Obama Campaign Leaves Newport Beach with $35,000 Security Tab

When Mitt Romney visited Orange County, California for a fundraiser in May, his campaign promptly paid Newport Beach for security costs. 

President Obama’s campaign, on the other hand, still has not paid a $35,000 bill incurred when he went to a private home in Corona del Mar, in February, for a fundraiser that required, according to the Los Angeles Times, “street closures and additional security requirements for the president.”

According to the Times, Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff billed both campaigns bills for police security, but only Romney’s campaign paid the bill promptly.

City spokeswoman Tara Finnigan said the city was told by the Secret Service to bill the Obama campaign or the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and told the Times the city’s billing system would be sending past-due notices to the DNC and the Obama campaign.

According to the Times, Newport Beach, unlike other — more liberal — California cities,  “is in strong fiscal shape, with about $98 million in reserves.” Newport Beach is in good fiscal health because the city makes efforts to promptly collect monies it is owed and, unlike the Obama campaign, which has had a habit of sticking the cities they visit with the security bill, does not spend money on things it cannot afford.