President Obama due in Los Angeles on Monday

President Obama is scheduled to visit Los Angeles on Monday afternoon to help raise money for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, according to variety.com.

He is slated to attend a fundraiser at the home of "ER" and "The West Wing" executive producer John Wells and his wife, Marilyn. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the committee, also are expected to attend, the website said.

The cocktail and dinner costs $2,500 per person, the website said.

The president is expected to land at LAX at 4:10, according to his schedule.

--Joe Mozingo

Comments

[Stephen J. Smith]

Hey Barry, put in a good word for Maxine ! Partners in crime.

[kuruc]

what? another vacation for the PUPPET?

[Ray]

Is he gonna fly by Marine One to the fundraising event after Air Force One touches down at LAX or is he gonna go by motorcade???

If it's by motorcade I need to know what streets/freeway exits and entrances are gonna be closed. This is gonna be a hell of a traffic snarl if BHO chooses to go by motorcade. Hope he doesn't choose that route.

[Anonymous]

Given past experience with Obama motorcades, expect on going North on the 405 from LAX to Sunset at about 4:30-5PM, with full freeway closure "for security reasons".

[Lana]

4:10? Great just in time to closed the freeway during rush hour traffic...next time come in at 2:10!

[Javier Alvarez]

Don't worry everyone.
He's taking Marine One.
It's been at LAX since Friday.

[Sarah]

It appears by motorcade. I'm in my office at Wilshire and Bundy and they already have westbound Wilshire starting at Bundy closed. It is insane the traffic buildup already (and 2 hours early)!

[CH]

I'm looking outside my office located on San Vicente and Montana overlooking the Veterans Administration grounds, and they have the intersection of Montana and Barrington closed with police tape and both LAPD and CHP commuting back and forth and a helicopter lfying overhead. In the past, the president has flown in and landed his helicopter at the VA with motorcade going up and down Barrington. Gotta think that's what's happening today.

[Chuck Mason]

I voted for Obama, and he's a very fine statesman/politician.
However, I object to a police state in my hometown.
I was on my motorcycle at 3:30 Mon, and even w/ all the lane splitting in the world, I did not get to my destination (Sepulveda and S. Monica).

I want to know who chooses to perform these ridiculous lockdowns, and from whose budget this comes. As ALL govt. is in the red, the source of these funds is a moot point; we cannot afford it.

In the future, all presidents should conduct business in a hanger at whatever airport they land. There are lots of party planners who can -------- 5 military helicopters are thundering overhead now; how much is that costing us? ----- outfit any hanger to make it real festive, and I know our military has some experience is setting up field command centers. Land, do your business, have your $5000/plate fundraiser, go back home. Mission accomplished. No waste of money, time, fossil fuels, and anger. We should preserve our anger for other more deserving things, like ........... unruly kids in restaurants.

[Peter]

$2,500 per person? Unless there's thousands of people, that's less than this visit is costing the state. Ignore the prohibitive security costs (since I don't know how much those are anyways), only count the man-hours lost in the traffic caused by all the street closures and you will get a number FAR above that. Oh and that's using the minimum wage, not the common $100-$400/hour people make in the areas closed down. It is not even possible to get home at the moment if you live in West Hollywood and went to buy something for dinner, much less if you work west of the 405.

[Karen M]

What happened to common consideration for the neighbors? We left Overland and Santa Monica at 5:10. Had to go south to National to go north on Robertson. So far out if the way and waste of time to make a 4 mile drive so we can spend money in our local economy. I second the idea that from now on Presidential business should be conducted in a hangar at the airport.

[Audra]

Traffic was horrible tonight. Work at Howard Hughes Center at 405 trying to get home to Hollywood apt. No information on how to get north. Complete gridlock, spilling into the neighborhood streets. Fine if you're going to shut down streets for security, give us (and put out a notice where it will be) some thoroughfares to use to get north and open the streets as soon as he's passed. There is absolutely no reason to shut down the city for hours for a car to pass by in 30 seconds. Starting at La Cienega, Fairfax, Crescent Heights, La Brea, Highland, Crenshaw were all blocked to north flowing traffic. Strangely though, cars were coming south from the intersections with barricades to the north. Heard on the radio that Secret Service wouldn't even confirm closures. Mismanagement at its best.
And right on Chuck - how much fossil fuels were wasted for this - not only in military vehicles, but the thousands sitting without anywhere to go, then driving miles out of their way to get home from work.

[Amy Christine]

I WAS an Obama supporter, but from someone who lives in the Hancock Park area and was stopped by police from crossing Olympic to GET HOME on foot (as my husband told me, we area police state when we want to be) during my daily dog walk I've lost all belief in his judgement. Can he really think he's more important than the tens of thousands of people trying to get home to their families? I saw kids standing alone outside LA High waiting to get picked up from parents who couldn't get to them. This is what Obama represents? I really thought he was compassionate and caring and one of us. I bought into it all.

Think of all the businesses losing money, the restaurants / waitresses who are losing customers tonight because of the closures. Did he forget we are in a recession that he hasn't done much to help us out of? The policeman (one of the hundreds) who kept me from crossing the road until the motorcade passed (another HUGE waste of tax payer dollars) told me the roads would likely not be open until 8pm. 8pm?! Is he joking? Obama is sitting at a dinner with Hollywood producers, drinking wine, eating small spinach quiches off silver trays and none of us can get home? We should all be outraged.

One last note for Obama - since I was on foot I had a lot people in cars asking me what I could see, how bad the traffic was, where it began and ended, etc. One woman told me she was unemployed and low on gas and not sure how she was going to get home. She had no money to refill her tank. Budgeted just enough to get where she was going and then home. Desperate and crying. It was awful.

Congrats Mr. President. I guess the question we all want to know is, did you have the chicken or the beef?

[Sharon]

A hangar is a great idea. It took my husband almost an hour to get home from 3 blocks away because of the street closures. I don't remember it ever being this bad with other Presidential visits.

[KDS]

It took me over an hour to drive home 2 miles from work. This is the third time and now it will influence my voting next election...
It would have been cheaper to fly everyone invited to the party to dinner at the white house.
What a terrible waste of money

[ANONYMOUS]

I left my office at 5:00 because I was told the road was open. Picked up a friend at my home in Century City to drive me to Beverly Hills to pick up a prescrption for pain. Two hours later we were back at home and without my pain medicine. I am angry that I am suffering, along with many on the road with overheated cars, loads of road rage, and WHY?! So our "President" can go and party!!!!!!! If he can't have his social life at an airport hanger, then HE SHOULD TRAVEL SO IT DOESN'T AFFECT THOSE WHO LIVE HERE! I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW WHO'S PAYING FOR ALL THIS - CHP, LAPD, HELICOPTERS, ETC. HOW SELFISH AND INCONSIDERATE.

[Art_isalie]

What a bunch of spoiled babies. You had a rough commute for one day? you didn't make it to your appointment? Oy vey! It's like a Seinfeld episode....all the stereotypes of privileged Westsiders. And yes, I live on the Westside too. And I got slowed down by the insane traffic coming home. It's only one afternoon in your life, stop crying! What would you do if you woke up tomorrow in Pakistan and your entire city was flooded and you had no drinking water? Could you cope with that? Or is snarled traffic the limit of your tolerance?

[hate traffic]

when is he leaving? do we get to "enjoy" more of this tomorrow?

[Chris]

i had to take my wife to a 2pm doctors appointment in West LA. Timing couldn't have been worse. It took 20 minutes to get there and 5 1/2 hours to get back home at Sunset and Doheny. And for what for a handfull of select few people for a rhuse called a fund raiser. Please, what do we Americans think it cost to have this unlimited security Federal State and Local. It went into the tens of millions guaranteed. I hope someone does an anylisis of what we who sat in traffic for hours had to pay with our tax dollars. I voted for Obama and asked many friends and family to do the same. Never again!!! He should be ashamed of himself as well as these party goers who took NO regard for the hundreds of thousands of us who got shuffled around like pawns. Does the president really think there are that many people who give a damn enough about him to cause such massive chaos? Please they could have stuck him in a VW van and no one would have known he was in there nor would they have cared. I'm disgusted with what has happened to this country. We tax payers pay for it again and we don't do anything about it. Put this money to good use. Harry Truman drove himself home in an old car by himself when his term was up. How things have changed. Shame on you Obama and those of you at this farse of a fund loser.

[David Littlefield]

I am one of the local residents who encountered the monumental traffic problems caused by our President's visit today. At 5:45 PM I was 2 miles from my home in West Hollywood. I finally walked in my front door at 8:30, two hours & forty five minutes later. It is beyond belief that local authorities would allow virtually all north & south bounds streets to remain closed from the time the Presidential motorcade made its way to Hancock Park right through to the end of his fundraiser & subsequent return to Century City. I have never seen chaos like this on the streets of Los Angeles. Was any thought given to this? What purpose was served by keeping these streets closed? How many evenings were ruined for no reason? How many businesses suffered for this? What is the true cost of such a colossal failure to properly manage this event? Mr. President, I voted for you. But how can you condone this affront to the working people of this city? And you were here to beg for money from the wealthiest residents of LA. Not to address the UN; not to convene a summit on creating jobs for the vast army of unemployed; not to hear what citizens have to say on any of the challenges facing our country today. You were looking for a handout. You should be ashamed of yourself and the incredible arrogance that allows you & others of your ilk to treat us like peasants. You have slapped in the face everyone caught in this nightmare of your creation today. And while your hand is out, why not ask those you dined with tonight to toss in some more cash to pay for the 30,000 additional soldiers you are prepared to sacrifice in these long running wars you have decided to perpetuate. You have brought NO change to this country that I can believe in.

[jeff]

Does anyone know what streets will be closed tomorrow morning?

[Bok Doos]

Typical - this is what happens in Banana Republics - Zimbabwe et al - close all the roads because the President is traveling through. He has caused a tremendous loss of revenue to our country without having to lose our city millions of dollars in lost production. I don't know why he is so scared - he shouldn't have taken the job if he is a girlie man. He's pathetic. I hope he never comes here again.