Obama to California for Fundraisers, Golf and More

President Barack Obama arrives in California on Wednesday for a week-long trip filled with a host of Democratic fundraisers, including one at the home of Hillary Clinton donor Steve Westly, who spent more than $35 million on an unsuccessful 2006 run for governor.

Obama will reportedly kick off his trip from Springfield, Illinois–where he first announced his candidacy for president nine years ago–and fly into Moffett Field in Mountain View late Wednesday afternoon.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, he will spend the night in the San Jose area, and attend two fundraisers Thursday morning, starting with one at Westly’s home.

The Mercury News reports that tickets for the fundraiser at Westly’s home cost $250 for general admission, $1,000 for premium seating, $10,000 for a photo with the president, and $25,000 to be a “special guest.”

The second fundraiser will reportedly be for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He will fly to Los Angeles Friday morning, where he will appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and attend two Democratic National Committee (DNC) fundraisers. He will spend his weekend in the Palm Springs area, where he will likely enjoy some golfing, before hosting a summit with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the Sunnylands retreat in Rancho Mirage on Monday and Tuesday.

Trade, counterterrorism and maritime security are among the agenda items for the first-of-its-kind summit, according to the Press Enterprise. Leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos and Myanmar will be in attendance to represent the organization they helped create in 1967.

Obama will likely use the meeting to deepen U.S. relations with Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam; three strategic U.S. allies in the region.

Growing tensions in the South China Sea have prompted a greater U.S. presence in the region, including the deployment of a U.S. spy plane off the island of Singapore in December.

This is Obama’s first visit to the Golden State this year. He made three fundraising trips to California last year, including one in October that featured rapper Kanye West, where the commander-in-chief offered Kim Kardashian’s husband some insider tips about running for president.