Biden’s poll numbers in California hold steady 3 weeks after first presidential debate

Nicole Nixon
·5 min read
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Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

CALIFORNIA SUPPORT FOR BIDEN UNCHANGED AFTER DEBATE

While President Joe Biden’s performance in a June 27 debate against Donald Trump prompted calls from top Democrats for him to drop out of the race, it doesn’t appear to have had an impact on his support in California.

The latest survey by the Public Policy Institute of California shows Biden’s support among Golden State voters holding steady at 55% — the same number Biden was polling before the debate.

According to the survey, 30% of California voters prefer Trump, also similar to the results of PPIC’s June poll.

Eleven percent of likely voters prefer someone other than the two candidates, who will meet in a rematch this November after Biden ousted Trump in 2020.

In the race for California’s open Senate seat, the survey showed Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff’s lead holding strong with support from 64% of voters, compared with 33% supporting Republican Steve Garvey.

The survey also asked voters about a $10 billion bond for climate infrastructure. (The PPIC noted Proposition 4 had not been certified for the ballot or numbered when they were conducting the survey). Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they would vote yes, while 40% said they would vote no.

Divisions about the bond fell largely along party lines, with 78% of Democrats saying they would support it while 73% of Republicans say they would vote against it.

988 LIFELINE MARKS ANNIVERSARY

Via Gillian Brassil…

Two years since the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched, awareness of it in California remains low, polling shows.

Nationally, 23% of respondents said they generally knew what it was and 67% had heard of it, according to polling by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Ipsos.

In California, that awareness is lower. Only 21% of Californians said they were familiar with 988 while 59% said they had heard of it.

A couple of California measures bolster the 988 Lifeline more in California than other states, said Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer at NAMI.

California requires insurance coverage of crisis response services. It is one of 10 states that have implemented an option for a small fee on all monthly phone bills to fund 988, according to NAMI.

“Both of these relate to the financial viability of 988 and a crisis response system, putting California ahead of many states,” Wesolowski said.

The 988 Lifeline launched in July 2022. It expanded services and shortened the telephone number from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline that was in place since 2005.

More than 10 million contacts have been answered by 988, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Crisis counselors through 988 are reachable via calls, texts and chats.

The Federal Communications Commission is working on enforcing the geo-routing of 988 calls. Currently, calls are sent to centers based on someone’s three-digit area code rather than the current location they are in. For example, someone living in California with a Maryland phone number will have their call routed to Maryland. Geo-routing would send that person’s call to California.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers free, anonymous help to anyone in crisis and their loved ones. Access the 24-hour hotline by calling or texting 988. A live chat is available at 988lifeline.org. WellSpace Health, which operates the universal service in the capital region, can also be reached at 916-368-3111 or by texting HOPE to 916-668-4226.

BORDER CROSSINGS DECREASE AFTER BIDEN ACTION

Via Gillian Brassil…

Migrant encounters at the southern border have decreased by more than half in the six weeks since Biden’s executive action temporarily limited asylum seeking, the White House said.

Biden’s action effectively closes the border to asylum seekers between ports of entry when migrant encounters exceed 2,500 each day for a week. Restrictions remain in place until the U.S. Border Patrol records a seven-day average of fewer than 1,500 encounters a day; once that is met, the restrictions lift after another two weeks.

Since border encounters exceeded the threshold when Biden announced the order, restrictions kicked in almost immediately at the beginning of June.

This week, the White House said the Border Patrol’s seven-day average had decreased to below 1,900 encounters per day. That’s still not low enough to lift the rule.

The restrictions apply not only to those trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico land border, but also to migrants trying to enter the country unlawfully along U.S. “southern coasts,” including California shores. When those immigrants are encountered on land by U.S. Border Patrol, they, too, will be rendered ineligible for asylum and face expulsion, a U.S. official told McClatchy last month.

Migrants can still claim asylum during the periods of restriction — but the bar for entry is far higher, and those who cross illegally could face a five-year ban from reentry. There are exceptions to the rule for unaccompanied children, trafficking victims and migrants who use the CBP One application to enter lawfully.

The last time border crossings were at 1,500 a day was in July 2020, a few months into the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, Border Patrol recorded 83,536 encounters between ports of entry, the lowest number since January 2021, according to the Biden administration. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which houses Border Patrol, reported that it has removed and returned more than 50,000 individuals to more than 100 countries, including via over 175 international repatriation flights, since the rule kicked in.

Immigration rights organizations are suing over the restrictions, alleging the ban overrides rules on asylum seeking enacted by Congress. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have criticized the crackdown.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We don’t know who the Democrat nominee for Vice President is going to be, so we can’t lock in a date before their convention. To do so would be unfair to Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, or whoever Kamala Harris picks as her running mate.”

- Brian Hughes, Trump Campaign Senior Advisor in an email statement Wednesday

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