The political action committee that put Proposition 1 on the ballot and is campaigning for it received about $6 million from ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft in the past month.
According to documents filed Friday with the Austin City Clerk’s office, Ridesharing Works for Austin raised that sum between March 29 and April 28. The campaign has spent the bulk of that money over the past month, in staff salaries, television advertising, direct mail and consulting work.
The spending includes $50,000 for former Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, who has served as a pitch man for the campaign for the past few weeks.
It brings the pro-Prop 1 campaign’s total contributions from Uber and Lyft to around $8 million since the beginning of the year. The PAC has not taken any donations from other sources.
The sum dwarfs the previous record for spending on a local election in Austin. Mayor Steve Adler spent a little over $1 million on his successful 2014 campaign.
In the meantime, the opposition to Prop 1 – Our City, Our Safety, Our Choice – raised about $90,000 over the past month, according to their filings. That brings their total fundraising to a little more than $100,000.
