California voters overwhelmingly support Proposition 36, new survey says

Andrew Sheeler
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STRONG MAJORITY OF CALIFORNIANS FAVOR PROP 36

As Election Day looms ever larger, the Public Policy Institute of California Wednesday evening released the latest snapshot of voter sentiment. And that snapshot contains good news for supporters of Proposition 36, the ballot measure to restore felony penalties for certain drug- and theft-related offenses.

A strong majority, 71% of all likely voters, said they would vote yes on Prop. 36. That includes majorities of Democrats (63%), Republicans (85%) and independents (73%).

Could the pendulum of criminal justice in California be swinging back toward an era of “tough on crime” policies that critics point out will lead to more incarceration? It appears that crime is on the minds of many Californians, with a quarter (26%) of likely voters listing Prop. 36 as the measure that most interests them.

“Proposition 36 on crime sentences currently leads in support, interest, and importance among the 10 state propositions,” said PPIC Statewide Survey Director Mark Baldassare in a statement.

As for other ballot measures, 68% of likely voters said they would vote yes on Proposition 3, to remove a vestigial ban on same-sex marriage from the state constitution, including 84% of Democrats, 37% of Republicans and 69% of independents.

Voters also support the three bond measures on the ballot, Proposition 2 for public schools (54%), Proposition 4 for safe drinking water, wildfire prevention and climate risk mitigation (65%) and Proposition 5 for affordable housing (55%).

The PPIC also surveyed likely voters’ opinions on Proposition 6 to eliminate involuntary servitude for incarcerated people (50% oppose, 46% support); Proposition 32 to raise the minimum wage to $18 an hour and then index it to inflation (50% say yes and 49% say no); Proposition 33 to authorize local governments to enact rent control measures (51% say yes and 46% say no); Proposition 34 to restrict spending on prescription drug revenues by certain health care providers (53% yes, 43% no); and Proposition 35 to provide permanent funding for Medi-Cal Health Care Services (63% support it and just 34% oppose).

HARRIS HANDILY BEATS TRUMP IN LATEST CALIFORNIA SURVEY

The PPIC survey also shows that Vice President Kamala Harris has surpassed President Joe Biden’s commanding lead over former President Donald Trump.

A July PPIC survey, from before Biden stepped down from seeking reelection, showed that 55% of likely California voters supported Biden, compared to 30% who supported Trump.

The survey released Wednesday evening shows Harris with 60%, while Trump dropped slightly to 29% support. Harris is a former San Francisco district attorney and state attorney general and U.S. senator.

The survey showed a sharp partisan divide in candidate support, with 90% of Democrats supporting Harris and 82% of Republicans favoring Trump.

The survey found that 56% of likely voters were satisfied with the choice they’ve been given. That’s up dramatically (20 percentage points) from when the PPIC last asked this question in April. The survey shows that Harris has firmly clinched her party’s support, including Democrats who may have been dissatisfied with Biden as the nominee.

Elsewhere, the PPIC survey showed that Congressman Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, continues to hold a strong lead over Republican retired baseball player Steve Garvey, with 63% supporting Schiff and 35% supporting Garvey.

The survey also had good news for Democratic congressional candidates — a majority (62%) of California voters said they would vote for the Democrat running in their district and 36% said they’d vote for the Republican. More than half (52%) said that they were more enthusiastic about voting for Congress this year.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The gender wage gap is not just a statistic, it’s a lifetime of missed opportunities for women — especially women of color — who face the compounded impacts of racial and gender inequities. The wage and wealth gaps rob women and their families of financial security, career advancement, and the ability to build wealth for future generations.”

- California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, in a statement accompanying the California Civil Rights Department’s release of 2022 pay disparity data showing that women and workers of color were more often among the lowest paid workers in the state.

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