Lois Capps and Abel Maldonado at a debate (Scott Shafer/KQED)

We’re hitting the road, or should I say the beach, on the Central Coast, where a hotly contested congressional race is under way. The new 24th Congressional District includes all of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, plus a small part of northern Ventura County. One person told me that living here is like being in a National Geographic Magazine — it’s that beautiful.

As I walk along the beach near Morro Bay, I come across two people, Gary Ubaldi and his wife Gail. They both say they’re registered Democrats, but he says they’re open-minded.

“I believe I’m very open-minded,” Ubaldi says. “I know my wife is. I mean she listens to both sides of every argument and would vote for who she felt was the best candidate, period. Regardless of party.” And what is Ubaldi looking for from Washington?

“I’d like to see them be prudent financially,” Ubaldi offers. “Government needs to protect every one of its citizens. And I’d like to see government make, for example, the tax laws equitable for everybody.”

The new district is more evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, and the desire for bipartisanship seems part of the political DNA here. At the monthly breakfast meeting of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, Charlene Rosales, who works with the local United Way, says people are longing for stronger leadership.

“How is the economy going to improve?” Rosales asks. “How are we going to build stronger, more positive relationships with each other? And government does have a role in that. They have a role in keeping our communities healthy and viable. And we need that work to get down to our level.”

Rosales echoed another comment I heard a lot here — complaints about political gridlock in Washington.

“When people can’t come to agreement and when they can’t compromise and work things out and they take a congressional break with no important decisions made, I think people are bewildered.”

Thomas Wood, who works in the hotel business, puts it more bluntly.

“If the company I worked for performed as Congress is performing we’d be out of business,” insists Wood. “If I performed in my job the way Congress is performing, I’d be fired.”

While voters clamor for substance, Capps and Maldonado — or at least their campaigns — apparently have something else in mind. In television ads running relentlessly on the Central Coast, the candidates accuse each other of not paying their taxes.

At a standing-room-only debate recently, the negativity in this contest was clearly on voters’ minds. Charlotte Byrne of Atascadero says she might not vote at all.

“However, if between now and the election I see one ad on television that is positive, I will vote for that person,” Byrne promises.

Is she really that turned off?

“I am,” she says.

During a debate that lasts about an hour, Democrat Capps and Republican Maldonado spelled out their differences on issues ranging from safety testing for the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant here to climate change and health care. But it was this issue of partisanship and negative ads that generated the most heated exchanges.

“It is tough in a campaign when there are 12 different ads — negative ads — distorting my record,” Capps alleged. “How do you set the record straight?”

“Those ads that she started running, I didn’t recognize our local congresswoman anymore,” Maldonado countered. “Cuz those were the first ads she ran in the fall; attacking my mother, my father, my brother, my sister, my wife and myself on taxes.”

But that kind of political catfight does nothing to address the concerns voters here are having — like what to do about the economy. That’s a highly personal issue for plenty of people, including those who work in the district’s exploding wine industry. On the sprawling, 458-acre Premiere Coastal Vineyard in northern Santa Barbara County, Merrill says he and other growers are worried. Actually, very worried.

“If you go through the Santa Maria Valley right now you’ll see signs out in the fields looking for workers,” Merrill explains. “‘If you’re looking for work, come and see us, they say. Nobody can find enough workers. Not the strawberry growers, not the lettuce guys. Not vineyards. Everyone’s short, about 50 percent of what we should have.”

Merrill, who also heads up the County Farm Bureau, says growers desperately need and want one thing from the federal government: a temporary worker program.

“Time’s running out for us,” he warns. “And without those people they’re gonna go out of business.”

Merrill complains that while Congresswoman Lois Capps listens to their concerns attentively, she never takes the lead on anything. Merrill likes Abel Maldonado’s experience as a grower, but blames the Republican party for blocking immigration reform.

“The Republicans seem to get mired in this thought that we’re taking jobs away from people who are here and want the work,” Merrill says. “But that’s really not the case. And I know that from personal experience.”

The new political lines drawn by the Citizens’ Commission successfully created a district that is more politically diverse and competitive. But so far at least it hasn’t delivered what many voters here say they desperately want — a civilized and substantive campaign focused on issues, and,  ultimately, a winning candidate who goes back to Washington to put the district ahead of his or her own political party to get things done.

By Ana Tintocalis

20-somethings say they support November propositions that will fund education, but still lack confidence in government. (R. Michael Stuckey: Comstock Images)

A group of Millennials — young people aged 18 to 29 — are gathered around a conference table in a nondescript office building in Silicon Valley.

In just a few minutes, they will be answering some pointed political questions as part of a researched-based focus group organized by the Public Policy Institute of California – a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. The PPIC conducts public opinion polling, but they’re also holding smaller conversations to gauge more detailed opinions from Californians this election year.

On this night participants come from all walks of life — from a teenage grocery store clerk to an engineer at Cisco. Some are Democrats, some are Republicans, and others don’t belong to any party.

But as a group, they are not excited about how the U.S. is doing. “Uneasy,” one person said. “Worried and scared,” was the take of somebody else.

It’s a far cry from four years ago, when the promise of hope and change bolstered the expectations of young people across the country.

“Government is unproductive. They’re large, they’re bulky, and it’s top heavy. And it shouldn’t be that way,” said Yukata, a young Republican who received his master’s degree at U.C. Davis. “When you look at government, you think of greed. That’s not how our founders wanted the government to be. They wanted our government to be small.”

Some of the others at the table nod in agreement. While they don’t see eye-to-eye on many social issues, one thing is clear: They feel lawmakers have turned their backs on providing an affordable, quality higher education in the Golden State.

Ryan, a San Jose State kinesiology major, says the classes he needs have been slashed, yet his tuition continues to increase.

“I could have graduated in four years, but every semester it was a struggle,” Ryan said. “I’d get my registration date, and there’d be [no classes available]. It’s the most frustrating thing. … You have good grades; you’ve been at the school for four years … and tuition just keeps getting more and more expensive. It just doesn’t make sense.” And it’s not just higher education. These Millennials also worry about how budget cuts are affecting K-12 education. Some of the participants say public school kids don’t see the value in going to class.

“I have a 14-year-old little brother, and it’s really hard to get him into school because he feels like he doesn’t need to be there,” said 19-year-old Amanda. “They need to put money into these schools so that [students] want to be there.”

Across the table from Amanda, Iliana says she is confused by the state’s spending priorities. She feels lawmakers care more about locking people up than creating quality schools and good jobs.

That sentiment helps to explain why most of the focus group participants support two state tax initiatives in November that would help to restore education funding, Propositions 30 and 38. However, they’re still skeptical — as are many California voters.

PPIC researchers have found that most likely voters do not feel more money alone will solve the problems in education. Some of the young people in the focus group say they want to see the money spent more wisely.

“We can get all the money we want, but if it doesn’t go to the right places, it’s not going to help,” said Matthew, a young businessman from San Jose. “Fix that problem first, then we can raise the taxes.”

In the end, the conversation circled back to the lack of trust in government. For many, their political identities are still forming, and unless leaders and campaigns engage them, their sense of discouragement could keep some of them away from the polls in November.

More stories from the Public Policy Institute of California focus groups:

From Silicon Valley: Eroding Trust in Government Among Young Voters

Participants in the focus group were vocal about their support for education. (Photo: Stephen Pottage)

With the national conventions behind them now, Republicans and Democrats say they’re all fired up and ready to go — sprinting toward the November election.

Four years ago Barack Obama marched into the White House beside an army of young volunteers. How are voters under 30 feeling about politics now?

As President Obama was giving his acceptance speech Thursday night, a group of younger citizens in Silicon Valley discussed their feelings about the election. Those focus groups are part of KQED’s campaign season series “What’s Government For?” — a joint project with the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California.

While the PPIC does public opinion polling, they also are conducting these smaller conversations to take the pulse of Californians this election year. KQED has already participated in Contra Costa, Fresno and Los Angeles. On Thursday night, 20 young adults — ages 18 to 29 — gathered to talk about their views on government and politics. The group was a mix of Republicans, Democrats, Independents and people who aren’t sure what their political beliefs are or even whether they will vote. KQED’s Political Editor Tyche Hendricks was there for the evening, watching through the two-way mirror. Participants were told only their first names would be used, to ensure candor.

Hendricks said there was a common thread, linking the group. While the 20 people spanned the socio-economic spectrum in terms of jobs and their backgrounds, all of them expressed worry about the state of the country and the economy. “Some blame President Obama, and others just say he was dealt a tough hand and he needs more time to get things right,” Hendricks said.

Some were students, some are working, others are looking for work. Some of them have children of their own. “But just about everybody wanted government to do more to improve schools and to make college more affordable,” Hendricks said, adding a specific point from a focus group participant named Ryan, who said he was the first in his family to go to college and that he’s already spent five years at San Jose State University, just trying to get the courses he needs to graduate. Ryan told the group that tuition has doubled since he’s been there and there are significantly fewer classes.

Proposition 30 on the ballot in November would raise taxes to avoid further cuts in classes and tuition hikes. The focus group was overwhelmingly in favor of Prop. 30 and Prop. 38, which would also raise taxes for education, Hendricks reported.

“Some people said they didn’t favor raising taxes in general,” Hendricks said, “but schools and colleges need the help. A young woman named Divia, who is an immigrant from India, (has) her Masters Degree, and she’s working in the field of food technology. She described herself as politically neutral, but she’s worried about finding a good school for her young daughter. And she thinks that quality education shouldn’t just depend on living in a fancy zip code. In the focus group, Divia said that education ‘should be accessible and available for everyone. … They should not have a choice that only it I have money then I can get an education.’”

This attention to education mirrors what President Obama discussed in his acceptance speech Thursday night. Still, Hendricks says this young group was markedly less excited about President Obama than young people were four years ago.

“Even the Democrats in the group didn’t seem very excited about the election,” Hendricks said. “They were willing to give Obama another chance, but there was a sense of unease that I heard from many of them, and a sense of disconnection from the political process. (One) young woman — a recent college graduate who’s now paying to put her sister through college — said she felt government leaders were ‘cut off’ from the people they represent. She said ‘government, I don’t trust you, but I need you. So, I hope you’re doing good for me.’”

The campaigns have about seven weeks to build trust with voters.

More:

Listen to Scott Shafer’s interview with KQED Political Editor Tyche Hendricks

More stories from the Public Policy Institute of California focus groups:

From Silicon Valley: Eroding Trust in Government Among Young Voters

From the Central Valley: Central Valley Voters Speak Their Minds at Focus Groups

By Alice Daniel

I’m sitting behind a two-way mirror in an air conditioned office in Fresno as ten voters enter a meeting room and sit around an oblong table.

Mark Baldassare, president of the Public Policy Institute of California, introduces himself. He’ll lead this focus group and one directly following it. Initially, people look uncertain — as if they’re not sure what to expect. Yet once these people — Democrats, Republicans and Independents — begin talking, the pain and anger they are feeling over the economic and political landscape soon spills out.

Luz, a single mother of a teenager and a one-year-old, said she just got laid off after 11 years as a supervisor for a produce refrigeration company. She’s scared she won’t have the money to raise her children.

“Probably go homeless,” she says. “Too sad. And I can’t relocate right now because of my family. And it just makes me mad also.”

Daniel, a Democrat, is voting for Mitt Romney because he thinks the country needs a change. He works at Lowes but is about to lose his house to foreclosure and he’s wondering whether he’ll have to move out of state.

“I have four children,” he says. “I have a very good job. I’m about ready to lose my house. You know what I mean? I’ve done everything I can to plan and to make arrangements and to provide.”

Personal stories like these quickly weave their way into the bigger issues affecting the Valley. Dick, a retired dairy farmer and Republican complained farmers don’t get a real say in politics. He’s worried farms are losing their workforce and said it’s unjust for immigrants who aren’t U.S. citizens to get public scholarship money for college, a point disputed by Oscar, a full time student and a Democrat.

“They want everybody to get educated here so there’s nobody working the field to pick the fruit,” Dick says.

But Oscar, a full time student and a Democrat challenged him.

“You contradict yourself,” Oscar says. “You don’t want him to get an education but you want him picking your fields.”

“You don’t need to be educated to dig ditches,” Dick insists.

“But that’s the problem,” Oscar counters. “Who here educated wants to dig that ditch?”

Still, there were plenty of areas of agreement. The majority of people in both focus groups favored an easier path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and almost everyone agreed farmworkers — citizens or not — provide back-breaking labor that no one else is willing to do. Anita, a single mother who works in a family business, grew up picking grapes.

“Not to put anybody down,” she says, “but you don’t see black people, you don’t see white people picking the crops. You just see Mexicans out there.”

And what about the Valley itself — what is its role in California? Many agreed with Suzie, a teacher and a Republican.

“You’ve got San Francisco, you’ve got LA that make a lot of decisions that affect us,” she says. “And the water is one of the number one issues here. We’ve got all the farming and food — but yet that water goes down there. So it almost feels like we are a separate state within the state.”

Lauren, a student at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and a Republican, said lawmakers from LA and San Francisco just don’t understand farm policy. ”When they vote on agricultural issues, they don’t even understand what they’re voting on and they’re just voting. I come from an ag background. My family farms in the Valley, and we don’t have a lot of say and we have a pretty big farm.”

Chriselda, a Democrat, said the effect of bad decisions is devastating.

“I see a lot of empty fields now,” she says. Others mention Firebaugh and Mendota. “I’ve been out there. It’s empty. It’s just empty, and it’s sad to see that.”

November’s ballot measures also triggered lively discussion. Some people thought Proposition 30, Governor Brown’s tax initiative to fund education, was too complicated. Proposition 34 would repeal the death penalty and replace it with life in prison without parole. There was strong support for ending the death penalty across the political spectrum, but for very different reasons. Some Republicans like Jason, an auto refinishing technician, thought the death penalty was a waste of money because the appeal process takes too long.

“We don’t use it. Save the money,” he says, “waste it somewhere else.”

Democrats saw it as a moral issue — it’s wrong for the state to take another person’s life.

Moderator Mark Baldassare said the focus groups offer insights into what voters are thinking, not just how they pencil in the ballot.

Listen to Daniel’s story:

More stories from the Public Policy Institute of California focus groups:

From Silicon Valley: Eroding Trust in Government Among Young Voters