Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey of Orange County By Mark Baldassare Dec 1, 2004 Some findings of the survey Orange County residents are overwhelmingly upbeat about the county’s quality of life: Most (90%) say things are going well today. Majorities say their parks and beaches (84%), freeways and roads (64%), and schools (64%) are excellent or good. Over two-thirds of the county’s residents (69%) rate the local economy as excellent or good. Virtually all county homeowners (98%) say they are satisfied with the homes they live in, and most (80%) are very satisfied. In the recent presidential election, heavily Republican Orange County gave the nod to Bush (60%) over Kerry (39%). County residents give the Republican governor sky-high marks: 68% say they approve of Schwarzenegger’s job performance (7 points higher than his statewide standing). Orange County residents (62%) are also substantially more likely than Californians as a whole (44%) to say the state is going in the right direction. This survey is a special edition of the PPIC Statewide Survey, which periodically includes regional and special-theme surveys. The intent of the current survey is to provide timely, accurate, and objective information about policy preferences and economic, social, and political trends in Orange County.
Report The Local Initiative in California By Tracy Gordon Sep 14, 2004 In The Local Initiative in California, PPIC research fellow Tracy Gordon provides the most comprehensive evaluation of the local initiative to date. Drawing on previously unexplored data, her report examines trends and patterns in local initiatives and investigates their causes and policy consequences. Gordon finds that local initiatives are more numerous, more likely to qualify, and more likely to become law than statewide initiatives. The major criticisms of the statewide initiative—for example, that it benefits special interests, depresses turnout, or tramples minority rights—do not seem to apply to the local initiative. Instead, local voters appear to use this process to tackle issues that are not adequately resolved by their elected representatives or by state policy.
Report How Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration Shape the California Electorate By Jack Citrin, Benjamin Highton Dec 1, 2002 Although the ethnic composition of California's population has changed dramatically over the last two decades, the voting population's profile is shifting slowly by comparison. In How Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration Shape the California Electorate, Jack Citrin and Benjamin Highton study turnout gaps across California's four largest racial and ethnic groups. They find that the relatively low turnout among Latinos and Asians, the two groups with the largest immigrant populations, can be traced to markedly different causes. Facilitating naturalization is an important step toward faster political incorporation for all immigrants, but the authors conclude that no single policy designed to boost voting is likely to work for both Latinos and Asians.
Statewide Survey PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on Californians and the Environment By Mark Baldassare Jun 1, 2002 This is the twenty-sixth PPIC Statewide Survey and the third in a new series that will focus on population growth, land use, and the environment. The current survey focuses in particular on public perceptions, individual actions, and policy preferences relating to environmental issues. Some findings of the current survey: Most residents believe little progress has been made in solving environmental problems over the past twenty years, and they are pessimistic about improvements in the future: 78% believe there has been only some or hardly any progress since the early 1980s, and 79% have only some or hardly any optimism that environmental problems will be under control 20 years from now. Nearly half of all adult Californians (49%) have little or no confidence in government to understand and solve today's environmental problems. A solid majority (62%) believe that there is enough evidence that global climate change is real and that some action is warranted. 59% say policymakers should not allow more oil drilling off the California coast, even if this means higher gasoline prices for California drivers.
Report Municipal Elections in California: Turnout, Timing, and Competition By Paul Lewis, Zoltan L. Hajnal, Hugh Louch Mar 1, 2002 Low voter turnout for municipal elections in California has raised concerns about declining civic participation and its potential consequences. This study documents voter turnout in California’s municipal elections and investigates the causes of turnout differences. To assess the political vibrancy of municipal elections, it also examines the degree of competition for and turnover in municipal offices. Using data from a questionnaire completed by 350 city clerks in California, the authors calculate that less than half of all registered voters living in cities cast ballots in the most recent municipal elections. However, they also note that overall turnout in city elections could be increased substantially by rescheduling more of them to coincide with state and national contests.
Report The Effect of Minority Districts and Minority Representation on Political Participation in California By Claudine Gay Jun 1, 2001 Benefiting in part from the creation of majority-minority districts—those in which minority groups constitute a majority of the voting population—California’s Latino and black congressional representatives have emerged as visible political actors in an institution traditionally dominated by whites. Advocates argue that majority-minority districts are beneficial because they encourage more Latinos and African-Americans to participate in the political process. Although this claim has met with considerable skepticism, so far neither the advocates nor the skeptics have offered firm evidence for or against the link between majority-minority redistricting and increased political participation. Claudine Gay’s The Effect of Minority Districts and Minority Representation on Political Participation in California provides this evidence by investigating Latino, African-American, and white turnout rates in California’s 13 majority-minority districts.
Report A Portrait of Race and Ethnicity in California By Deborah Reed, Hans Johnson, Belinda Reyes, Jennifer Y. Cheng ... Mar 1, 2001 California's racial and ethnic composition has changed dramatically over the last generation: so dramatically, in fact, that many businesses, public interest groups, media professionals, and policymakers lack current, reliable information about the state's population. In this sourcebook, Belinda Reyes and a team of researchers examine trends and outcomes in: demography education health labor economic status crime political participation ethnic geography Each chapter presents key indicators for the state's four major racial and ethnic groups: whites, African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics. Where possible, the authors also present trends and outcomes for major Asian and Hispanic subgroups.
Report California in the New Millennium: The Changing Social and Political Landscape By Mark Baldassare Apr 1, 2000 California in the mid-21st century is going to be very different from California today. There is every reason to expect the explosive population growth of the past 20 years to continue, fueled largely by immigration. By mid-century, Latinos will become the dominant ethnic and racial group in the state. In this book, Mark Baldassare examines three of the most powerful undercurrents altering the character of California--the public's strong and increasing distrust of politicians and the legislative process, the rapidly changing racial and ethnic mix of the state's population, and the growing diversity across its major regions.
Report Interest Group Influence in the California Initiative Process By Elisabeth R. Gerber Nov 1, 1998 Perhaps the most dramatic change in the California political system over the past two decades has been the increasing use of the initiative process. Between 1976 and 1996, Californians voted on 106 statewide ballot initiatives. Spending on initiative campaigns has grown commensurately, peaking in 1996 at an all-time high of $140 million. Many observers argue that the initiative process has been captured by wealthy economic interests able to "buy" favorable initiative legislation. This background paper presents evidence to the contrary. Despite their vast monetary resources, economic interests are generally unable to enlist the sympathy of a sufficiently large number of people to pass new laws through the initiative process. Economic groups more often and more successfully use their resources to oppose ballot measures and thereby maintain the status quo.
