Poll: Gas tax repeal favored, Cox not so much

A proposition to repeal the so-called “gas tax” enacted by the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown last year in order to fund transportation projects is winning by a 2-to-1 margin, according to the results of a new statewide poll released Tuesday.

But that measure, backed heavily by GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox, hasn’t translated to Cox’s campaign as he is trailing Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, by a 52-35 percent margin.

The SurveyUSA poll, commissioned by the San Diego Union-Tribune, 10News and other media organizations, asked 762 likely voters in California last week about their thoughts on statewide issues and candidates as early voting gets underway for the Nov. 6 election.

Republicans had hoped that Proposition 6, as the effort to repeal the gas tax is called, would get more conservatives to the polls. The measure would undo a fuel tax of 12 cents a gallon and diesel fuel tax of 20 cents a gallon — money that Democrats says would help raise more than $5 billion annually toward road and bridge repair projects as well as mass transit improvements. The law also created a yearly vehicle fee ranging from $25 to $175.

Republicans, including Cox who is chairman of the Prop 6 committee, have argued that previous gas taxes and vehicles raised enough to make necessary repairs to the state’s transportation infrastructure.

Besides a repeal, Prop 6 also requires any future fuel taxes to be approved by voters.

That message appears to be sticking, with 58 percent giving support to Prop 6, versus 29 percent rejecting the repeal and 13 percent undecided.

Still, Newsom is leading the polls to replace his boss, two-term Gov. Brown. Forty percent of voters say they have a favorable opinion of Newsom, a candidate who has had much more time in the public eye in California, versus 34 percent who have a favorable opinion of Cox, a lawyer and financial adviser who hails from Chicago and now lives in Rancho Santa Fe.

In another major race, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has strong support to hold on to her seat, with 40 percent of Californians saying they are giving their vote to her versus 26 percent to opponent and fellow Democrat Kevin de León. However, a large portion — 35 percent — remain undecided. Of those undecideds, 65 percent are Republicans who will have to determine which Democrat is the least painful choice.

No doubt coloring Feinstein’s chance for re-election is her role in the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The five-time senator had a starring role in the partisan showdown as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

She has been both criticized and defended for holding on to a letter written by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford alleging a sexually assault by Kavanaugh when they were both teens. Ford first brought her allegation to a state representative and to the Washington Post, and then wrote a letter to Feinstien’s office in July with the request that Feinstein keep the accusation — and Ford’s identity — confidential.

Feinstein said she kept her word, but news of the letter detailing Ford’s allegations were leaked to the press. What followed was the explosive televised confirmation hearing featuring Ford’s testimony and Kavanaugh’s fiery denials.

Looking back, just a week after Kavanaugh was ultimately confirmed, Californians who were polled gave Feinstein’s handling of the issue a mixed review, with slightly more — 38 percent — giving her an A or B grade and 34 percent grading her with a D or F.

De León, president pro Tempore of the state Senate and known for authoring the California Values Act that gave protections to unauthorized immigrants, hasn’t seemed to elicit strong reactions from voters. While getting a 24 percent favorable rating, over half — 56 percent — gave him a rating of neutral or had no opinion either way.

Another hot topic among Californians — housing — is also being represented on this ballot.

Proposition 10, which would repeal a state law and allow local governments to enact rent control in particular geographic regions, does not appear to be winning over voters, with 46 percent saying they don’t support a repeal, compared to 35 percent who do.

The repeal is more popular with younger voters who are likely having trouble finding affordable housing, while voters over age 50 favor keeping the law as is.

Proposition 1, or the Veterans and Affordable Housing Act of 2018, which would allow the state to borrow $4 billion to spend on low-cost housing and low-cost loans for military veterans, is leading by a 3-to-1 margin, with 62 percent planning on “yes” votes. Not surprisingly, more than half — 56 percent — of those in favor of the measure live in active-duty military or veteran households.

The survey also asked about job approval ratings for others in office.

More than half of Californians polled — 57 percent — disapproved of President Donald Trump’s performance, a rating that falls mostly along party lines.

Voters gave Brown a 46 percent approval rating, with another 39 percent disapproving.

And former state Attorney General Kamala Harris, nearly two years into her term as a U.S. senator, has an approval rating of 46 percent with another 28 percent disapproving and almost as much — 26 percent — not sure.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis