Californians are unhappy, according to the inaugural USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences/Los Angeles Times statewide public opinion poll.  80% of California's registered voters believe the state is headed in the wrong direction, the highest reported level since immediately before the 2003 recall election.  While the governor can rightly point to substantial achievements in the areas of workers compensation, environmental protection, redistricting and most recently, water policy, the public feels largely shut out from the process.  24% of respondents said that influence of special interests was the primary reason for the state's decline, outpaced only by those who believe that state government overspending is the worst culprit.  As the field of candidates who will vie to replace Schwarzenegger begins to take shape, Californians are also doubtful that a new governor can bring about necessary change.

Click here for the complete results and here for the full article written by Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics.