Pete Buttigieg started a fundraising blitz through Los Angeles donor circles on Thursday, a reflection of the sudden interest in his unexpected rise as a serious candidate for the Democratic nomination.
In contrast to previous visits to Los Angeles, where he has met individually with prominent bundlers and held meet and greets, his schedule includes four fundraisers aimed at higher-end donors and one, at the West Hollywood nightspot The Abbey, billed as a grassroots gathering.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, who Buttigieg met with on a visit last month, will be co-hosting an event with wife Marilyn on Thursday evening at the home of Claire and Brian Goldsmith, with tickets starting at $250 per person (for those under 37, which is Buttigieg’s age). Those who write checks for $2,800 or raise that amount can get a picture with the candidate, and those who contribute $1,000 will receive a signed book. Claire Goldsmith is an online education administrator; Brian Goldsmith is an investor who has co-hosted a podcast with Katie Couric.
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On Thursday afternoon, Buttigieg attended a lunch in Brentwood, co-chaired by Jill Goldman, Vicki Kennedy, Lauren Taschen and Wendy Riva. Tickets started at $250 per person.
Later in the day he was scheduled for an event at the The Abbey, with tickets starting at $25 per person, with co-hosts including West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath, Sam Greisman and UTA’s Brent Weinstein.
He’ll also be doing a later-in-the-evening event at the home of Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, writer-producer Brad Falchuk. Bradley Whitford and Amy Landecker are also co-hosts, with tickets starting at $250 per person.
Buttigieg attended a public event on Thursday morning in support of Measure EE, the parcel tax initiative that would raise money for L.A. public schools. Buttigieg spoke along with Mayor Eric Garcetti, telling the crowd that it is a “selfless act” sometimes “to stand up, to take the time to defend this measure, to defend workers’ rights, to insist on more resources, on more professionals, on better wages.”
Asked what his strategy would be if he were on a debate stage with President Trump, Buttigieg said, “You know, you can’t get too worried on the name calling and the games he plays. I was thinking of a Chinese proverb that goes, ‘When the wind changes, some people build walls and some people build windmills.’”