PPIC Poll: California

A slim majority support a November ballot measure that
would change how commercial property is taxed, and well below half support a measure that would
repeal the state’s ban on affirmative action in the public sector. Most Californians are concerned about
contracting COVID-19—similar to May—while on the issue of race relations in the US, six in ten believe
they have gotten worse in the last year, a major shift in opinion from early 2019. These are among the
key findings of a statewide survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California.
Proposition 15 would change the tax assessment of commercial and industrial property by basing it on
current market value instead of purchase price—amending the 1978 landmark citizens’ initiative (Prop
13) and creating a “split roll” tax. Among likely voters, 51 percent favor and 40 percent oppose, with
Democrats (72%) far more likely to support than independents (46%) and Republicans (17%). Less than
half of homeowners (47%) would vote yes, compared with 56 percent of renters. Younger Californians
are much more likely than older residents to support Proposition 15 (60% ages 18 to 44, 46% age 45
and older). Support is highest among likely voters in the San Francisco Bay Area (62%) followed by
those in Los Angeles (54%), Inland Empire (51%), Central Valley (47%), and Orange/San Diego (41%).
“Californians are divided on Proposition 15, with Republicans and Democrats, younger and older voters,
and renters and homeowners showing widely different support for this tax and spending initiative,” said
Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO.