California voters are narrowly split on propositions that would repeal the state's gas tax and expand the authority of local governments to enact rent control, with many undecided and still unfamiliar with the two initiatives.

Contact: Jim Key, (213) 821-2992 or jameskey@usc.edu; or Ron Mackovich (213) 740-6156 or rmackovi@usc.edu

In the race to determine who will represent California in the U.S. Senate for the next six years, Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has a 13-point lead over Democratic state Sen. Kevin de León, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll conducted online Sept. 17 – Oct. 14. A quarter of voters are undecided.

In a surprising twist, de León — whose campaign has positioned him to the political left of Feinstein — is the strong favorite of conservative Republicans, while Feinstein benefits from much greater support among liberal Democrats.

[Graphics by Dennis Lan, USC Dornsife]

Prop 6 is well under 50 percent, with voters evenly split. The measure would repeal California’s gas tax. Seventeen percent are undecided and more than 4 in 10 voters are still unfamiliar with the proposition.

It’s supported only by a small majority (53 percent) of residents from the region comprising Orange County, San Bernardino and Inland Empire counties. It’s opposed by a larger majority (63 percent) of those who live in the Northern California Bay area.

Voters are also split on Prop. 10, which is also under the critical 50 percent threshold. The measure would expand the rights of local governments to enact rent control on residential property. More than 1 in 5 voters are undecided and 49 percent aren’t familiar with the measure.

The poll also measured opinions regarding candidates for California governor and the issues most important in deciding whom to vote for, President Donald Trump, Gov. Jerry Brown, California’s housing crisis and a ballot measure that would change Prop. 13.

The full survey, results and methodology are available here.

The USC Dornsife/LA Times poll was conducted online, in English and Spanish, and surveyed 1,180 eligible voters in California, including 980 registered voters and 794 likely general election voters. All participants are members of the Center for Economic and Social Research’s Understanding America Study, a probability-based internet panel. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points for all eligible and +/- 4 for registered and for likely voters.

The survey, results and methodology are available here.

The USC Dornsife/LA Times poll is a partnership of The Los Angeles Times and two institutions of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences: the Center for the Political Future and the Center for Economic and Social Research. For more information about the Center for Economic and Social Research Understanding America Study internet panel, visit: https://uasdata.usc.edu

Interview opportunities
The following experts at USC Dornsife who lead the poll are available for interviews upon request:

• Robert Shrum, director of the Center for the Political Future
• Michael Murphy, co-director of the Center for the Political Future
• Jill Darling, survey director of the Center for Economic and Social Research

To arrange an interview with experts about the poll, please contact Jim Key at (213) 821-2992 or jameskey@usc.edu

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