Hillary Clinton holds campaign fundraiser in Atherton
ATHERTON, Calif. (KTVU) - Hillary Clinton is in the Bay Area taking part in two fundraisers this week. Wednesday night she was on the Peninsula.
A motorcade delivered Hillary Clinton to upscale Atherton around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night where she spent just under two hours taking photos and speaking to attendees.
KTVU caught a glimpse of the presidential candidate as she exited the car and walked through a garden into the fundraiser.
"Once she arrived, they decided to start with the photo shoot because people had been waiting and she was caught in traffic so the plane was delayed on the tarmac and the freeway was jammed," said attendee Sharon Williams.
Dozens of people lined up outside the estimated $9-million dollar home of former Facebook executive Chris Kelly and his wife. They each paid $2,700 to be there and get a professional photo taken with Clinton.
San Carlos attorney William Ahmann is originally from the Midwest and says this was his first time attending a political fundraising event.
"It was $2,700 but I get to give Christmas presents to my Republican family back home," said Ahmann who plans to send out Christmas cards of his photo with Clinton.
Also attending, Sally Wu, the wife of the former Mayor of Sunnyvale and her three daughters.
"She is a great role model for young girls and we are very happy and excited to meet with her in-person," said Wu.
"My name is Hillary and I was named after Hillary Clinton," said 7-year-old attendee Hillary Lee of Sunnyvale. "And double L in my name just like Hillary Clinton."
Security was tight around the home with bomb-sniffing dogs checking the neighborhood before the event.
Santa Clara County assessor Larry Stone is fundraising for Clinton.
This is the third fundraiser he's attended since May.
"So there's no question Hillary Clinton is going to get the nomination and there's no question she's going to win California when she does. So it's really the fundraising that's important to come here for," said Stone.
We also asked attendees how they feel about Vice President Joe Biden possibly entering the race.
"I think it'd be great if he entered. I think it's super," said attendee Susan Thomas of Portola Valley. "The more the merrier."
Some attendees brought books for Clinton to sign. Others including one man from Gilroy of Nepalese decent brought a framed map of Nepal to give her.
Walking near the fundraiser, we found 18-year-old Ryan Kessler who intentionally wore a shirt with a picture of Republican Ronald Reagan as Clinton, a big-name Democrat raised thousands of dollars in his neighborhood.
"I don't really like it. I'm going to be honest, I don't like it at all," said Kessler. "I don't think she's a good candidate for this country. I just don't really see her as President."
Attendees said Clinton spoke for about 30 minutes and covered everything from education and the environment to the economy and foreign policy.
Clinton has a morning brunch fundraiser planned Thursday in San Francisco with Fiona Ma and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee before heading to Southern California for another fundraiser.