64% Want $700 Million to Go to Schools, Not for Tax Rebate, Poll Finds

An overwhelming majority of Southern Californians are in favor of using $700 million in surplus state revenue for schools, according to a weekend poll in five counties.

A telephone survey of 450 adults showed that 64% of Southern Californians would forgo a personal tax rebate of up to $95 for individuals and $190 for couples so that the money could instead be spent on public education. The poll, taken in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, was conducted for KABC television by Teichner Associates. It has a 4.5% margin of error.

State Schools Supt. Bill Honig immediately seized on the numbers Sunday as proof that the public has sided with him in a long and often harsh debate with Gov. George Deukmejian over state spending priorities.

“The Administration has underestimated the intelligence of the people,” Honig said after hearing the results. “The people don’t want the quick fifty bucks. They want it to go to services. They want the money put toward schools.”

The state’s proposed $41.1-billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 has become entangled in the debate over what should be done with the $700 million.

Taxpayers’ Choice

Republicans in the House and Senate have sided with the governor and blocked passage of the spending plan, refusing to vote for it unless the money is refunded to taxpayers. The Democratic majority in both houses, in a show of support for Honig, passed legislation to spend the $700 million on education, only to see the bill vetoed by Deukmejian.

Under a plan announced Saturday by the governor, taxpayers eligible for an income tax rebate would be allowed either to take the money or return it to the state. Those returning the money could specify whether they want it to go to education or to such programs as roads, toxic cleanup, law enforcement or research into AIDS.

Deukmejian has argued that by law he must return the $700 million to taxpayers because state spending for the year exceeds limits established in 1979 with the passage of Proposition 4. Kevin Brett, the governor’s press secretary, reiterated that position Sunday.

“I don’t think it’s right to make decisions based on polls. This is a matter of law, not a matter of choice,” Brett said. “Proposition 4 establishes a reasonable limit on governmental spending, and then it calls for any surplus to be returned to the taxpayers. Honig, for his own political purposes, has chosen to ignore the law.”

Several legal and budget experts, including Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp, dispute the governor’s interpretation. They have issued opinions or reports concluding that Proposition 4 gives the state several alternatives, including transferring the money to school districts and other local governmental bodies.

Earlier Survey

The Teichner poll and a similar survey conducted last week in several Northern and Central Valley counties clearly show the public’s support for a plan earmarking surplus funds for education, Honig said. In the earlier survey, 73% of those questioned said they favored spending the money on schools rather than pocketing a rebate that would average $42, he said.

Pollster Steven Teichner said two surveys he took earlier this year “consistently show that the people are concerned that a level of services be maintained. Education has consistently ranked very high. People feel that schools need more money, and in that way they agree with Honig, not the governor.”

In Teichner’s new poll, respondents were given the option of keeping an average refund of $50 or giving it back to the state for schools or other services. Of those questioned, 64% said they wanted the money directed to schools, 29% said they preferred keeping the money, 4% said the state should use it for non-educational services and 3% said they did not know.

A second question showed that 51% of the respondents believe that either Deukmejian or Honig or both are trying to further their political careers with the debate.