SACRAMENTO — The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 have raised a combined $30 million, with donations given in support of the proposed ban on gay marriage running considerably ahead of those to the opposition.
So far, the main group promoting the constitutional amendment, which would overturn a recent California Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage, has raised $17.8 million. The main No-on-8 campaign has raised $12.4 million.
But the anti-Proposition 8 forces have announced high-profile donations in recent days. The entertainment industry is becoming more heavily involved, with director-producer Steven Spielberg and his wife, actress Kate Capshaw, announcing Monday that they were giving $100,000 to the No-on-8 effort. Their donation matched the $100,000 donated by actor Brad Pitt last week.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose 2004 decision to allow gays to marry in his city prompted the Supreme Court review that led to same-sex marriage becoming legal, is traveling to Manhattan on Thursday for a $5,000-per-person fundraiser cohosted by New York Gov. David Paterson.
Foes of Proposition 8 also announced Monday that they have started airing their first television ad, which will be shown in markets across the state from now until election day.
The weekly cost of a statewide television campaign intended to ensure that typical California viewers would see a spot seven to 10 times is about $3.5 million to $5 million.
Backers of Proposition 8 expect to start airing ads next week.
The overall cost of the Proposition 8 campaign won't come close to setting a record for initiative spending in California. The priciest measures focus on issues with economic consequences -- energy, taxation and gambling. The most costly to date was a 2006 measure that would have imposed an oil tax to pay for alternative energy projects. Advocates for and against the measure spent $154 million.
But Proposition 8 could be the most expensive measure focused on a social issue, said Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies and an expert on initiatives.
The proposition has taken on a national profile, with both sides raising millions from outside the state. The current law is almost certain to have national implications, since same-sex couples from around the country can come here to marry, and then mount challenges in their home states to have their marriages recognized.
