September 29, 2016 - 5:57 PM
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Latest on spending for and against California ballot initiatives (all times local):
5:55 p.m.
California could be about $50 million from a record number of contributions made to support or oppose ballot measures in one year.
Reports filed with the secretary of state's office ahead of a Thursday deadline show the 17 measures on California's November ballot have raised $389 million.
Data from the nonpartisan research group MapLight shows the most money ever spent on California initiatives in one election cycle was $438 million in 2008.
The National Institute on Money in State Politics data shows ballot-measure finances peaked at $471.5 million in 2008, which would indicate the 2016 measures are about $85 million from a record.
MapLight spokesman Bret Hendry says the organization removed duplicate contributions when one committee raised money for more than one proposition.
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11:15 a.m.
Supporters and opponents of California's 17 November ballot measures have raised nearly $390 million six weeks before the election, with some of the heaviest spending yet to come.
Reports filed by political donors with the secretary of state's office before a Thursday deadline put the measures about $85 million shy of record fundraising.
That gap is expected to narrow as campaigns shell out more in the final push for votes Nov. 8.
The National Institute on Money in State Politics data shows California ballot measures amassed $471.5 million in 2008, a state record.
An initiative to cap prescription drug prices has drawn by far the most: $100 million in spending, most of it from pharmaceutical companies.
Measures to set hospital fees and tax the wealthy also have attracted big money.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016