Hillary Clinton visits Bay Area on latest fundraising jaunt

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KTVU) - Hillary Clinton hit three private fundraisers ringing the Bay Monday, including one in Marin County that was full of children.

Natasha Anderman emerged hoisting a selfie with the smiling presidential candidate, a brief moment for the thirteen year old but a big one.

"It was kind of cool," said Natasha, "because I want to be president some day".

After a roundtable event in Silicon Valley Monday morning, the Belvedere reception was Clinton's most relaxed event.

Billed as a mother-daughter reception, sons accompanied their moms, to learn about politics too.

"How presidential races work, and since Hillary is at the stage that she's not the nominee, this is a great opportunity to learn more about her," mom Aimie Vargas of Corte Madera told KTVU.

At her side, ten year old son David Gilgallon, who enthused, "I'm just here to meet Hilary and I'm excited to find out what she stands for and what she's here to do."

About 250 tickets were sold at $2,700 per adult, and the outdoor garden was full.

A few hours earlier, another supporter in Saratoga held a similar event.

Clinton supporters relished the opportunity to hear her in an intimate setting, characterized not as speeches, but "conversations."

"She said that no matter what you do, you shouldn't give up," Petra Rabb of Novato told KTVU, as she left the fundraiser with her mother.

"It's worth the money to see the excitement on Petra's face," exclaimed her mom Jodi Kulgman-Rabb, "knowing there could be a woman in charge."

None of Clinton's appearances include the public or media access.

To keep eyes from prying after her arrival, poster board, and then a tablecloth were strategically placed to block the view into the yard.

Attendees posed for pictures with the candidate, and many took their own cell phone photos as well.

Clinton also bent to sign the cast of one girl with a broken leg.
Most of Clinton's comments were in response to questions from the kids.

"They asked about pollution, they asked about the death penalty," recounted Janice Kellogg of San Francisco," she was asked what's hard about running for President, and she was asked about homeless people."

The questions were of interest to adults as well, but safe topics, since no youngsters asked about Clinton's email issues, which have damaged her poll standings.

"That doesn't seem to be going away," observed mom Jill Einstein of Belvedere. "But I think she'll get past it, and it shouldn't detract from all the incredible work that she's done."

Another question lost on the kids: what about Vice President Joe Biden jumping into the race.

"I think having more people is good for dialogue," Taissa Cherry of Belvedere
told KTVU, " and I wish her well and want her to win, but I do think having multiple candidates is great for conversation".

Cherry is a neighbor who didn't have a ticket but was watching the activities from the street.

In the end, she lucked out and got to meet Clinton, after Cherry's ten year old son Richard took a liking to the Secret Service garb, and dashed home to dress like an agent.

Back with his suit, tie, sunglasses, and earbuds, he charmed Clinton's security detail so much, they presented him with a lapel pin, and he and his mom got a quick photo op before she was whisked away.

Clinton's final Bay Area stop on the two day tour is Tuesday morning at the Pacific Heights mansion of two tech moguls who made a fortune selling their social networking company to AOL.