President Joe Biden arrived Monday in the Bay Area where he landed at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View before heading to Palo Alto to speak at the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center and Preserve on a three-day trip that also will include private fundraising.
The president’s trip coincides with a fundraising visit by a potential Republican rival to Biden’s re-election, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who attended a breakfast fundraiser in Sacramento before heading to the Bay Area for a private fundraiser in Woodside.
The president’s motorcade could cause a few traffic alerts throughout the day as he zips from Palo Alto to Los Gatos and back up to Atherton this evening.
Biden arrived at Moffett at 12:15 p.m. where he was met by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Rep. Anna Eshoo, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Susan Ellenberg and NASA Center Director Eugene Tu. Despite the sunny skies, Biden wasn’t wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses. He got off the presidential jet at 12:33, spoke on the tarmac with Newsom, Eshoo and the other greeters for three minutes but took no questions before leaving at 12:38 with his motorcade in the vehicle known as “The Beast.”
Biden arrived around 1 p.m. at the Palo Alto Baylands nature preserve, where he is to deliver remarks on his administration’s environmental and energy policies including more than $600 million in funding for climate adaptation projects across the country.
Biden Press Secrtary Karine Jean-Pierre said the preserve, which sits on what was once a landfill, is an example of the type of community-driven climate solutions that the federal government is investing in to harness nature in an effort to counter effects of a warming climate.
The Baylands Nature Preserve is a 1,940-acre system of marshes on San Francisco Bay’s shoreline. It is owned by the city of Palo Alto, and is a well-known birdwatching area. The interpretive center that Biden visited is named for Lucy Evans, a Palo Alto school teacher who advocated tirelessly for the protection of San Francisco Bay’s wetlands until her death in 1978.
The president then will travel to Los Gatos about 3 p.m. and Atherton at 6:15 p.m. to attend fundraisers toward his 2024 reelection campaign.
Florida Gov. DeSantis was in Sacramento for a $3,300-a-head breakfast fundraiser at the Del Paso Country Club hosted by real estate developer Steve Eggert and his wife.
KCRA Capitol Correspondent Ashley Zavala reported Monday that DeSantis, a Republican vying for the nomination against former President Donald Trump and several other Republicans, entered the club through a back entrance, avoiding reporters who had gathered at the front gate. He left in a procession of vehicles around 10:30, heading to the Bay Area where he is expected to attend a fundraiser in Woodside hosted by real estate developer John Hamilton.
A procession of black cars, one presumably carrying Ron DeSantis, leaves out of the back/service entrance of the Del Paso Country club in Sacramento.
A private fundraiser was reportedly held for him here this AM, most reporters stood waiting for him by the front gate. pic.twitter.com/9cldAMDVjv
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) June 19, 2023
At Moffett airfield, Newsom, who often criticizes his Florida counterpart, said in response to a reporter’s question about DeSantis’ arrival that “he’s an afterthought.”
In Los Gatos, Biden will attend a fundraiser hosted by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott and his wife Shannon Hunt-Scott at an undisclosed location.
The Atherton fundraiser is being hosted by venture capitalist and former state controller Steve Westly and his wife, Anita Yu at their home, according to an emailed invitation acquired by the Bay Area News Group. Guests are asked to pay $6,600 to attend.
Staff Writer Paul Rogers contributed to this report.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
Source: www.mercurynews.com