Majority of Californians Say Budget Deficit is Serious, State Headed in Wrong Direction

Faced with a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, Californians agree the issue is serious but differ on how best to address it, according to a new Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll. “The survey suggests little appetite for tax increases to address the deficit,” Eric Schickler, co-director of the institute, said in the report released Jan. 17. “But a challenge for Governor Newsom and the Legislature is that while spending cuts, in principle, are relatively popular, that support would likely dissipate when it comes time to making cuts to specific programs and services.” Half of the more than 8,000 likely voters polled said the deficit is “extremely serious” and another 37 percent said it is “somewhat serious,” while 8 percent saw no issue with the funding gap....