Brown's Proposition 30 has a 52-to-40 percent lead in the Public Policy Institute of California survey and a similar 51-to-36 lead in a Field Poll conducted with UC Berkeley.  That's down a couple of points from previous surveys.

A rival tax measure, Prop 38, trails slightly in the Field Poll and is tied in the PPIC survey.  It's backed by wealthy education advocate Molly Munger and would raise taxes on most Californians to benefit schools.

The Field Poll also looked at Prop 39, which would end a tax break that benefits out-of-state businesses.  That measure has a six point lead.  And the PPIC says Prop 32, which would ban union and corporate campaign contributions, trails 49 percent to 42 percent.

CSU Trustees Approve Tuition Changes; Anti-Tax Group Threatens Lawsuit

California State University trustees have set the stakes for the November election.  If Governor Jerry Brown's sales and income tax measure passes, the CSU will roll back a previously-approved nine percent tuition increase.  If Proposition 30 fails, the university will leave it in place - and tack on an additional five percent increase.

Meanwhile, a draft letter to CSU applicants about Prop 30's impact has Jon Coupal with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association threatening a lawsuit.

Coupal: "To specifically reference Prop 30 and actually try to predict what happens if Prop 30 passes or does not pass is going beyond an informational activity and gets into the realm of political advocacy."

The letter reportedly tells applicants that Prop 30 will affect how many students the CSU can enroll and that the Board of Trustees has endorsed the measure.  A CSU spokesman says the university believes the letter is legal.