Approval for California Legislators Barely Detectable

During rocky economic times, it’s expected that people will not look kindly on their federal elected officials.

And right now, President Bush earns very low approval ratings in the polls, with the Democratic-led Congress doing even worse.

But there’s a place where state lawmakers manage to garner even more atrocious assessments from the voters. That place is California.

The Golden State is in the midst of a fiscal mess, with a standoff over the state’s budget now reaching 74 days, according to a story from the Sacramento Bee.

The Bee’s report highlighted just how low legislators’ approval ratings have sunk:

California lawmakers keep breaking records. Earlier this month, the Legislature surpassed the mark for state budget futility. Now Californians have given their legislators the worst rating in recorded state history. A Field Poll released Thursday showed only 15 percent of registered voters give the 120 lawmakers passing marks, while 73 percent disapprove of their job performance. "This is the lowest job (approval) rating recorded for anybody from any institution," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the 62-year-old Field Poll. "No one has ever gotten this low. Even Richard Nixon."

Wow.

Imagine what lawmakers’ approval ratings would look like if they reined in bloated government spending, and kept taxes low. Just a thought.

Raymond J. Keating
Chief Economist
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council