Cost of Berman-Sherman campaign: $16.3 million

That's $6 million spent by Rep. Brad Sherman to keep his seat in Congress. $5.7 million spent by Howard Berman hoping to avoid losing his seat (he didn't succeed.) And about $4.5 million in spending by so-called independent committees.

And that's not even the most spent this year on a California congressional race. From the LA Times:

Although the Berman-Sherman race set a Golden State record for spending by the candidates, the San Diego County congressional race won by Democrat Scott Peters over Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray was the costliest in California — $16.8 million — because of the more than $8.7 million spent by outside groups, including the political parties.

Spending on the Berman-Sherman race surpassed the $11.5 million record for a California House race set in 2000 when Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) ousted Republican incumbent James E. Rogan. But there was more outside spending — an estimated $7.5 million — by the political parties and interest groups in the 2000 race....

[skip]

Bill Bloomfield, a Manhattan Beach businessman running as an independent who lost a bid to replace Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), spent the most of any California House candidate — more than $7.9 million, much of it his own money. The Waxman campaign spent $2.6 million.