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California's Prop. 19 would legalize possessing, cultivating and transporting marijuana for personal use

A new Public Policy Institute of California survey supports what the Field Poll hinted at a few days ago: Most Californians want legal pot.

Of the big four ballot propositions included in the PPIC poll, only one — Proposition 19, which would legalize recreational marijuana use — surpassed the 50 percent threshold needed for passage. The initiative received 52 percent support overall, including 65 percent of independents and 63 percent of both Democrats and Latinos. Support among those aged 18-30 was high, at 70 percent, according to the poll.

Also making significant progress was Proposition 23, which inched up to 43 percent. Both gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown have come out against the controversial proposition, which would effectively roll back AB 32, California’s greenhouse gas emissions law.

The poll was conducted Sept. 19-26 and had a margin of error of just over 3 percent.

Among the candidates, Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman are locked in a virtual tie for the governor’s office, at 37-38. The result seemed to echo the Field Poll released last week that showed the two tied at 41-41.

Although Democrats boast a 14-percentage-point advantage in voter registration in California, Whitman has been making gains among independents and enjoys more enthusiastic support among Republicans. She leads Brown 38-30 among independents; 71 percent of Republicans back her compared to 63 percent of Democrats who support Brown. The two gubernatorial candidates tangled Tuesday night in their first debate.

Sen. Barbara Boxer’s lead over Carly Fiorina in the U.S. Senate race seems to be confirmed: the poll shows the incumbent Democrat leading the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive 42-35.

For all of the frenzy inspired by the tea party movement and insurgent candidates elsewhere in the nation, Californians remain uninspired, Mark Baldassare of the PPIC said.

"Neither the candidates nor the ballot measures have captured the imagination of the California electorate," he said in a statement. "There's consensus about the problems, and voters are looking for a game-changer. They don't see one on this ballot."