Flap’s California Morning Collection September 21, 2011

California is less than two weeks away from shifting some state prison inmates into county jails, and Gov. Jerry Brown talks to hundreds of law enforcement and government officials this morning about that very subject.

Capitol denizens call this move “public safety realignment.” It’s described in this Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website as “historic legislation that will enable California to close the revolving door of low-level inmates cycling in and out of state prisons.”

Counties are about to take responsibility for custody, treatment and supervision of offenders convicted of specific non-violent, non-serious and non-sex crimes. The shift starts Oct. 1.

Brown will give the keynote address at 10 a.m. at the one-day conference, which runs all day at the Sacramento Convention Center. His remarks will be webcast live on the governor’s website.

On to today’s California headlines:

Poll finds even Republicans would switch initiatives to November election

Republican legislators in Sacramento are crying foul over an eleventh-hour push to limit future initiatives to November general elections.

But the idea behind the union-backed legislation doesn’t seem so bad to a majority of GOP voters, according to a new Field Poll.

Registered Republicans supported the proposed change by a 15-point margin, 52 percent to 37 percent. Overall, 56 percent of voters back the proposal, which was approved by the Legislature and is now awaiting action by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown.

Democrats supporting Senate Bill 202 argued that putting initiatives up for a vote in higher-turnout general elections would ensure that more Californians have a say in the measures that impact their lives.

Republicans accused Democrats of jamming through a change to the initiative process that would benefit their own political aims, including delaying a union-opposed measure expected to qualify for the June 2012 primary election. That election should hold more interest for GOP voters, who will choose a presidential candidate to face President Barack Obama.

Despite the potential political impacts, Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo said average voters aren’t tuned in to the maneuvering behind the last-minute legislation. To them, the idea of considering initiatives in the election they are more likely to vote in “sounds reasonable,” he said.

Divided Views About the Internet Sales Tax Law and a possible Referendum to Overturn it

By a 51% to 40% margin voters think it is bad policy to not charge a sales tax for merchandise purchased online when the same item purchased at a local retail outlet would be assessed this tax.

However, Californians are divided on the merits of the new legislation aimed at requiring large online retailers based out of state to begin collecting sales taxes on such purchases. Forty-seven percent of voters favor the new law, while 46% are opposed.

When asked how they would vote on a possible referendum to overturn the law, voters are similarly divided. If such a referendum were to qualify for the ballot, 49% say they would vote to overturn
the law, while 44% would vote to keep it in place.

There are big partisan differences on these matters. Majorities of Democrats think it is bad policy for out-of-state online retailers to not be charging sales taxes and support the new law to require
them to do so. If a referendum seeking to overturn the law were to qualify for the ballot, they would vote to keep the law by a five to four margin.

On the other hand, Republicans hold divided views about whether charging sales taxes for online purchases is a good policy but oppose the new law requiring online retailers based outside the state
to do so. And, by a 56% to 28% margin, they would vote to overturn the new law should a referendum about this qualify for the ballot.