Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek May 30, 2007 Some findings of the current survey: Sixty-four percent of likely voters support Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to issue $43.3 billion in bonds to increase funding for education facilities, prisons, water storage, and other infrastructure projects. Fifty-two percent of voters admit that they know very little (43%) or nothing (9%) about how bonds are paid for in California. Six percent say they know a lot. The share of residents who describe the state budget as a big problem has fallen 29 points, from 73 percent to 44 percent, since May 2004. This is the 77th PPIC Statewide Survey and the 23rd in PPIC's Californians and Their Government series, conducted periodically to examine the social, economic, and political trends that influence public policy preferences and ballot choices in the state. It is supported by funding from The James Irvine Foundation.
blog post Crime Trends in Context By Magnus Lofstrom Jun 30, 2022 At a town hall held by Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, PPIC’s Magnus Lofstrom discussed what research has found about the consequences of key criminal justice reforms and the pattern of long-term crime trends in California and Contra Costa County.
blog post Is Momentum Growing to End California’s Death Penalty? By Rachel Lawler Apr 9, 2019 Although public opinion is divided along partisan lines, support for the death penalty in California has declined substantially since 2000.
blog post Video: Reforms Challenge County Probation Departments By Linda Strean Sep 18, 2017 Changes in criminal justice policy have significantly altered the role of probation in California and have put considerable demands on counties.
press release Proposition 47 Linked to Increase in Some Property Crimes, But Not Violent Crime Jun 12, 2018
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on the California State Budget By Mark Baldassare Jan 26, 2006 Some findings of the current survey: A large majority (68%) of Californians support the central proposal of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s recent State of the State speech—a $222 billion program for rebuilding the state’s infrastructure, financed with bonds. Education facilities (48%) are the most popular infrastructure priority, followed by transportation projects (25%), water systems (17%), jails and prisons (3%) and courts (2%). 60% of residents approve of the governor’s proposed 2006-2007 budget. But 61% also say the imbalance between state spending and revenue remains a big problem for California. Although Californians typically reject raising taxes on themselves, they find it more acceptable to raise taxes on specific subgroups, such as the richest Californians (65%) and cigarette smokers (71%). The governor’s overall approval rating improved to 40%, but approval for his handling of specific issues such as jobs and the economy (39%) and the state budget and taxes (35%) lag. This is the 63rd PPIC Statewide Survey and the sixth in a series of special surveys focusing on the California budget and fiscal system, funded by The James Irvine Foundation.
