Donors put record $458m into California initiatives

UNITED STATES: Political donors have spent a record US$458 million (NZ$639 million) on 17 statewide November ballot initiatives in California, beating the state’s own record for the most spent on propositions appearing on state ballots in a single year, campaign reports filed yesterday show.

The fundraising has soared at least US$20m past California’s previous record, when US$438m was spent on the campaigns for and against 21 measures on 2008 ballots. No other state has come close to those amounts. California empowers voters to enact laws affecting state revenue and spending. The proposals going before the state’s 18 million registered voters put billions of dollars at stake in this election.

‘‘That’s big business,’’ said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. She and other campaign finance experts stress that big money flows to the contests that will have the biggest financial impact and the final push to sway voters is likely to include a spending blitz. -AP