
President Obama LA - H 2015
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President Barack Obama arrived in Los Angeles Thursday for a pair of events that will help fill the Democratic National Committee’s campaign coffers and further fray the patience of long-suffering Los Angeles commuters.
Traveling yet again to the Democrats’ reliable “Hollywood ATM,” Obama was accompanied on his flight to California by deputy press secretary Eric Schultz and aides Valerie Jarrett, Anita Breckenridge, Joe Paulson and Shailagh Murray. The president and his entourage landed shortly after 2:30 p.m. at LAX.
The president then traveled out to Pacific Palisades for an “open dialogue” at the home of Two and a Half Men producer Chuck Lorre for 30 people who had ponied up $16,700 each to the Democratic National Committee. Afterwards, Obama will attend a DNC fundraiser at the home of actor/producer Tyler Perry. Tickets per person range from $2,500 (for those who want to listen to the president’s remarks) to $33,500 (which includes dinner with Obama)
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Before he leaves town on Friday morning San Francisco, the president will travel from the hotel where he is staying in Beverly Hills to L.A.’s Highland Park, where he will record a podcast with “WTF” comedian Marc Maron.
In a briefing with reporters en route to Los Angeles on Thursday, deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said that the appearance on Maron’s show is expected to give Obama ”an opportunity to have an extended candid conversation, not necessarily about news of the day items, but I think this is going to be much more about areas of the president’s life that don’t always get reported in the news.”
Shultz added: “WTF with Marc Maron is a twice a week — and I’ve always wanted to say that on the record — is a twice-a-week podcast hosted by Marc Maron from a recording studio in his garage. Yes, the President will be in his garage.”
Obama’s visit will briefly overlap with Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s arrival Friday. At 12:30 p.m., the former First Lady and secretary of state will attend a $2,700-per-person fundraiser hosted by Westfield Corp. co-CEO Peter Lowy and his wife, Janine. That will be followed by a $2,700-per-person conversation with Clinton at the home of HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo and his husband, Sonny Ward.
Later Friday evening there will be another fundraiser at the home of Spider-Man actor Tobey Maguire and his wife, Jennifer Meyer Maguire, also priced at $2,700 per person.
On the Westside, both Obama and Clinton will be greeted by another installation of posters created by the right-wing street artist and provocateur who calls himself Sabo. The anti-Obama graphics are racially charged portraying First Lady Michelle Obama as one of the Manson girls with the label “Helter Skelter,” the Manson Family’s code for race war. The Maguire poster is a riff on promotional graphics for his upcoming film Pawn Sacrifice and the actor’s penchant for playing poker. Earlier this week, Sabo rented a digital traffic sign mocking Obama and Clinton for snarling traffic and “begging” for money.
Friday morning, Obama will fly on to San Francisco for another $33,400-per-person roundtable, this one hosted by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar.
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