Scoring the Pollsters

Re “Power Shortage Not Real, Most Californians Say,” June 28: Not “most,” but a majority of the 1,541 Californians polled.

President Bush and his administration didn’t do well in the poll in the way they handled the electricity situation in California--with a 65% disapproval rating. Since the problem started during the Clinton/Gore administration, I wonder how it would have been rated?

To those polled who agree strongly that Bush would have been more helpful to the state if Californians had voted for him, my response is this: Bush so far has not shown an inclination to sacrifice principles for votes. This is a new way to govern and not easily understood by many.

I can’t help but wonder how the poll results might have been skewed due to efforts by Gov. Gray Davis’ taxpayer-funded media gurus, hired at $30,000 per month until last Friday (“Davis Scraps Deal With Consultants,” June 30).

Bob Ball

Anaheim