NEW SURVEY: Strong Majorities of Voters Across California Give State Government Failing Grades for Accountability and Transparency.

75% Believe It’s Very Important to Have Independent Public Audits of Spending Before Voters Are Asked to Approve New Taxes

Nearly two-thirds of voters say that state government will only fix wasteful spending if independent oversight and public reporting are required by law.

Sacramento, CA - According to a new statewide survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies in partnership with FM3, voters across California are very concerned with how taxpayer dollars are being spent on critical programs, failing to provide accountability or transparency in how taxpayer dollars are used. Sixty-three percent think that the state government will only fix wasteful spending if independent oversight and public reporting are required by law. 

“These survey results reflect an overall sense of frustration and distrust in how state government is handling tax dollars as high or higher than we have seen around the country.” said William McInturiff, Partner, Public Opinion Strategies. "Voters are frustrated with the fraud, waste and abuse they're seeing at a time when they are asking for more accountability and transparency with essential resources."

When asked to grade a variety of programs that use taxpayer dollars, voters consistently gave a failing grade (ranked as a “D” or “F”) to some of the most important issues facing the state. 

• 84% of voters think state politicians are not spending tax dollars efficiently 

• 72% of voters give California a failing grade in efforts to address homelessness 

• 62% of voters think that California is failing to spend tax dollars effectively

• 59% of voters think state government has failed at transparency and accountability

• A majority of voters think that at least half of every dollar the state spends is lost to waste, mismanagement or fraud. 

  
  

“Voters are clearly fed up with the way in which their tax dollars are being spent,” said Robert Gutierrez, President of the California Taxpayers Association. “With nearly three-quarters of voters lacking confidence that their state leaders will spend tax dollars as promised, we need better accountability to ensure that people are getting what they pay for.”

In the survey, 97% of voters said it was important (82% very important) that state programs receiving taxpayer dollars are required to report measurable, trackable results to the public. Moreover, 94% said that it was important to have an independent public audit of government programs before voters are asked to approve new taxes to fund programs (75% very important). 

These results come at a time when voters are being asked to consider Proposition 41, which requires the independent State Auditor to conduct financial and performance audits of the programs funded by any new tax measure, with results posted publicly. If approved by voters, Prop 41 would also require ongoing public audits, also conducted by the independent State Auditor,  to evaluate spending, identify waste, fraud, or abuse, assess whether they are meeting their intended goals, and recommend improvements.

“California voters have approved nearly $200 billion in special taxes, bonds, and dedicated revenue over the last two decades. A review of these measures shows recurring concerns about unspent funds, limited outcome data, whether promised results have been achieved, and rising costs across many major initiatives,” Gutierrez added.

Other notable results found that: 

• 64% of voters surveyed find that despite more than $20 billion being spent on homelessness programs in recent years, the problem has gotten worse 

• 60% of voters think that despite state spending having grown nearly 80% in the last seven years, Californians are getting worse results from state programs 

• 62% of voters think that state government needs to do a better job with the tax revenue they already collect