POLL: DRUG TREATMENT MEASURE FAVORED, BUT NOT SCHOOL VOUCHERS

(10-26) 07:01 PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Voters in California stand ready to endorse a measure that would place nonviolent drug offenders in treatment rather than prison, but dislike a measure that would provide vouchers for private education, according to a statewide poll published Thursday by the Los Angeles Times.

The Times poll found that 54 percent of all likely voters say they would endorse Proposition 36, which mandates probation and treatment instead of incarceration for some nonviolent drug offenders. The poll found that 28 percent of voters planned to vote against the measure and 18 percent were undecided.

A large percentage of likely voters were not familiar with Proposition 36, but offered their opinions on the issue when the ballot measure was read to them.

``There's a big opportunity here for one side or the other,'' said Susan Pinkus, director of the Times Poll. ``Whoever has the money to run an advertising campaign can really shape public opinion on this.''

A significant 73 percent agreed with the statement that ``money spent on the war on drugs is misplaced,'' and more should be spent on treating addicts rather than sending them to prison.

Proposition 38, the school voucher initiative, received little support from voters.

Among all likely voters, 66 percent said they would not vote for the measure, which would provide a $4,000 voucher for every California schoolchild to attend either a private or religious school.

Only 27 percent of voters said they favored Proposition 38 and 7 percent said they were undecided.

The measure has been championed as a way to help students escape from failing schools and to use competition to improve the performance of public schools. Opponents claim the measure does not take into account student need or school quality and point out that even students from wealthy families who already attend private school would qualify for the taxpayer-supported vouchers.

The Times also found support for Proposition 39, a measure that would authorize bonds for the repair and construction of school facilities with 55 percent of the vote rather than the two-thirds majority currently required.

The poll found that 55 percent of likely voters endorsed the measure, while 32 percent said they would vote against it. The remaining 13 percent said they were undecided.

The poll contacted 1,304 Californians, including 852 likely voters, between Oct. 19 and Monday and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.