Another quarter, another tens of millions of dollars spent on lobbying lawmakers. In 2015, $236 million has been spent on lobbying, with $86 million in this quarter alone, according to the Secretary of State. Last year, at the same time, $224 million was spent in the first three quarters of the year, with $79 million in the third quarter.
Big Oil dominated the third quarter, with its trade association, Western States Petroleum Association, going into overdrive to kill climate change legislation that would have force 50% reduction in petroleum use and attempts to protect water supplies from fracking. Of course, everyone was friends after the bitterly fought contest, and the trade association was even kind enough to take three legislators to the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay a few weeks later.
With oil's domination, perennial big spender, the California Medical Association was squeezed out of this quarter's top lobbying numbers. CMA spent nearly $500,000 on lobbying, which helped kill legislation that included a bill that would have stopped doctors from springing surprise out of network bills on patients.
