President Barack Obama is back in Los Angeles on Monday to attend two Hollywood fundraisers in the Hancock Park neighborhood, and he's landing at LAX just in time to take part in LA's infamous evening commute.
The night's events, at the homes of "Hitch" producer Jim Lassiter and then actors Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas, are expected to rake in $1 million for the President's 2012 run, according to KTLA.
But before he made it to his first dinner, the President made a surprise stop at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles. The Associated Press has more on the scene inside the Hollywood spot:
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."
Check out photos of the President's arrival at LAX and his surprise stop at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles on Monday evening.
Obama at Roscoe's
The Associated Press also reports that Will Smith, Magic Johnson and Hillary Duff were just some of the guests that were present at the $35,800 per-person fundraising dinner at the home of Jim and Mai Lassiter. The intimate event was attended by about 40 people.
Then the President was off to the nearby home of Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas. From AP:
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.
The following morning, President Obama is headed to Burbank to do a taped segment for Jay Leno's "Tonight Show." Then he's set to take off from LAX before noon.
As usual, neither the President's routes nor hotel accommodations will be disclosed by the Secret Service ahead of time out of concern for his safety, but there have been a few clues thrown out here and there for commuters to consider.
In an interview with KNX on Sunday, Councilman Rosendahl said that four different west-east boulevards are being considered as a possible route for the presidential motorcade: Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard and Pico Boulevard.
As for north-south routes, major streets between the 405 freeway and Highland Avenue will be temporarily closed as the motorcade rolls through, but Councilman Rosendahl took pains to emphasize to KNX that there will be no prolonged blockades: "over and over there will be no hard closures. After the president clears a certain location, they will immediately open up the streets."
UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times reports that as of 5:26pm, both 6th Street and Wilshire Boulevard between South Muirfield Drive and South Hudson Avenue are closed for the fundraisers.
As for public transit, here's a list of detoured Metro buses via Total Traffic LA:
- 212, 312 detour via La Cienega between Rodeo and 3rd
- 20, 720 and 28, 728 detour via Beverly between Western and Crenshaw
- 33, 733, and 735 were being detoured, but back on route now with residual delays
Check out our map of streets that could be impacted by President Obama's motorcade and then check out his full Monday schedule below:
View Streets That Could Be Impacted By President Obama's Visit On October 24-25, 2011 in a larger map
President Barack Obama's Monday, 24 2011 Schedule in Los Angeles
4:45PM: The President arrives at LAX. Councilman Rosendahl revealed that he will be transported by helicopter to a UCLA-area helipad. Then he'll take an undisclosed route to Hancock Park, where he will attend two fundraising events.
Fundraising Dinner
What: Fundraising Dinner
Hosts: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
Where: The home of Jim and Mai Lassiter in Hancock Park
When: 6:15pm
Who: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Troy and Rebecca Carter (Troy is Lady Gaga's manager), and Roc Nation president Jay Brown and his wife, Kawanna, head of Magic Johnson Enterprises are some of the high-rolling couples expected at the dinner, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Price: $35,800 per person
Latino Gala
What: Latino Gala
Hosts: Eva Longoria
Where: The home of Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas in Hancock Park
When: 8:45pm
Who: Prominent figures from the Latino community across the nation are expected, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Price: Gala tickets range from $5,000 to $35,800
UPDATE: The President will be facing protesters aligned with the Occupy LA movement on his way to the two fundraisers. According to the LA Weekly, occupiers started leaving Downtown LA for Hancock Park at around midday.
Here's a photo update of a few protesters on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Highland Avenue from 4:20pm.
Photo by OccupyLA.
Earlier in the day, medical marijuana advocates planned to protest against the federal crackdown on pot dispensaries in Downtown LA.