SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A majority of California voters say improving the state's water systems and creating a high-speed rail network are important, but they want to see smaller price tags attached to those projects.
That's according to a poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California. The survey found that 51 percent of likely voters would vote against the $11.1 billion water bond that is scheduled for a vote next year.
Asked how they would feel about a less costly proposal, support for the water bond increased to 55 percent. Likely voters expressed a similar view toward the state's $68 billion high-speed rail project.
Mark Baldassare, chief executive of the institute and the poll's director, said caution about increased state spending is a result of the recession's effects on California.
The poll also found a majority of Californians have negative impressions of the Republican Party. Nearly six in 10 Californians said the Democratic Party is more concerned about their needs, while one-quarter chose the Republican Party.