Technology: California Decoded
FIRST IN DECODED: CASH IN — Spending is ramping up over a major Uber-sponsored ballot initiative to restrict auto collision lawsuit payouts.
In the latest signs that both campaigns are digging in for a grueling ballot fight, the ride-hailing giant today will inject another $45 million into its campaign, according to an announcement shared first with Decoded. Uber’s campaign committee will also begin submitting signatures to the Secretary of State’s office to appear on the November ballot.
Meanwhile, the Consumer Attorneys of California-backed ballot committee challenging Uber is launching a statewide TV advertising blitz today, also reported first by Decoded, to attack the company’s proposed initiative. The ad buy will exceed seven figures, according to committee spokesperson Alex Stack.
The Uber-backed committee said the milestone reflects a “major inflection point” in its campaign to pass the measure, which the company argues will curb frivolous lawsuits and excessive medical damage claims that it blames for driving up ride-hailing fares.
Committee spokesperson Nathan Click framed the development as part of a broader national effort from Uber and its allies.
“From New York to Florida to Nevada to Georgia, states are cracking down on this costly abuse,” Click said in a statement. “Now it’s California’s turn.”
The investment brings Uber’s total campaign contributions up to roughly $78 million, ahead of the roughly $68 million its primary opponent, Consumer Attorneys of California, has raised for its ballot committee so far this cycle.
Amid the deficit, one of the committee’s two new ads seen by Decoded features a brain injury specialist blasting Uber’s proposed initiative as a “catastrophe” for car crash victims. The other ad displays videos of crash dummy testing while warning of increased medical costs and restricted treatment access.
The attorney campaign’s focus on doctors and medical care is notable because physicians and trial attorneys are longtime political opponents in California. The two camps’ decades-long feud over medical malpractice laws sparked some of the state’s most contentious policy fights, including one in 1987 that resulted in an infamous “napkin deal” on personal injury lawsuit rules.
But the two groups are aligned against Uber’s initiative. A ballot measure committee created to oppose Uber by soliciting donations from medical professionals, Providers for Patient Care, has raked in more than $5 million since last fall.
It’ll take a lot of money to beat Uber, though: The ride-hailing giant plans to spend more than $28 million through June on its own TV ad blitz aimed at souring voter perceptions of Consumer Attorneys, according to data from ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
Consumer Attorneys is also seeking to qualify a separate ballot measure that would increase Uber’s liability for sexual assault and harassment incidents involving ride-hailing drivers.