
The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), an organization that has published several pro-Delta Tunnels reports in recent years, in March released their annual survey of “Californians and Their Government” that included a controversial question about the tunnels.
Pro-tunnels groups touted the results of the survey as showing support for Governor Jerry Brown’s water project, while tunnels opponents challenged the use of a leading question in the survey.
The PPIC question asked:
“The governor has proposed to improve the reliability of water supplies by building tunnels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. How important is this proposal for the future quality of life and economic vitality of California?”
In response to the question, about half (51%) say the project is very important, (26%) somewhat important, and 14% not too important or not at all important.
“There are wide regional differences: 64 percent of Los Angeles residents call the tunnels very important, but just 40 percent in the Central Valley express this view," the PPIC noted. “Opinion within the Central Valley varies: in the San Joaquin Valley 79 percent of residents say the tunnels are at least somewhat important, while 58 percent of Sacramento Metro and North Valley residents express this view.”
As soon as the survey results were released, Californians for Water Security, a Stewart Resnick-funded and pro-tunnels lobbying group, hailed the PPIC poll results with a press release headlined, “77% of Californians Think Governor’s California WaterFix is Important to the State’s Future.”
“This week, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) published a poll which highlights that 77 percent of Californians view Governor Jerry Brown’s California WaterFix as important. In fact, 51 percent think it is very important,” the group said.
In a statement, Restore the Delta responded: “While that is an accurate portrayal of the poll results, ethical public polling requires the strict avoidance of biased questions that may change the accuracy of the survey."