A Tale of Two Bonds: Why Climate Wins While Schools Lag Behind

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When the 2024 ballot raises the question of whether voters care more about leaky schools or wildfires, the answer seems clear: Climate change trumps education in California's consciousness.

The two $10 billion bonds on the Nov. 5 ballot are showing significantly different poll results ahead of next week's election. While Proposition 2, which would require the state to issue $10 billion in bonds to repair school roofs, air conditioning and other construction, hovers just above the 50 percent threshold for passage, Proposal suggests 4 proposes to spend the same amount on fighting forest fires. According to surveys released last week, the rate for flooding and other climate resilience programs is a comfortable 60 percent.

According to pollsters and supporters of both bonds, much of the difference is due to climate being the new face on the block. While school funding has been on the ballot six times since 1998, most recently in 2020, this is the first time climate-specific spending has been put before voters, said Mark Baldassare, poll director at the Public Policy Institute of California, which conducted the poll last week.

“It’s new and different and it seems to be in keeping with the times,” Baldassare said. “Especially given some of the things that have happened in the state over the last few years.”