It's the most ever raised in a Senate fundraiser: $1.75 million. That's how much came from President Barack Obama's 19-hour trip to the Bay Area. That breaks down to $92,000 an hour.
He started his trip with a reception at the San Francisco Fairmont, where donors paid anywhere from $250 a ticket to $2,500 for a VIP event. Among those at the reception: Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church, and Ron Cottingham, PORAC president. But the topper was the dinner and photo opp at the Getty Mansion in Pacific Heights. It cost atendees $17,600 a person for a beef dinner and photo with Obama. Willie Brown and Gavin Newsom were among the 80 guests at the sold out event.
Those who couldn't afford that pricey plate still caught a glimpse of the president after waiting in the cold and rain for half an hour. Tim Johnson said, "It's an exciting thing to see the motorcade; it's something so American."
Hadley Hicks says she's been inside the Getty Mansion for a party, but not at a $17,000 price tag. "That's crazy and wonderful but it's out of most people's leagues. I hope it's worth the money. The dinner must be fabulous." she said, with a laugh
Hicks and Johnson ran to join a small crowd of people waiting at Broadway and Divisadero. They cheered the presidential motorcade as it passed shortly before 8 p.m. Some say they saw Obama smiling and waving through the tinted windows. Among them was 9-year-old Olivia Mohun.
