The headlines on today's Public Policy Institute of California survey focus on the striking finding that Californians' views on offshore oil drilling have shifted to the point where a slim majority (51 percent) now support more drilling.

That could be good news for Republicans, from John McCain to members of Congress, who hope to use the issue to their benefit in November.

But other portions of the survey show that traditional Democratic issues remain very popular with voters. For instance, voters strongly favor tougher air pollution regulations on cars, agricultural and commercial enterprises, port activities and diesel engines -- all ideas that Democrats in the Legislature have supported and Republicans opposed.

And then there's the new measure of where voters stand on the presidential election: 50 percent prefer Barack Obama, 35 percent prefer McCain. As for the current president, his appoval rating among Californians is at an anemic 26 percent.

And on the issue of global warming, Californians firmly believe it's time to act. Eighty percent say steps should be taken right away to address climate change, 64 percent believe the effects of global warming are already being felt, and 81 percent believe local governments should be encouraged to change their land-use policies in an effort to make it possible for people to drive less.

Also on global warming, there is evidence as to why former Assemblywoman Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills won such a landslide victory in June in her Democratic primary against incumbent Assemblyman Lloyd Levine of Van Nuys. Pavley wrote California's first landmark global warming law in 2002 -- the one that requires automakers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.

The PPIC has polled on that policy every summer since 2003 and support for Pavley's law is exactly as strong now as it was five years ago: 81 percent