President Barack Obama departed Los Angeles early Friday afternoon following a short overnight visit that caused all the usual traffic and road closures.
Air Force One left Los Angeles International Airport shortly before 12:30 p.m.
After arriving with his daughter Malia aboard Air Force One around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Obama dined at a Disney chairman Alan Horn’s home in Bel-Air for a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser.
Tickets went for $15,000 to $66,800 per couple, the Los Angeles Times reported. With multiple members of Southern California’s congressional delegation present, as well as House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, Obama discussed Republicans’ response to his nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court and the GOP candidates for president.
Obama said an attendee had asked — and received — the president’s assurance that he will not be succeeded by Donald Trump, according to a transcript provided by the White House.
“But what I also said was, Mr. Trump has actually done a service, as Mr. Cruz is doing a service. And that is laying bare unvarnished some of the nonsense that we’ve been dealing with in Congress on a daily basis,” Obama said. “People act as if these folks are outliers. But they’re not.”
The president and his daughter stayed overnight at the W Hotel, and Obama departed from there about 10:20 a.m. Friday.
He attended a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee breakfast fundraiser at the home of actor Tobey Maguire. Tickets for the event are $33,400, according to a pool reporter traveling with the president.
After leaving L.A., Obama was headed to San Francisco for additional fundraisers. He will stay in the Bay Area overnight Friday.
The Los Angeles Police Department issued a traffic advisory for the president’s visit in L.A.
On Friday morning, drivers were encouraged to avoid the following areas:
- Hilgard Avenue between Sunset and Weyburn Avenue, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
- Sunset between Loring Avenue west to Burlingame Avenue, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
- Bristol Avenue between Sunset and Westboro Street, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
- North Cliffwood Avenue between Westboro and Highwood streets, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Sunset between Bristol and North Sepulveda, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- South Centinela Avenue between Ocean Park and Pico, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Additionally, several street closures were in effect:
- Saint Cloud Road, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday.
- Hilgard Avenue, from 4 p.m. Thursday until 1 p.m. Friday.
- Malcolm Avenue, from 7 p.m. Thursday until 1 p.m. Friday.
- Cliffwood Avenue, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday.