Calif. voters lean toward stem cell measure-pol

LOS ANGELES, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A majority of likely voters in California favor a ballot proposal that would authorize $3 billion in state bonds to fund controversial stem cell research, according to a poll released on Thursday.

The referendum, on the Nov. 2 ballot, would create the largest pool of public funding for such research in the United States at a time when the Bush administration has sharply curtailed spending on studies involving embryonic stem cells.

Backers of the initiative, including Hollywood celebrities and Silicon Valley billionaires, argue that such research could potentially lead to cures for diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and diabetes.

A survey by the Los Angeles Times showed that while most voters had not yet formed an opinion on the ballot measure known as Proposition 71, a majority expressed support once they were read the proposal itself.

The survey showed 54 percent of likely voters in California said they were inclined to vote for the stem cell proposal, compared with 32 percent who said they would vote against it.

Fourteen percent said they were not...