LOS ANGELES — Actor Will Smith and basketball standout Earvin “Magic” Johnson for dinner and Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas for post-meal mingling. President Barack Obama waded into the domain of the stars Monday as he hit the California fundraising circuit in one of his busiest donor outreach trips of the season. Smith, in an elegant three-piece suit, and Johnson, the standout former point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, were guests at the home of producer James Lassiter and his wife, Mai. About 40 contributors, including actress Hillary Duff, contributed $35,800 each for a cozy dinner and a chance to chat with the president. Obama, eager to reinvigorate his supporters, ticked off his administration’s accomplishments. “Sometimes I think people forget how much has gotten done,” the president said as he urged his backers to rally once again, at the same time joking, as he often does, that he is older and grayer now. “This election won’t be as sexy as the first one.” The Lassiter dinner, followed by a larger affair at the home of Griffith and Banderas, were part of a three-day, fundraising-rich swing through Nevada, California and Colorado. California, however, is his biggest donor state and he raised about $1 million in the Los Angeles area alone during the past two fundraising quarters, according to an Associated Press review of contributions above $200. Testing a re-election theme, Obama is also telling donors that the country is suffering from an economic crisis and political crisis. “People are crying out for action,” he says. Pointing to elements of his $447 billion jobs plan that was rejected by Republican lawmakers, Obama said they likely would linger as campaign issues in 2012. “This is the fight that we’re going to have right now, and I suspect this is the fight that we’re going to have to have over the next year,” Obama told about 240 donors at a fundraising event earlier Monday at the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas. “The Republicans in Congress and the Republican candidates for president have made their agenda very clear.” The Las Vegas fundraiser attracted about 240 people who paid from $1,000 to $35,800 toward Obama’s re-election campaign and to the Democratic National Committee. The bigger donors met the president personally. Others at Lassiter’s Hancock Park home included Troy Carter, the manager of Grammy award winner Lady Gaga. The singer herself was a guest at a fundraiser last month at the Atherton home of Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg. The Griffith-Banderas event attracted about 120 donors and was aimed at Obama’s Latino supporters. It featured guests such as actress Eva Longoria and mayors Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Julian Castro of San Antonio. While in Las Vegas, Obama spelled out a plan to help homeowners refinance their homes even if their home values had dropped dramatically below what they owed on their mortgages. Obama ventured into a working class development in the Las Vegas suburbs that benefitted from a community revitalization program like one he is pushing Congress to approve now. But the president displayed campaign-style vigor, wading into the neighborhood crowd to shake hands and even lift a baby. His handlers reminded him it was time to leave, but Obama strode to yet another group of residents for one last hand shake, autograph and photograph. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Obama headed to a diverse neighborhood minutes from Lassiter’s home south of Hollywood and stopped at Roscoe’s, a popular Los Angeles chicken restaurant chain. Obama roved through the dining booths greeting customers, leaving at least one awestruck young boy holding his hand aloft after shaking the president’s hand. One man gave him a hug and a Hispanic man told his daughter that if she studied hard “you’ll be like him.” Most of his remaining time during this three-day Western swing is being spent raising money. On Tuesday he will tape an appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” his second as president and fourth appearance overall. He also will attend fundraisers in San Francisco and Denver. Follow this link: Obama Mingles With Stars At Hollywood Fundraisers
Local News
Extra, Extra: A Man in a Baby Swing, An Apologetic Football Coach and Big Changes at a Local Paper
In tonight’s Extra, Extra, a 21-year-old man makes a bad bet, Lane Kiffin swallows his pride, and the L.A. Weekly sees some big changes. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook , and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports . more › Go here to see the original: Extra, Extra: A Man in a Baby Swing, An Apologetic Football Coach and Big Changes at a Local Paper
Motorcyclist & Passenger Crushed by Big Rig During Sunday’s Love Ride
Sunday’s Love Ride was unfortunately not-so-lovely for four of the participants. Two separate traffic incidents occurred on the 5 Freeway during the event. Two people were injured in the first accident, and two others were killed in the second. Yesterday marked the 28th annual Love Ride as well as the first fatalities associated with the event. more › Excerpt from: Motorcyclist & Passenger Crushed by Big Rig During Sunday’s Love Ride
Manny Pacquiao offers professional fighters $1000 to knock him down
Link: Newport-Inglewood Fault Affects Subway Tunneling in Beverly Hills
Original post: Link: Newport-Inglewood Fault Affects Subway Tunneling in Beverly Hills
California Billionaires
There are more California billionaires than ever, and the state of California has more billionaires than any state in America. In fact, one of every nine billionaires in the world is a Californian, officially making California the Billionaire Capitol of the World . Recognizing an apparent public fascination with magnates, barons, tycoons, moguls or wealthy business leaders, Californiality has compiled a list of 100 billionaires from California below. This blog does not speculate on the net worth of billionaires in California, which changes monthly.
James Clark: The Numbers Are in, the Death Penalty Is Out
Over the last few weeks, polls were released by several independent organizations that all point to one conclusion: Californians are ready to dump the death penalty. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and the Field Poll both show California voters’ strong preference for life without the possibility of parole over the death penalty. In the Field Poll released September 29, 48% of California voters opted for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole while only 40% chose the death penalty. And Gallup Polling shows that American support for capital punishment has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years. Jeanne Woodford, former death row warden and current spokesperson for the SAFE California Campaign , said, “We see [these poll results] as a historic shift that will carry us through to the elections.” SAFE CA is the new initiative to end California’s death penalty on the November 2012 ballot. It’s about replacing the death penalty with a safe and affordable public safety solution: life without the possibility of parole plus work and restitution. More Californians chose that over the death penalty because they know it saves $184 million state tax dollars every year. A single execution is exorbitantly expensive — $308 million – and most Californians can probably think of better ways to spend their money. For the same cost , we could hire about 6,000 new police officers, or about 5,000 new fire fighters. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that hiring thousands more public employees would make a bigger positive impact on a community than would executing a single individual. And it’s also worth pointing out that for the cost of a single execution, we could provide 2,865 children with a free k-12 education. Californians care about their communities, and they care about education and public safety. They know that cash-strapped California has to invest its resources wisely, and they know that protecting and educating their families will always bring more bang for their buck than wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on one execution. These polls show that California is on the verge of a major shift in public priorities. When the SAFE CA Act lands on the ballot in November 2012, voters will have a chance to put their taxpayer money where their mouths are and fund real solutions over empty “tough on crime” rhetoric. Sign up now to volunteer with the SAFE CA campaign to ensure that our tax dollars are invested in our communities. Read more from the original source: James Clark: The Numbers Are in, the Death Penalty Is Out
How Did the Body of Penthouse Model End Up Washing Ashore at Camp Pendleton?
The naked body of a woman authorities first was that of a teenager was discovered washed ashore at Camp Pendleton back on January 4, 2011, and now investigators are hoping the public can help determine how she came to be there. The woman was 58-year-old Anneka Vasta, also known as Anneka Di Lorenzo and Marjorie Thoresen, an actress and Penthouse “Pet of the Year” model from the 1970s. more › Go here to see the original: How Did the Body of Penthouse Model End Up Washing Ashore at Camp Pendleton?
Hiker Discovers Skeletal Human Remains at Malibu Creek State Park
While hiking at Malibu Creek State Park on Sunday afternoon, a hiker discovered possible human remains in the Tapia Park area. Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau detectives and personnel from the L.A. County Department of Coroner responded to the 800 block of Las Virgenes, Calabasas this morning to investigate the circumstances surrounding the discovery. more › Read the rest here: Hiker Discovers Skeletal Human Remains at Malibu Creek State Park





