Hillary Clinton’s 24-hour fundraising jaunt to Hollywood expected to net $1 million

Hillary Clinton made her grand public debut before American voters only a week ago in New York City, then rushed off for some quick grassroots stops in Iowa and New Hampshire. And at week’s end came the big stop in California, land of Hollywood fundraising. Mrs. Clinton is expected to do exceptionally well.

“By the time Democratic front-runner leaves Los Angeles Saturday, she hopes to have added well over $1 million to her campaign war chest and to have cemented her family’s famous Hollywood ties to a new generation of entertainment industry donors,” says The Hollywood Reporter, an industry source which tracks the stars and the business.

On Friday night, Mrs. Cinton appeared at the home of Tobey Maguire, he of “Spiderman” fame, for an elite gathering of 250 which included Leonardo DiCaprio, Elizabeth Banks, and singer Sia Furler. The event will raise $500,000.

Mrs. Clinton appeared in two more fundraisers in the Beverly Hills area and Newport Beach, bringing the total haul up to a cool $1 million, the Hollywood Reporter said, basing the figure on an unnamed source.

But wait, there’s more. On Saturday, it’s on to San Francisco for a fourth event - a swank brunch in the Mission District, with admission prices rising as high as $50,000. It is of note that President Obama was also on the West Coast at the same time - also raising money in Los Angeles and San Francisco, this primarily for the Democratic National Committee. Mr. Obama is scheduled to play golf in Palm Springs for the rest of the weekend - his fifth visit to the area’s links in two years. This one came with a little local warning.

“President Barack Obama’s weekend visit will close roads near the Palm Springs airport from Friday afternoon until Monday morning. According to a notice from Palm Springs police, both Kirk Douglas Way and Airport Center Drive will be closed from 1 p.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Monday,” noted a terse dispatch form The Desert Sun, a local paper.

In the meantime, talk that Mrs. Clinton could raise $1 billion for her White House campaign may not be pure conjecture. When the weekend is over, she will have completed her 26th fundraiser for the year.