Besides the more than $1 million Obama raised from people who work at the state's university system, he raised $475,309 from Stanford University employees and $193,173 from USC workers. McCain raised less than $57,000 from USC, UC and Stanford employees combined.
One reason Google became a major fount of Obama money is the company's chief executive, Eric Schmidt. He is one of Obama's most energetic backers and appeared on Obama's 30-minute infomercial. Overall, Californians working for major high-tech firms accounted for $1.9 million to Obama.
Google employees gave just $12,000 to McCain. On the other hand, employees of the Irvine Co., McCain's top-dollar firm, accounted for less than $9,000 to Obama.
The Irvine Co. spent $80,000 on federal lobbying in the first three quarters of the year on issues related to housing, insurance and disaster recovery. In the past, the company battled the government over the reach of the Endangered Species Act.
Google spent more than $3.1 million lobbying Washington in the first nine months of 2008. Its issues include copyright, broadband access, energy, immigration, privacy, child pornography-related matters and others.
Obama doesn't take money directly from lobbyists. But law firms, including several with offices in California, have lobby arms in Washington and are among his biggest sources.
Attorneys and others at Wilmerhale, a nationwide law firm whose lobby arm represents Google, donated more than $361,000 to Obama, $15,000 from lawyers in California.
Hollywood is another major source of Obama's money. Californians who listed major studios as their employer gave Obama more than $1.8 million during the campaign.
His overall haul from the entertainment industry is far greater. The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics counts more than $14 million nationally from the television and movie industry.
Although many celebrities who donate to Obama are driven by ideology, the industry is also a major lobby force. The Motion Picture Assn. of America has spent more than $3 million on lobbying this year. Lawyers at the association's largest outside lobby firm, Akin Gump, are major donors to Obama, giving him more than $160,000, of which $45,000 came from California.
McCain is not without support in the industry. MGM Chairman Harry Sloan has hosted two fundraisers at his home and helped raise money at two galas. Noting that polls suggested his candidate could lose today, Sloan said he doesn't believe his efforts were for naught.
