FIELD POLL: There has been a sizeable decline in President Barack Obama’s job approval rating among California voters over the last few months. A statewide Field Poll completed last week found that almost as many Californians now disapprove of the job the President is doing (43%) as approve (45%). This reading is the poorest appraisal of the job performance that Obama has received of his presidency.
California’s Capitol is ruled by a handful of powerful special interests, according to more than two-thirds of those surveyed by the Public Policy Institute of California. PPIC’s survey of likely voters also noted that despite a recent string of scandals that have tarnished the Senate, the public’s perception of lawmakers has remained constant.
State Capitol, Sacramento. (Photo: David Monniaux)Californians give Governor Jerry Brown a record-high job approval rating and his budget proposal strong bipartisan support, according to a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), with funding from The James Irvine Foundation. The state legislature’s approval rating is a near-record 42 percent among adults and is at 33 percent among likely voters. Both ratings are similar to December. Asked to rate the job performance of their own state legislators, 48 percent of adults and 45 percent of likely voters approve. (Photo: David Monniaux)
But a series of state court rulings are widely believed to mean that the pension offered current workers on the date of hire becomes a vested right, protected by contract law, that can only be cut if offset by a new benefit of comparable value. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Patricia Lucas said in her ruling the question before her court is “one of law, not of policy,” referring to a state Supreme Court response to city and county briefs on an Orange County attempt to cut retirement costs.
Among the findings: Dianne Feinstein’s approval ratings are on the decline and rank among the lowest she’s received in her 20 years in office. Barbara Boxer’s positives are on the rise. Meanwhile, more than four out of five Californians disapprove of the job Congress is doing, which is close to a record.
President Barack Obama’s job performance rating among California voters has taken a ten-point drop since the Field Poll’s last measure in February. Then, 62% of this state’s voters approved of the job he was doing. Now, the President’s approval rating stands at 52%.
The largest decline in Obama’s job appraisals is seen among segments of
By Mark DiCamillo and Mervin Field
The Field Poll
For the first time since Democrat Jerry Brown was elected two years ago, a solid majority of voters (57%) approves of the job he is doing as Governor. This increase in voter esteem has occurred despite the fact that many voters acknowledge several common criticisms