'People are deeply concerned about the direction of the economy and where California is in terms of its fiscal conditions,' said Mark Baldasarre, president and CEO of the institute that conduced the poll.

'There's a sense that things are not going well in California, and the public holds the governor and the legislature at least partly accountable, rightly or wrongly.'

Schwarzenegger is barred from running again when his current term ends in 2010. Political experts say the Republican governor is paying the price of choosing painful and unpopular cuts over imposing new taxes on the wealthy.

He also set high expectations at the start of his term and has failed to meet them, said political science professor Jack Pitney. 'He was going to be an action governor, he was going to blow up the boxes,' Pitney said. 'Several years later, people are used to him and he has become part of the system he came to office to end.'