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(March 30, 2010) POLL SUMMARY RELEASED:

The poll (noted below) was conducted March 6-11, 2010; it has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 % and was done by a random sample of 800 likely voters in California. To view or download a .pdf of the four-page summary of the poll, written by David Binder on March 22, 2010 - please click here.

(March 15, 2010) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NEW POLL RESULTS:
73% Of Californians Support Majority Vote For Revenue and Budget

A remarkable seventy-three percent of California likely voters support majority rule in the legislature for both revenue and budget, a new poll by David Binder of DB-Research shows. The poll was conducted March 6 -11, 2010 on behalf of Californians for Democracy. This is overwhelming support for the California Democracy Act, a November 2010 ballot initiative that states, “All legislative actions on revenue and budget must be determined by a majority vote.” The California Democracy Act would change two words in the California Constitution, from “two-thirds” to “a majority” in two places, eliminating the controversial “two-thirds” rules.

“The overwhelming majority of California voters want a voice in how California is governed,” said UC Professor George Lakoff, author of the measure. “Most voters are frustrated that they have had no influence in the legislature.” The two-thirds rules presently allow a minority of little more than one-third of the legislators to control how the state is run by blocking the raising of necessary revenue and the passage of a budget.

When asked, “In a democracy, a majority of legislators should be able to pass everyday legislation,” a 71 percent majority said yes. When asked, “In a democracy, a minority of legislators should be able to block everyday legislation,” a 68 percent majority said no.

At present, a 63 percent majority in the legislature is being blocked by a 37 percent minority on everyday legislation. The two-thirds rules permit this because just about every piece of everyday legislation requires revenue and must be part of the budget.

Another striking poll result concerned taxes. When asked, “Do you support or oppose solving the budget crisis by closing tax loopholes on corporations and charging oil companies an extraction fee without raising taxes on the lower and middle income Californians,” a 62 percent majority said they supported the proposal.

Recent News

  • CPR covers "the argument that goes beyond semantics"



    LAKOFF'S INITIATIVE: DON'T T-YOU, DON'T T-ME, T-THE MAN BEHIND THE TREE

    CA Progress Report | April 5, 2010 | By Peter Schrag | LINK TO ARTICLE

    The chances that Berkeley linguistics expert George Lakoff will get his California Democracy Act initiative on the November ballot range between slim and slimmer. But in contending that Attorney General Jerry Brown’s title and ballot summary would destroy any chance of its passing even if it qualified, Lakoff starts an argument that goes well beyond semantics. It tells a lot about why California is stuck in the mess that it’s in.

    In requiring two-thirds majorities to approve both the annual budget – and all other spending measures – and to raise taxes, California is the only state in the union that gives legislative minorities -- usually meaning Republicans – a veto on both budgeting and taxes. Lakoff, who’s been a guru on language to a lot of politicians, wants to end what is in effect minority rule.

    As it came from the author, his measure is summarized by one simple sentence: “All legislative actions on revenue and budget must be determined by a majority vote.” Wherever California’s constitution provides for two thirds majorities in the Assembly and Senate on appropriations and tax increases, it changes the “two-thirds” to a majority...

  • AlterNet reports on Lakoff's solution to fix California

    3 months ago

  • SF Bay Guardian reports on CA Democracy Act Poll

    3 months ago

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