Capitol Alert

The still-lagging tax initiative financed by wealthy attorney Molly Munger spent more than seven times Gov. Jerry Brown's campaign committee through September, new campaign finance filings show.

Munger's Proposition 38 reported spending $26.8 million during the first nine months of the year, compared to $3.5 million over the same period for Brown's Proposition 30. The main differences were her widespread television ads and spending far more on campaign advisers.

Brown's committee had $22.2 million in cash on hand as of Sept. 30, while Munger's committee had $1.4 million. But the cash number may matter little when it comes to Munger, who has thus far has been willing to refill her campaign coffers as often as necessary.

It is undoubtedly challenging for voters to understand how Gov. Jerry Brown's tax hike initiative, Proposition 30, will fund schools and other state programs.

Whenever an initiative provides new money for the complicated state budget machine, campaigns on both sides can interpret potential budget scenarios in their favor. That is what we've seen as the Yes on 30 side claims that all new funds will go to schools, while the No on 30 side claims the money won't benefit education.

As we pointed out in analyses of the Yes on 30 ad and the No on 30 ad, both approaches are misleading.

VIDEO: Dan ponders the political consulting calculus that results in misleading TV ads on Proposition 30.

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See other Dan Walters Daily clips here.

With a month to go before the general election, President Barack Obama is coming back to California this weekend to collect campaign cash, first in Los Angeles at a concert fundraiser followed by a high-dollar dinner.

Concert performers booked for Nokia Theater L.A. Live on Sunday include Katy Perry, as well as Earth Wind and Fire, Jon Bon Jovi, Jennifer Hudson and Stevie Wonder. San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro of Democratic National Convention fame is also scheduled to speak.

The concert was already sold out, last Capitol Alert checked. Tickets started at $250 apiece and went up to $10,000 if you wanted a photo op with the president along with the music. Tickets to the dinner, hosted by Jeffrey Katzenberg of DreamWorks Animation, range from $25,000 to $40,000 per person, according to this online registration form.

Former President Bill Clinton, meanwhile, will headline a fundraiser breakfast for Obama on Monday in Los Angeles, while Obama heads to San Francisco for another concert fundraiser.