California unions spend big money defeating ballot issue

From the Sacramento Bee:

The California Teachers Association gave $500,000 earlier this month to a committee to oppose the measure, which prohibits unions and corporations from using money deducted from employee paychecks, such as member dues, for political spending. The contribution was reported yesterday in an online campaign finance filing. Another $125,000 from a committee run by the Los Angeles Police Protective League was reported today.

The latest checks bring the total raised by the opposition campaign to more than $3.5 million.

The measure, which would also ban unions and corporations from contributing directly to candidates and candidate-controlled committees and place restrictions on contributions from interests with government contracts, is expected to spark one of the year’s most contentious and expensive campaigns fights.

Supporters of the measure have raised at least $400,000 in one campaign committee. The committee created to fund the qualification effort had about $350,000 in the bank at the end of last  year, though some of that has been transferred to the new committee.