Early in his third term, about half of California voters like the job Gov. Jerry Brown is doing, according to a new Field Poll.

The poll comes as Brown continues negotiating with the Legislature to close a $26.6 billion budget deficit.

Brown's approval rating could factor heavily in an election campaign to extend tax increases – a major part of his budget plan – but only if he can first persuade lawmakers to put the matter to a vote.

"It's actually a fairly good reading for Brown," said Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo. "Given that he's trying to take things to a special election, it shows that he has significant political capital."

Those who approve of Brown's performance outnumber those who disapprove by more than 2-1. Almost one-third don't have an opinion.

A majority of voters support Brown's proposal to hold an election on taxes, and a series of largely symbolic spending-reduction measures seem to have resonated, too. They include Brown's recall of thousands of state-issued cell phones and cars, and his ban on state purchases of knickknacks.

"I think he's doing everything he can to save money and cut the budget," said Keith Wade, a 35-year-old firefighter who lives in Folsom. "Just the phone thing that I remember that he did, stuff like that."

Voters still hold a dim view of the Legislature. Just 16 percent of registered voters approve of the job lawmakers are doing; 70 percent disapprove. Still, those marks are an improvement from September, when 80 percent of voters disapproved of the job the Legislature was doing.

Lawmakers last week passed the state's main budget bill and billions of dollars in spending cuts. But they put off Brown's most controversial proposals, to eliminate redevelopment agencies and to extend higher taxes on vehicles, income and sales.

Despite weeks of talks, Brown has yet to muster the two Republican votes needed in each house to put his tax measure on a June ballot.

Brown said after addressing a group of labor representatives Monday night that he remains hopeful he can reach a budget deal.

Brown acknowledged, however, that "time is running out," and that "the moment of truth is rapidly approaching."

In his address, at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, Brown said Californians deserve to vote on tax extensions, and he criticized Republican lawmakers he said were unwilling to either extend taxes or make sufficient spending cuts.

"If you're not going to vote to extend taxes, you're not going to vote to cut, you're not going to vote to do anything to redevelopment, so, what the hell are you going to do?" he said. "By the way, if you're not going to do anything, why do you take a paycheck?"

Republicans have said Californians are tired of being asked to extend taxes. Voters in 2009 rejected Proposition 1A, which also sought to extend higher tax rates.

Jon Brodie, a real estate broker who holds an unfavorable view of Brown, said taxes in California already are too high. Brodie, who is 39 and lives in Lodi, said Brown should "get real."

"Let's make some cuts," he said. "My family and I over the past two years, we've had to make some very serious cuts."

Brown is still enjoying the period of good will typically afforded politicians immediately after taking office.

The feeling doesn't always last. Brown's predecessor, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, posted highly favorable marks early in his first term, but the public's view of him by last year had fallen to a record low, matching that of former Gov. Gray Davis.

Davis, too, was once highly regarded, with an approval rating even more favorable than Brown's. It fell off considerably by 2003, the year he was recalled.

Californians are maintaining their dreary mood about the overall direction of the state, with 64 percent of voters saying it is on the wrong track. That assessment is more positive, however, than in September, when 81 percent of voters felt the state was on the wrong track.

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Call David Siders, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 321-1215.

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