Jerry Brown boasts approval ratings higher than predecessors

SACRAMENTO — Halfway through his final term as governor, Jerry Brown’s job approval ratings remain remarkably stable and higher than many of his predecessors, according to a new Field Poll. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, received a higher disapproval rating (48 percent) than approval (40 percent) during his sixth year at the helm in July 2008, which fell during California’s recession. The 10 Field Polls conducted since December 2013 have found a majority of voters approved of Brown, with ratings ranging from 54 percent to 59 percent, while about a third of voters disapproved of his job performance. During his first tenure as governor, Brown received a 52 percent disapproval rating compared with a 46 percent approval during his sixth year in July 1980. The poll found a partisan divide in how voters evaluated Brown, a Democrat in a state led by Democratic lawmakers. [...] DiCamillo said that partisan gap in Brown’s assessment is nothing like the huge gulf seen in President Obama’s ratings among voters in the state. The Field Poll, which surveyed 586 registered voters in California between June 8 and July 2, was conducted in six languages — English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Korean — depending on the voter’s preference.