“We encourage our supporters to donate directly to the ‘No on 85’ campaign,” said Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Liz Haas. “We have donated money from our general fund and also have our employees calling people, which is an in-kind donation.”

On the pro-85 side, the majority of funds have come from private individuals, mostly those personally opposed to abortion. Winemaker and former state assemblyman Don Sebastiani has contributed over half a million dollars of his personal funds, as well as volunteering to speak publicly about the issue. He was also involved in the battle over the similarly-worded Proposition 73, which was rejected by voters in the 2005 special election. Last year, his monetary contributions came in slightly over $600,000, and he actively spoke on the campaign’s behalf.

“This year is going much better," Sebastiani said via telephone from his Napa office, comparing this year's campaign to last year's. "We have raised more money, the people close to us are closer, and we've been getting more editorial support. We were endorsed by the San Francisco Examiner, which I was very surprised to hear. It also looks like the turnout will be better this year."

A graduate of the Catholic-run University of San Francisco, Sebastiani remains closely tied to his alma mater by serving on the university’s board of overseers for the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good, a group that “seeks to inspire and equip students for lives and careers of ethical public service and serving others.” His ties to his Catholic faith have also drawn him to serve on the board of directors for the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Liberties, and to donate $50,000 to oppose stem cell research in 2004.

Sebastiani, who represented Sonoma County in the California State Assembly from 1981-1986, said his interest in the parental notification proposal is based on his strong feeling about issues he sees as affecting people most directly.

“Most important to me are the tenderness issues,” Sebastiani said. “I am much less motivated by transportation issues or tax funding. I am most motivated by issues if they are trying to avoid human suffering and tragedy, or trying to reduce abortions.”

Sebastiani said he is not concerned that opponents of mandatory parental notification have greatly outspent his side. “I don’t think money will affect the voters that much,” Sebastiani said. “We’re dealing with something everyone can understand, people already have an opinion on.”

Sebastiani said the proponents of 85 are focusing on new campaign strategies, such as ‘robocalls’ in which a recorded message featuring Sebastiani calls voters and urges them to vote yes on the measure November 7. This provides for a high volume of computer calling at a much lower cost to the campaign. They have also used slate mailers, in which a sympathetic organization, such as those that serve retired Coast Guard service men and women, is sent a mailer that can be reproduced and distributed to the organization’s members. The “Yes on 85” group contributes a percentage of costs to produce the mailer; the organization picks up the rest.

James Holman, the primary source of funding for the Parents’ Right to Know & Child Protection Initiative/Proposition 85 campaign, is the publisher of the San Diego alternative weekly paper ‘The Reader,’ and three Catholic newspapers in California. His contributions alone more than triple those made by Sebastiani. Unlike Sebastiani, Holman has never run for political office. Although Holman could not be reached for comment, Yes on 85 spokesman Albin Rhomberg said Holman’s primary interest stems from his role as a parent of seven.

“He has daughters who are young,” Rhomberg said. “He has an interest from a personal point of view.”

Rhomberg, speaking on Holman’s behalf, criticized the ‘No’ campaign—particularly questions about how a nonprofit like Planned Parenthood has come up with more than $3 million to fight this proposition. “It is very self-serving,” Rhomberg said. The No on 85 campaign, for its part, declares on its website that Holman “was arrested for blocking access to clinics, has been a frequent anti-abortion sidewalk protestor, and once bit a security guard at a health center.”

Despite the ongoing war of words, the No on 85 forces continue to gain support from other organizations. This year, various labor unions in California have some out in support of the opposition, both with money and vocal support.

State Assemblyman Mark Leno of (D-San Francisco) has also donated time and money to the No campaign. Aside from his appearance at a ‘No on 85’ rally last month in San Francisco’s Dolores Park, he has donated $3,500 from his personal campaign funds to the cause. He said he is close to a number of teenagers, and that he feels this measure could be dangerous for girls in abusive or violent homes.

“I oppose this measure because it is a direct assault on a woman’s right to reproductive choice,” Leno said, via phone from Sacramento. “I encourage everybody to vote and to be informed, which I believe leads one to a No position on 85.”