Overview  

During the eight weeks after California’s November 5, 1996 general election, and before the beginning of 1997, elected state officeholders received campaign contributions totaling $13,146,054.  

Proposition 208 (Campaign Contributions And Spending Limits) was on the 1996 general election ballot and passed by the voters. However, the measure’s strict limits on campaign fundraising did not take effect until January 1, 1997.  

Considerable attention has been focused on the campaign fundraising activities that took place after the general election and before January 1, 1997, when the restrictions of Proposition 208 went into effect.  

This report by the Secretary of State identifies total campaign contributions received by each elected state official from November 6 (the day after the general election) through December 31, 1996.  

The report ranks from high to low the amount of campaign contributions received by each state constitutional officer and each member of the State Legislature. For example, the report shows that the top five fundraisers during this time period were: