THE TIMES POLL : Voters Blame Wilson, Legislature Over Budget : O.C. respondents say both the Democrat-controlled body and the governor are responsible for the impasse.

Fed up with the unprecedented budget impasse in Sacramento, Orange County voters blame both the Democrat-dominated Legislature and Republican Gov. Pete Wilson for the lingering crisis, a Los Angeles Times poll has found.

Asked what or who is most responsible, 36% blamed the state Legislature, 28% pointed to Wilson, 10% named Speaker Willie Brown and 8% blamed the economy.

The governor got higher marks for trying to navigate a course out of the crisis, but even in this most Republican of counties Wilson has clearly suffered politically. One in three of those polled said Wilson is doing a better job than Democrats in the Legislature (22%) to end the stalemate, and a majority disapprove of the way he is handling his job. One of four said neither branch of government is working effectively to find a solution.

“It’s sort of like the S&L; crisis,” said John Brennan, director of The Times Poll. “It’s easy to find blame in all political corners. The Legislature’s image is really taking a beating, but Wilson is hurting, too.”

Brennan also noted that Orange County voters are blaming Sacramento rather than factors such as the national recession or lawmakers in Washington. President Bush was cited by only 1% as a cause of the state’s fiscal difficulties, while welfare recipients, illegal immigrants and government waste were named by 3%.

The poll contacted 1,067 voters in Orange County over the weekend and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

It found that 77% feel the state Legislature is not doing an adequate job overall, while just 14% approve of the job they’re doing. Wilson also got a poor job rating, with 55% disapproving of his performance and 38% approving.

For Wilson, that rating in Orange County--a Republican stronghold--does not bode well. Brennan said the number could indicate that his support in California may have slipped from the rating he received in a statewide Times Poll in May, when 52% disapproved of his performance and 43% approved.

Wilson’s standing in Orange County also ranked below that of President Bush. In last weekend’s Times Poll, 47% disapproved of Bush’s performance and 51% approved.

But the governor, who has been aligned during his tenure in Sacramento with the GOP’s moderate wing, got good marks from conservative Republicans in Orange County, who gave him a 60% approval rating. Only 36% of the county’s liberal and moderate Republicans approved of Wilson’s performance.

Clarence Tuttle, a 74-year-old retired teacher and Army lieutenant colonel from Laguna Niguel, expressed the sort of support Wilson enjoys among many conservative Republicans as he battles with the Democrat-dominated Legislature over the budget.

“I don’t know how you would work with a Willie Brown or a Tom Hayden. What can a governor do?” Tuttle said. “I think Pete Wilson is sincere when he says he wants to balance the budget.”

As for the Legislature, Tuttle said: “They’ve been in there way too long and they ought to kick them out of there. I hope term limits survive, then we’ll have new people in there who the governor can work with.”

But the Legislature also got poor marks from Orange County voters to the political left. More than 7 in 10 liberals, moderates, independents and Democrats chided the state lawmakers.

“I think the idea that people are elected to serve their constituents has been lost,” said Democrat Judith Stamper, 35, of Costa Mesa, a medical assistant now at home raising her children. “They’re working on their own agendas instead of for the people. I’m really disgusted with it. It makes me wonder how much my vote counts.”

The poll found that Republicans in Sacramento are seen as better able to handle the state’s problems, edging out Democrats 47% to 32%. But that margin is less than the GOP’s lead in voter registration of 54% to 34%.

Beth Love, a retired investment counselor from Irvine, said she will register her protest against politicians on both sides of the aisle by voting anti-incumbent in November.

“I just think it’s ridiculous that a state the size of California has gone without a budget,” said Love, a Republican. “Can you imagine how the state’s credit rating is? What about the poor people on welfare and on Medi-Cal and all that? How are they supposed to live?”

Nearly half the Orange County residents surveyed said the biggest danger for the state right now is higher taxes, while 32% said the worst problem was cuts to state programs.

That concern about taxes, nothing new for a county that has long been a bastion of anti-tax sentiment, is nonetheless good news for the county’s delegation in Sacramento. Orange County legislators have stood firm against any efforts to hike taxes to balance the budget during the negotiations.

Despite the crisis, 85% of voters polled in Orange County said they have not suffered hardship because of the impasse. Only 5% said the budget problems caused a major hardship in their households. Slightly more low-income residents (21%) report having been hurt by the budget logjam compared to middle-income residents (14%) or those in the upper-income brackets (13%).

A broad consensus of Orange County residents would also like to see the budget ax avoid education, with 58% saying school funds should not be cut or cut least. Democrats, independents and Republicans supported education, as did liberals, conservatives and all income groups. Even the elderly, who would appear destined to gain the least from the state educational system, picked schools most often for unfettered funding.

Health services was the second choice of Orange County residents for uninterrupted funding (22%), followed by public safety (11%), programs for the elderly (10%) and welfare (8%).

Disapproval of Sacramento

As the state’s budget impasse drags on, a majority of Orange County residents polled over the weekend said they disapprove of the overall job being done by the state Legislature and Gov. Pete Wilson.

Do you approve of the way Wilson is handling his job as governor? Disapprove: 55% Approve: 38% Don’t know: 7% *

Do you approve of the way the California Legislature is handling its job? Disapprove: 77% Approve: 14% Don’t know: 9%

How the Poll Was Conducted

The Times Poll interviewed 1,067 Orange County registered voters, by telephone, Aug. 22 and 23. Telephone numbers were chosen from a list of all exchanges in the county. Random-digit dialing techniques were used to ensure that both listed and unlisted numbers had an opportunity to be contacted. Results were weighted slightly to conform with census figures for sex, race, age, education and household size. The margin of sampling error for the total sample is plus or minus 4 percentage points. For certain subgroups, the error margin is somewhat higher. Poll results can also be affected by other factors such as question wording and the order in which questions are presented.

Mixed Blamed for Budget Impasse

O. C. residents score Gov. Pete Wilson highest on his attempts to find a solution to the impasse, and Republicans are generally looked to as the party that can best handle California’s problems. Orange County residents most want education to be spared from the budget ax.

Who do you think is doing a better job finding a solution to the state’s budget problems, Wilson or the Democrats in the Legislature? Wilson: 33% Democrats: 22% Neither: 25% Both: 2% Don’t know: 18% *

In your view, what is the greater danger for California right now: that spending has been cut to the point where essential programs and services are threatened, or that taxes have been raised to the point where people can’t handle the burden? Taxes burdensome: 48% Programs threatened: 32% Neither: 2% Both: 13% Don’t know: 5% *

If state services and programs have to be cut, which particular programs do you think should be spared or cut the least? Education: 58% Health, medical: 22% Public safety: 11% Elderly: 10% Welfare programs: 8% Poverty: 4% Children: 4% Disabled benefits: 3% All other programs: 13% None: 3% Don’t know: 12% Note: Adds to more than 100% because of multiple responses

*

In your opinion, who or what is most responsible for California’s budget problems? Is anyone or anything else responsible? State Legislature: 36% Pete Wilson: 28% Willie Brown: 10% Bad economy: 8% Democrats: 6% Ex-Gov. George Deukmejian: 4% Republicans: 3% Bureaucracy: 3% Loss of business: 3% Illegal immigrants: 3% People on welfare: 3% Government waste: 3% All other reasons: 17% No one in particular: 3% Don’t know: 14% Note: Adds to more than 100% because of multiple responses

*

Which party do you think can do a better job handling the problems California faces today? Republicans: 47% Democrats: 32% Neither: 9% Both: 2% Don’t know: 10% *

As you may know, California has not had a budget since July 1 because Wilson and the Legislature have been unable to agree on how to solve the deficit. Have you or has someone in your immediate household suffered some hardship because of that stalemate? Has that hardship been major or minor? Hurt (major): 5% Hurt (minor): 9% Not hurt: 85% Don’t know: 1% Source: Los Angeles Times Poll