Poll: Public wants water limits

Drought-conscious Californians say they support mandatory restrictions on water use and back a massive state bond to increase water supplies.

Those are among the key findings in a Public Policy Institute of California poll that comes as the San Diego County Water Authority is expected to recommend limiting outdoor watering throughout the county to reach an overall cutback in the region’s usage of up to 20 percent.

The wide-ranging survey also finds two-thirds of state residents support continuing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and draw more electricity from more renewable energy sources; 54 percent oppose hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” to extract oil and natural gas; and 62 percent believe global warming is already having an impact.

Other findings include a 53 percent approval rating for Gov. Jerry Brown, who the survey says leads GOP opponent Neel Kashkari 52 percent to 33 percent; and a 50 percent approval rating for President Barack Obama.

Concern over water is increasingly on the minds of state residents, surpassing concern over air pollution in the survey for the first time in 14 years. The institute said 54 percent of Golden State residents polled believe water supply is a “big issue,” and that 70 percent believe local water districts should require residents to cut back on usage.

Fifty-one percent of respondents considered likely voters say they would vote for an $11.1 billion bond on the Nov. 4 ballot to pay for water projects. Support grows to 61 percent among all adults surveyed.

State Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, disclosed that she and Brown are negotiating to reduce the bond measure to somewhere between $6 billion and $8.25 billion to enhance its chances of passing.

“Our most significant issue is water,” Atkins said during a Wednesday meeting with the U-T San Diego editorial board. “We need to put a more reasonable, pragmatic bond before California voters.”

The $11.1 billion is simply too much to ask for as the state slowly recovers from the Great Recession, she said.

“I don’t think that California has the appetite for that,” she said. “The governor doesn’t have the appetite for this. I frankly don’t, and I don’t think we should put it forward.”

Atkins said when the Legislature reconvenes in Sacramento next month, lawmakers and Brown have a week to negotiate a smaller bond in time to get it before voters in November. Her recommendation is for an $8.25 billion or slightly smaller bond.

“It’s a good balance between reasonable need and meeting some geographical considerations from the north, central and southern areas of the state,” she said. “It’s a balancing act between certain categories of concern — storage, recycling and groundwater.”

As the water shortage intensifies this summer, Brown this week signed legislation prohibiting homeowner associations from fining residents who stop watering during a drought.

The poll included regional breakdowns. Residents of San Diego and Orange counties polled in the survey largely mirror the responses from other Californians. Fifty-four percent of the respondents in those two counties agree water supply is a significant problem and 73 percent are in favor of mandatory reductions in water use.

Statewide, Democrats back the bond at 65 percent, compared with 55 percent of independents and 44 percent of Republicans. When bond opponents were asked if they would support an amount lower than $11.1 billion, support increased by 8 percent, according to the poll.

The state is now in its third consecutive year of significant drought, leading Brown to declare a state of emergency in January that included a call for increased voluntary conservation. The San Diego County Water Authority responded in February by declaring a “Level 1” drought watch that called for no runoff from landscape watering, no washing of paved surfaces and using a shut-off nozzle on hoses when washing vehicles.

Despite the increasing concern over water, Atkins said she wasn’t personally ready to call for mandatory cutbacks, leaving that up to the water authority.

“But I do think we’ve got to refocus in San Diego County and realize that we are using more water and need to be mindful of the drought and conservation,” she said. “Should that strong appeal not work, then we may have to go to mandatory.”

Environment and energy

In an open-ended question about what people considered the most important environmental issue facing the state, 35 percent said water supply or drought, an increase of 27 points since July 2011. But air pollution is still a chief concern as six in 10 respondents said it also remains a significant problem.

And while 76 percent of those polled say they support a requirement that oil companies provide lower-emission fuels starting next year or pay what is known as an “emission allowance,” support for that declines to 39 percent if it leads to higher prices at the pump.

“Californians want to see government action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but their strong support for clean energy policies diminishes if they have to pay higher electricity bills or gas prices,” said Mark Baldassare, president of the Public Policy Institute.

Strong majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents all support requiring automakers to significantly improve fuel mileage.

Fifty-one percent of likely voters support more drilling off the California coast, compared with 46 percent of all adults surveyed. Sixty-eight percent of Democrats were against more oil drilling; 70 percent of Republicans were in favor.

Elections and Obama

Obama’s 50 percent approval rating in California, according to the poll, is at a record low.

As for Congress, a similar poll last year found a 30 percent approval rating compared with 22 percent in this latest poll. That compares with a national approval rate for how the Senate and House are doing their jobs of 14 percent, according to a June CBS/New York Times poll.

Brown’s 53 percent approval rating, the poll finds, includes 76 percent of Democrats who think he’s doing a good job compared with 31 percent approval among Republicans and 51 percent among independents.

Those are much better numbers than for the Legislature. The poll said 38 percent of all adults and 31 percent of likely voters approve of how it’s doing its job. Forty-eight percent of Democrats in the poll gave the Legislature approval compared with only 18 percent of Republicans and 26 percent of independents.

The survey questioned 1,705 adults, 984 of whom are considered likely voters, July 8-15. The poll has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points among adults and 4.7 percentage points among likely voters.