MOUNTAIN VIEW — President Barack Obama landed at Moffett Field on Wednesday night for a two-day Bay Area stopover to raise money for fellow Democrats.
Several minutes after Air Force One touched down at 7:10 p.m., Obama quickly ran down the stairs and was greeted by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Mountain View Mayor Pat Showalter, Maj. Gen. Nick Tooliatos of the 63rd Regional Support Command and Col. Gregory Jones of the 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard.
The president spent a minute or two chatting with each of the greeters, thanking the two members of the military for their service, Showalter said later.
“I thanked him for his leadership on climate change,” she said. “He said, ‘You’re welcome. It’s really important.'”
He was then whisked away in a waiting motorcade that took him to the San Jose Sheraton in Milpitas, where he spent the night.
Obama came to the Bay Area after a brief stop in Springfield, Illinois, where he addressed Illinois’ legislature. In his speech, the president called for a change in the “poisonous political climate” in the nation’s capital and a return to civility in politics.
On Thursday, Obama will attend a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee hosted by venture capitalist and former state controller Steve Westly, a possible candidate for governor in 2018. The event will take place at his Atherton home. Ticket prices range from $250 to $25,000.
Following a similar fundraiser in 2013, the town of Atherton unsuccessfully attempted to bill the White House and other organizations $8,000 to cover police services necessitated by Obama’s visit. The president’s entourage disrupts traffic and his presence can draw protesters, town officials say, like the vocal crowd that demonstrated against the Keystone pipeline three years ago.
As it braces for another Obama visit, town officials believe they have more clout. By “tightening up” its special events ordinance, City Manager George Rodericks said the town should be able to extract some compensation for the public services it provides related to the president’s visit.
The Atherton City Council in July 2015 adopted an updated special events ordinance that, according to city documents, “provides a mechanism for the Town to seek reimbursement for events that require the use of Town’s resources (police, public works, etc.).”
As a result, Rodericks said, organizers of Obama’s visit “will have to pay whatever the town’s costs are. We can do that after the event.”
Rodericks said the police department will work with the Secret Service to estimate how much the event will cost to accommodate.
The other Bay Area fundraiser, also on Thursday, will benefit the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. No details about the event have been released.
After the Bay Area events on Thursday, Obama will fly to Los Angeles for more DNC fundraisers, as well as a Friday appearance on comedian Ellen DeGeneres’ show.
The president will spend the weekend in the Palm Springs area before hosting a summit with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Rancho Mirage on Monday and Tuesday. After the summit, Obama will fly back to Washington, D.C.
Staff writers Matthew Artz, Jason Green and John Orr contributed to this report. Contact Emily Benson at 408-920-5764. Follow her at Twitter.com/erbenson1
