PROFILE
FROM Mark DiCamillo
Coloring the news, red and blue A new poll out of U.C. Berkeley finds that 8 in 10 registered Republicans in California have little to no trust in the news media. They also believe the media is unfair to President Donald Trump. It's the exact opposite when it comes to state Democrats. In this climate, what incentive do the two parties have to work together?
Californians Feel Good about the Direction the State's Heading Public opinion about elected officials goes up and down. In California it might depend, at least in part, on the weather.
The Soda Wars Have Come to California Liberal New Yorkers called former Mayor Michael Bloomberg a government nanny when he tried to restrict so-called Big Gulps of high-sugar sodas. But Californians even support a tax on sugary soft drinks. That's according to research by the Field Poll , commissioned by the California Endowment, this state's largest health foundation. This, as the federal Centers for Disease Control report that the obesity rate among children between the ages of two and five has dropped by 43% in the past 10 years, the first evidence of decline in the epidemic of childhood obesity.
California Support for Legalized Pot Is Higher than Ever In 1969, 13 percent of Californians favored pot legalization, 49 percent favored harsher penalties for use and possession. By 1983, supporters had risen to 30 percent. In 2010, it was 50 percent, but a legalization measure failed on a statewide vote. Now, the number has risen to 55 percent. That's according to Mark DiCamillo, director of the California statewide Field Poll .
Will New Voters Change California Politics? Two proposed tax increases for education, repeal of the death penalty and the prospects for a veto-proof Democratic majority in Sacramento: those are just some of what's on the California ballot tomorrow. Voter registration has reached a record of 18 million -- including 300,000 who signed up on October 22 — the last possible day to qualify.
California Republicans and the Race for President It's conventional wisdom that California Republicans won't have a voice in selecting their nominee because the winner will be chosen before the state's primary, which isn't until June. But Newt Gingrich is the only presidential candidate on the Party's convention schedule this coming weekend. Meanwhile, the presidential preferences of the state's Republicans have undergone a dramatic change, not just in the past few months, but in the past few days. In November, Rick Santorum had the support of just one or two percent of likely Republican voters. Now he has 25 percent , hot on the trail of Mitt Romney who still leads with 31 percent. Much of that happened while the poll was being taken during the past two weeks.
Endangered Elephants? California Republicans Meet in LA California Republicans are about to begin their semi-annual convention in downtown Los Angeles, at a time when GOP prospects are looking up nationwide. In California, it's a different story. The latest Field Poll shows President Obama with 13- and 19-point majorities over Mitt Romney and Rick Perry respectively and sharp declines in party registration statewide. Segment image: Latino activists in California launch voter registration Drive. Photo by Photo by David McNew/Getty Images
Nuclear Power Loosing Support among Californians California has two nuclear plants, at San Onofre in Southern California and Diablo Canyon near San Luis Obispo. Do Californians want more? The Field Poll completed a survey just last week. Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo has the details.
The Democrats' Budget, a Budget Nobody Wants Late today -- for the first time in decades -- the state legislature late was on its way to passing a spending plan by the Constitutional deadline , which expires at midnight tonight. That means Senators and Assembly members won't get their pay cut. But Republicans are unhappy because they had no role in the process. Democrats are unhappy, even though the measure passed with all their votes . Governor Brown will have 12 days to sign it or try to work out something better.
Voters May Change, but Prop 13 Remains the Same Today's electorate is very different from the one that passed Proposition 13 in 1978. But even though the voters have changed, it's still called the "third rail" of state politics, the one that means political death to any politician foolish enough to touch it.
California's Fragmentary Electorate California has grown from 23 million to 38 million people, a gain of 15 million in the past 30 years. But the change in numbers is less dramatic than the change in demography and the change in the voting population. That's according to a report released today by The Field Poll.
California Voters Have a Message Sacramento May Not Want to Hear With the least number of possible votes, the Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger put six measures on a special election that will take place in just three weeks. They would implement the budget deal worked out in one of the longest and most acrimonious sessions in state history. Today, the Field Poll released survey results which indicate that it will be a “send-them-a-message election.” Proposition 1a : Limits State Spending, Establishes Rainy Day Stabilization Fund Proposition 1b : Education Funding Proposition 1c : Lottery Modernization Act Proposition 1d : Protects Children’s Services Funding Proposition 1e : Mental Health Services Funding Proposition 1f : Elected Officials’ Salaries
California's Next Elections: Coming Right Up! While you're thinking about today's LA city election , or even if you're not, you'll have another chance to go to the polls in May. The $42 billion compromise that squeaked through the legislature last month is not the end of the budget debate. Now it's your turn. On May 19, Californians will be asked to pass Propositions 1A through 1F, to ratify all the deals made by Republicans and Democrats in Sacramento. We hear what six propositions could mean for the California's financial future if they pass or if they don't.
Anti-Gay Marriage Measure Failing in New Poll When the California Supreme Court ruled that gays and lesbians have the constitutional right to get married, opponents drafted a measure for this November's ballot. But, at the moment, Proposition 8 doesn't appeal to the voters.
The Politics of Energy in California The skyrocketing price of gasoline has President Bush and other Republicans trying to lift the ban on oil and gas drilling in the waters off shore. They want to give every state with a coastline the option to explore. Since the Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969, that’s been anathema in California, but the price of gasoline is higher here than almost any place else. The latest Field Poll shows that Californians are changing their behavior…and maybe their minds.
A Majority of Californians Approve of Gay Marriage Last week’s poll by the LA Times and KTLA found a majority of voters opposed to same-sex marriage. That was good news for a constitutional amendment on the November ballot, but the Field Poll out today got a different result. By 51 to 42 percent, voters said gays and lesbians have the right to marry.
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