Power shortage shifts attitudes Posted at 10:51 p.m. PDT Sunday, May 20, 2001 BY NOAM LEVEY Mercury News Sacramento Bureau California's spiraling energy crisis, already menacing the state's economy and sucking billions of dollars out of the state treasury, has dramatically shaken Californians' confidence in their future and their governor, a new poll shows. Nearly half of the state's residents now believe California is headed in the wrong direction, a stunning reversal from just five months ago, when nearly two-thirds believed the state was headed in the right direction, according to the poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California. And bearing the brunt of this new pessimism is Gov. Gray Davis, whose approval ratings have plummeted to 46 percent, down from 63 percent in January, when the San Francisco-based institute conducted its last poll. ''We have seen slow deteriorations in public attitudes during tough times in the past,'' said Mark Baldassare, who directed the survey. ''But what is most surprising is the speed at which this change has occurred. . . . It is very dramatic.'' Indeed, the energy crisis now dominates all other issues confronting Californians, according to the survey of 2,001 residents statewide. Forty-three percent of respondents listed electricity as the most important issue facing the state, compared to just 13 percent who identified growth and 6 percent who identified education as the next most important issues. In recent years, Californians have consistently ranked education as their top issue. And nearly two thirds of respondents said they fear the issue of supply, demand and cost of electricity will hurt the California economy ''a great deal.'' ''Without electricity we can't do much of anything, especially work, and without work the economy will continue to tank,'' said Maria Griffiths, a 46-year-old juvenile court clerk in San Jose. Results dismissed The governor's top political adviser, Garry South, dismissed the findings as predictable. ''The voters are in a very bad mood. They are not happy with anyone in this drama,'' South said. ''But these poll numbers need to be taken in context. . . . People don't understand what he's done because it is very hard to communicate that in this state.'' South emphasized that he believes Californians will understand the extent of Davis' efforts by the time they go to the polls next year. Davis is expected to run for re-election next year, and several Republicans, including Secretary of State Bill Jones, are already lining up to challenge him. Davis also has his eyes on the presidential election in 2004. The survey found that most Californians do not blame Davis for the current electricity crisis. Only 10 percent say he and the current Legislature are culpable, compared to 32 percent who blame the utilities and 26 percent who blame former Gov. Pete Wilson and the legislators who passed California's landmark deregulation five years ago. ''He didn't make the deregulation disaster. I think that's Pete Wilson's legacy,'' said John Putica, 52, a bank loan officer in San Jose. Criticism for Davis But there are nonetheless troubling signs for the man charged with leading California out of its power troubles. Sixty percent of those polled said they disapprove of how Davis is handling the power crisis, much to the delight of Republicans who have hammered the governor for not doing more. Davis has emphasized that the solution to the state's electricity crisis involves more power plants, more conservation and federal intervention to control the price that California is being forced to pay for power. The state has approved 15 new power plants since Davis was elected. But for the past several weeks, the governor has been fighting an escalating war of words with the White House over President Bush's unwillingness to support price caps on electricity. Bush's energy plan released last week again rejected price controls and focused instead on rapidly boosting the nation's supply of power. The Public Policy Institute of California's survey found that 43 percent of Californians believe that new power plants offer the best solution to the crisis. But there is far less support for either conservation or price caps; 18 percent identified conservation as the most important solution, and just 8 percent favored federal price controls on generators. That news was warmly received by a representative of power generators, who have been accused by Davis and others of artificially inflating the price of power to mine the California market for excessive profits. ''I think the public is skeptical of the actual benefits of trying to cap the price of power,'' said Jan Smutny-Jones, executive director of the Independent Energy Producers Association. Electricity generators argue that price caps will discourage the construction of more power plants. Backing re-regulation Meanwhile, consumer groups, who have been advocating for re-regulation of the electricity market, were left to hope that support for more controls will come when Californians' power bills start rising next month. ''People don't yet understand that generators are responsible for cutting off the juice,'' said Harvey Rosenfield of the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. ''But in three weeks, California is going to face a catastrophe. This is going to hit supernova status. . . . Once people understand what the causes are here, I think they will understand that the only solution will be re-regulation.'' Whether they will trust the state to come up with a solution is unclear, however. ''The electricity problem has not only had major consequences on how people view their leaders and their short-term future,'' said Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California. ''There is less confidence in the state's ability to plan for the long-term future. And that is giving people worry. ''This crisis and the general economic uncertainty have severely undermined public confidence in California's future and its leaders.'' Mercury News Staff Writer Mike Zapler contributed to this report.
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Power shortage shifts attitudes --Davis Plummets in Polls