Money & Politics | Daily Report

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California voters appear to be initially supportive of Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to hold a special election this summer that would help plug the state's budget deficit by extending taxes and fees, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll released tonight.

The poll found 66 percent of likely voters agree with Brown's plan to hold a special election, including a narrow majority of Republicans. A smaller majority of likely voters 

– 54 percent 

– favor the specifics of Brown's plan, including a five-year extension for income and sales tax hikes from 2009, maintaining higher fees for vehicle licensing, and diverting some state revenues to local governments.

"Californians are beginning to feel more hopeful – that the economy is improving, that the governor and Legislature can get something done,” Mark Baldassare, president of the PPIC, said in a statement. "But that hope is fragile and could dissolve quickly. The challenge for Brown is to convince Californians that his complex budget plan is a real solution to the state's fiscal troubles."

Still, the numbers are favorable for Brown, especially compared to those of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger when he pitched a similar plan two years ago. Weeks before Schwarzenegger's 2009 special election, only about half of likely voters supported the idea. His proposed tax extensions ultimately failed.

The PPIC poll shows that voters are still averse to the idea of further raising income and sales taxes. Instead, most seem to favor raising corporate taxes to help plug the state's budget gap.

Brown has explored repealing a $1 billion corporate tax break that recently went into effect, though he has drawn some fire from progressives for not pursuing revenue sources like oil severance fees and new taxes on high-income earners.

The poll also shows general support for Brown's government restructuring plans, including the controversial elimination of redevelopment agencies that has riled many local officials. Sixty-three percent of likely voters agree with that proposal, with support coming from Republicans as well as Democrats.

The PPIC poll is the first to gauge voters' feelings on Brown's budget plan since he announced the details earlier this month, but the results tack closely to voter sentiment expressed in sporadic polling on similar issues last year.

As the Los Angeles Times pointed out, several polls last year showed a willingness among voters to extend taxes in select circumstances. A separate PPIC survey [PDF] last May found that 69 percent of respondents would approve tax hikes to avoid cuts to K-12 education. Yesterday's poll showed that 63.3 percent of likely voters would pay higher taxes to avoid the same cuts.

A survey conducted in December by Democratic pollster Jim Moore also found that 58 percent of respondents were supportive of tax extensions, including 37 percent of Republicans.

As Moore told the LA Times' George Skelton: Voters "don't trust the state government to spend the money wisely. If Brown can overcome that suspicion, voters will be willing to extend the taxes."