Big spenders: These companies offer a lot to California attorneys

Nearly $100 million has been spent this year by corporate and labor-funded committees in California legislative races, including more than $42 million last month.

These independent expenditure committees are becoming a major financial force in legislative campaigns across the country: As of Sept. 1, they invested 51.5 million dollars. It is 29% more than the same period in 2022, while the $40 million spent was 25% more than in 2020 and almost twice as much as in 2018.

Unlike direct contributions to legal campaigns, there is no limit to how much these outside groups can spend, as long as they are not connected to the candidate. The money is often used to buy ads, mailers and text messages, often attacking the candidate’s opponent.

Uber is the single largest source of private expenses; The ride-share company’s political action committee reported spending more than $7 million, about 7% of its total foreign earnings.

For example, it invested more than $443,000 in a contentious state Assembly race in Los Angeles, running with Democrat Sade Elhawary over another Democrat, Efren Martinez, for an open seat.

The oil industry is the second largest source of private spending, which has dropped more than $4.7 million per committee – called the Coalition to Restore California’s Middle Class, Including Energy, Manufacturing and Technology Companies That Produce Gas, Oil, Jobs and Income Tax – which has received millions from Chevron, Valero, Marathon and other oil companies.

And while the oil industry committee is the second-biggest spender, it is the most generous in the final weeks of the campaign. From Sept. 1, the committee has contributed more than $4 million to legal races.

The next biggest fund since Sept. 1 — a group of nurses and educators — entered the same race, putting up $2.7 million to support Michelle Chambers, a Democrat running for Senate District 35 in Southern California against fellow Democrat Laura Richardson.

The money spent by these independent committees, often more than $100,000 in a given race, can affect the outcome, as the money can be more than the candidates themselves spend.

Committees spent to support 172 candidates, while opposing more than 60. Richardson was the biggest target, with more than 2.5 million dollars opposed to him. He only spent $428,000 on his campaign.

In second place is Democrat Kipp Mueller, who is spending more than $2.3 million against him in the Southern California state Senate campaign against Republican Suzette Martinez Valladares. Martinez is in third place, and almost two million dollars have been spent against him.

Uber has spent money supporting or opposing 26 candidates, including more than $274,000 to support Richardson. The tech giant’s biggest fundraising goal: More than $990,000 to oppose Democrat Kathryn Lybarger, who lost the March primary in the East Bay state Senate race.

Uber has been a big player in California campaigns before: It, Lyft, DoorDash and others have spent more than $200 million to get voters to approve Proposition 22 in 2020 to exempt their workers from the state’s labor law.

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