Californians support Russia sanctions + COVID-19 optimism + Newsom’s job performance
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
CALIFORNIANS FAVOR SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA
A strong majority of Californians favor sanctioning Russia over that country’s invasion of Ukraine, even if it means higher energy prices.
That’s the finding of the latest survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, which surveyed California voters between March 6 and March 17.
A whopping 70% of likely voters say they support sanctions regardless of what it may do to gas prices. That includes 71% of Democrats surveyed, 54% of Republicans and 57% of independents.
Just over half (53%) of California likely voters support the job that President Joe Biden is doing with handling the Ukraine situation, though Democrats (79%) are far more likely to support the president than are Republicans (22%) or independents (43%) on the issue.
CALIFORNIANS ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT COVID-19
COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, but Californians are still feeling pretty good about where things stand with the pandemic.
A full 79% of those surveyed by PPIC said that the worst of COVID-19 is behind us now. Compare that to a month ago, when it was 67%.
Californians still by and large (64%) say that it is more important to try and control the spread of the virus, even if it means having some restrictions. Democrats (65%) are more likely to favor controlling the spread while Republicans (53%) are more likely to favor having no restrictions.
A majority of Californians (57%), and half of likely voters, say they favor requiring proof of vaccination to enter large outdoor gatherings or certain indoor spaces, such as restaurants and bars. That’s down slightly from last September, when it was 61%.
Broken down by party, 71% of Democrats favor proof of vaccination while 72% of Republicans and 52% of independents oppose requiring such proof.
NEWSOM’S JOB APPROVAL HOLDS STEADY
Finally, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s job approval is holding steady, the PPIC reports.
Six months after Newsom defeated a recall attempt, 56% of Californians and 50% of likely voters approve of Newsom’s job as governor. He has remained above 50% approval since January 2020.
Unsurprisingly, Democrats largely support Newsom (80%), while 81% of Republicans and 54% of independents disapprove of Newsom’s job performance.
Meanwhile, the California Legislature is sitting at 49% approval for all Californians, 41% for likely voters.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Governor Newsom just announced sending $400 to every Californian with a registered vehicle. This is a good idea, EXCEPT payments won’t start until July at earliest. Californians are hurting and need relief ASAP. We should send the rebates now AND suspend the gas tax!”
- Sen. Brian Jones, R-Santee, via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
Auto-delete state workers’ emails? Some departments scrap records in as little as 90 days, via Wes Venteicher.
Californians who drive could receive up to $800 under a proposal released by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, via Andrew Sheeler.
Nearly 545,000 California student loan borrowers will be at “high risk of struggling to repay their loans” once the federal payment pause ends May 1, a new California Policy Lab study said Wednesday, via David Lightman.
As other states move to restrict access to abortion, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law aimed at making them more accessible, via Andrew Sheeler.
California State University will permanently remove SAT and ACT standardized test requirements from its undergraduate admission process, a move that university officials say will help the nation’s largest four-year university system more equitably assess prospective students, via Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks and Andrew Sheeler.