Until last week, Arizona billionaire Peter Sperling was the only million-dollar donor from his family to a California ballot campaign this November. No longer. His father, John Sperling, the founder of the University of Phoenix, has opened his wallet for a $500,000 donation to Proposition 5, the nonviolent offender measure, after having given another half-million earlier this year.
The younger Sperling has been the financial force behind Proposition 7, which would up alternative energy requirements for the state's utilities. So far he's given $7.5 million.
The donation from John Sperling is hardly a surprise. Proposition 5 is backed by fellow billionaire George Soros ($1.4 million given so far), who the elder Sperling teamed up with in 2000 to pass Proposition 36, another nonviolent drug user measure.
The Yes on 5 campaign also reported a recent $1.4 million donation from Bob Wilson, who is identified as a Brooklyn, New York retiree. There was also a $1,000 donation from Aaron Sorkin, the writer behind the hit series the West Wing.
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