According to a new poll released by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), labor has been successful in convincing Californians that Proposition 32, forbidding unions to use payroll deductions from their members to fund political activity without getting explicit permission from each employee on a yearly basis, is a bad idea. The poll shows this going down to defeat 39% - 53%, a pretty strong margin of 14%,
Labor unions in California have been fighting this tooth and nail for months. In fact, in a bit of a twist, some unemployed people I know were hired by local union groups to work on the campaign against Prop 32.
What's not as promising is that Proposition 30, raising income tax rates on upper-income Californians for seven years and raising the sales tax by 1/4% for four years, has slipped below 50%. It's still in the lead, but only with a plurality, and a close one at that, 48% - 44%. If this doesn't pass all hell is going to break loose as significant further cuts will be made to education and services.
California is still in bad shape. While the national unemployment rate is below eight percent, California's rate still stands above 10%. It's no wonder people are not in the mood to raise their own taxes even the relatively small amount dictated by the change in the sales tax rate and yet the state must have more revenue. Governor Brown's insistance that "everyone pay", instead of going with strictly a "millionaire's tax" as progressive groups had originally shot for, may end up being the poison pill tht kills the Golden Gate.