In this richest state in the richest country on earth, voters say it's okay to increase taxes on the wealthy, so long as the proceeds go to things like education and public safety.

The results of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences/Los Angeles Times Poll seem to be good news for Jerry Brown's initiative that asks you, the voter, to approve just such a tax hike.

The poll results, released over the weekend, say …

… that 64 percent of the state's eligible voters support Brown's proposal, which would increase sales tax by a quarter of a cent and increase income taxes by up to three percent for those earning $250,000 a year or more.

The idea is to put a dent in the Golden State's $9 billion deficit.

Of course, these kinds of polls have had more mood swings than Charlie Sheen on a Vegas bender.

We reported earlier this month that a Public Policy Institute of California poll found that slightly more than half of you (52 percent) would vote for Brown's plan, a number that wouldn't at all guarantee passage.

So which one is it, California?

Linda DiVall, CEO of American Viewpoint, the Republican polling firm that helped to conduct the poll (along with a Democratic firm), says:

Philosophically, voters are divided between spending cuts and taxes, but they support tax increases as long as they fall on other people, whether it is the rich or smokers.

A summary of the results indeed notes that “Californians were strongly opposed to raising income taxes across the board.”

Tax the others, indeed!

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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