to make changes themselves. "Ultimately, state residents trust themselves to make the tough calls," Baldassare said. "Seventy-two percent believe voters should make decisions about the budget and governmental reforms rather than abdicate that responsibility to the governor and Legislature. But how much knowledge do residents bring to the table?" Baldassare said the poll indicates voters don't know much about budget issues, in particular.
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