Even as voters were exiting Los Angeles polling locations in last month’s elections, questions were being posed to them about the next election. A new study performed by Loyola Marymount University shows that both a proposed pension reform measure and a proposed sales tax lack a plurality of support from voters, although the pension measure performed far better than the tax hike.

This was the second major poll released that investigated potential support for a sales tax hike that will appear on the March ballot. The measure calls for a half-cent hike in the Los Angeles sales tax. In the LMU poll, 45 percent of voters opposed the idea. In a previous poll, performed by a private polling firm, showed 64 percent supported a tax hike.

The main difference is how the tax was presented to voters. LMU presented it as a general fund tax that would go towards the city’s budget. The other poll said it would pay for 9-1-1 services, pot hole repairs, and public safety. If the tax is targeted, it would require a 2/3rds vote.

LMU found that 44 percent of voters supported pension reforms that would push new employees into a 401(k) style plan.

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times.