More voters support trash measure than oppose it, poll finds

A new poll shows more San Diegans supporting a ballot measure to repeal free trash pickup for single-family homes than opposing it, but support drops sharply when people are told the measure could mean paying new costs.

Support for Measure B outpaced opposition by 35% to 21% before likely voters were told of the potential fee in the poll, which was conducted by SurveyUSA for the San Diego Union-Tribune and 10News. But an even larger share of likely voters – 41% – said they were undecided.

After respondents were told the measure could result in monthly bills of between $23 and $29 for single-family homeowners, 45% of likely voters said they were less likely than before to support the measure, and 27% said they were more likely to support it.

These results suggest that measure B could be vulnerable to a strong opposition campaign ahead of the November 8 elections.

The language of the ballot measure, which critics have called misleading, does not mention fees. He asks if the city should be able to recoup the cost of waste and recycling so that everyone in the city can get a comparable service.

San Diego is the only major city in the nation with a two-tier waste collection system that offers free pickup to single-family homes, but requires apartment and condo residents, as well as businesses, to pay fees. private carriers.

Measure B receives strong support from those who want the city to prioritize climate change, people who describe themselves as very liberal, young people and those who are least sure about voting, according to the poll.

A key argument in favor of measure B is that it would allow the city to stimulate recycling with financial incentives to produce less waste. Such incentives are not possible when the service is free.

The measure, which only requires a simple majority to pass, was most strongly opposed by those who want to prioritize road repairs, Tories, older people and those most likely to vote.

The poll polled 649 registered voters Sunday through Thursday on landlines, smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices and has a margin of error of 5.4 percentage points. The poll deemed 549 respondents likely to vote.

Support from single-family homeowners fell after mention of new fees for these residents, while support from condo owners increased.

The measure initially received support from 37% of single-family homeowners, but 55% of single-family homeowners said the potential fees made them less likely to support it. Only 21% said fees made them more likely to support Measure B.

Among condo owners, initial support was 33%. When told about the potential fees for single-family homeowners, 34% of condo owners said they were more likely to support Measure B, while 29% said they were less likely.

The measure is expected to get strong support from condo owners and people living in apartments, as they wouldn’t face new fees, but the city would receive about $70 million a year in new payroll funds. , services and amenities.

A possible reason to doubt the adoption of the measure is that people do not appreciate garbage collection. When asked how much they would be willing to pay monthly for garbage service, 28% said nothing, 27% said less than $10, 25% said $10 to $20, and 10% said over $20.

Another possible concern for the measure’s outlook could be strong opposition among highly likely voters and strong support among less likely voters.

Among respondents who had previously voted by post, opposition outstripped support by 45% to 38%.

Among those who said they were certain to vote, support outpaced opposition by 35% to 21%. Those who described themselves as likely voters supported the measure by the widest margin, 35% to 16%.

Of those who said they were certain to vote, 42% said they were undecided. Among likely voters, 50% say they are undecided.

Support for the measure varied by race. Before charges were mentioned, support outnumbered opposition by 40% to 12% among Asian Americans, 38% to 25% among Hispanics, and 33% to 22% among whites.

The mention of fees made all three groups much more likely to oppose the measure. Results from black voters were not included in the results because they did not represent a large enough share of those polled.

Income level does not appear to be a key factor in favor of the measure. Support outpaced opposition by 34% to 26% among those earning less than $40,000 a year, 35% to 21% among those earning between $40,000 and $80,000, and 35% to 19% among those earning more than $80,000.