Obama's deficit plan and jobs plan have been rejected by Republican leaders. (Creative Commons)

President Barack Obama for the first time finds a majority of independents and likely voters in California disapprove of him despite general satisfaction across the state with his American Jobs Act proposal, according to this month's Public Policy of Institute of California survey.

Fifty percent of likely voters disapprove of Obama's job performance with just 47 percent approving. Among independents, disapproval rose to 50 percent while support dropped to 45 percent. Overall, Obama's seen his approval rating in the Golden State sink from 70 percent to 51 percent since taking office.

But Southern California, the Bay Area, Latinos, low-income Californians and young Californians all showed strong satisfaction with the president's proposal to stimulate job growth by cutting payroll taxes and creating a National Infrastructure Bank, among other measures. Those groups are some of they key constituencies Obama will need the faith of to earn re-election. The Jobs Act received a 53 percent satisfaction rating overall.

Republican leaders in Congress, though generally supportive of some of the measures, have rejected the overall proposal. Californians in the survey similarly rejected the idea of Congress and the president toying with Social Security and Medicare to reduce the federal budget deficit. They did show support for the president's proposal to raise taxes on businesses and the rich.

In terms of the economy, the September survey showed that a record number of Californians find jobs and economy to be the biggest issues facing the state. Now, nearly nine in 10 polled say the state, with its 12.1 percent unemployment rate, is in a recession.

About one out of every two people polled said they were worried that someone in their family might soon lose his or her job. In Los Angeles County, more than 55 percent of those polled held that sentiment.

Below, a Los Angeles man fired by American Apparel offers his positive outlook on the economy despite not having a job and being forced to move his family in and out of shelters.

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