< Return to the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll page

Press Call: Public Opinion On High Speed Rail and Other Results from Latest Survey of Calif. Voters

Sunday, June 3, 11:00 a.m. PT: Survey reveals how Californians feel about the high speed rail project, ballot initiatives, online gambling and more.

Media Contacts:
Suzanne Wu at (213) 740-0252 or suzanne.wu@usc.edu
Michelle Salzman at (213) 821-9311 or msalzman@dornsife.usc.edu
Merrill Balassone at (213) 740-6156 or balasson@usc.edu

WHAT: As the California state legislature faces a decision deadline on whether to allocate funds to start high speed rail construction, a new poll reveals how California voters actually feel about what would be the nation's first high-speed railroad, a proposed 520-mile train through the Central Valley and eventually connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The latest findings from the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll will be discussed in the press call Sunday, June 3 at 11 a.m. PT. Results from the large survey of registered voters, conducted May 17-21, include not only sentiment on high speed rail, but also on ballot initiatives that would seek to raise taxes in order to reduce the state's $16 billion budget deficit, Propositions 28 and 29 on the June ballot, online gambling and marijuana, and Mitt Romney's chances in the largest state in the country.

Panelists include political analysts from the Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and representatives from polling firms Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and American Viewpoint.

Results include:

•     Do voters stand with the governor in supporting high speed rail in California? Would residents be likely to use high speed rail for commuting? Do voters want another chance to vote on funding the transportation project?
•     Do Californians favor reducing term limits for state legislators? Do they support raising taxes on cigarettes? How likely are Propositions 28 and 29 to pass?
•     Would Californians be willing to legalize online poker in order to raise revenue for the state? Do Californians support medicial marijuana use or legalizing marijuana? How many California voters say they have used marijuana recreationally?

For more information about the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll, including past results and methodology, visit http://dornsife.usc.edu/poll

WHEN: Phone conference Sunday, June 3 at 11 a.m. PT

WHO: Panelists include:

•     Dan Schnur, director of USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll and director of the Unruh Institute of Politics at USC
•     Representatives from polling firms Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and American Viewpoint

HOW: Call-in spots are limited. To reserve a spot for the phone conference, RSVP to Suzanne Wu at suzanne.wu@usc.edu. Call-in numbers:

United States: (800) 230-1059
International: +01 (612) 234-9959    

WEB SITE: http://dornsife.usc.edu/poll
TWITTER: @usclatpoll

About the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences/Los Angeles Times Poll: The USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll is a series of statewide public opinion polls in California, designed to survey voter attitudes on a wide range of political, policy, social and cultural issues.

Conducted at regular intervals throughout the year, the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times Poll is one of the largest polls of registered voters in the state and has been widely cited, helping to inform the public and to encourage discourse on key political and policy issues.

About USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences: USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is the heart of the university. The largest, oldest and most diverse of USC's 19 schools, USC Dornsife is composed of more than 30 academic departments and dozens of research centers and institutes. USC Dornsife is home to approximately 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 750 faculty members with expertise across the humanities, social sciences and sciences.

About the Los Angeles Times: The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 2 million and 3 million on Sunday, and a combined print and interactive local weekly audience of 4.5 million. The fast-growing latimes.com draws over 10 million unique visitors monthly.