Peter Sperling

Fundraising for ballot initiatives is a rich man's game. In 2006 in California, some two-thirds of all donations to ballot measures came in the amount of $1 million or more, according to a recent report from the Center for Governmental Studies. Yes, two-thirds of all donations.

So the latest big cash dumps in California are business as usual. Peter Sperling just gave $2.5 million to Prop 7, an alternative fuels measure. And George Soros found some spare change with the lint in his pants -- about $400,000 -- and threw it to Prop 5, which would expand drug rehabilitation and loosen some penalties for drug offenders. Soros' total donations to the measure? $1.4 million. So far. The Sacramento Bee has details.

California utilities have recently given more than $22 million to stop Prop 7, Peter Sperling's measure on renewable fuels, according to the Sacramento Bee. Proponents of Prop 7 are highlighting the utility money, in part to make the fight appear to be between advocates of alternative fuels and the utilities. But despite strong early polling, the measure has united people -- in opposition, including both political parties, labor and business, and environmentalists (who like the goal but think the initiative is poorly drafted).

With this amount of money coming into the race early, and deep pockets on both sides, this could easily be a $50 million campaign. And with the oilman Boone Pickens launching Prop 10 to subsidize his own investments in natural gas, California could easily see $100 million spent for and against the two energy measures. With big money campaigns expected around Prop 2 (the animal confinement measure), Prop 8 (ban on gay marriage), and perhaps redistricting (Prop 11), this year could see spending of more than $200 million on initiatives alone.