An affluent beach town in Southern California recently sent President Obama a bill for $35,000 following a February campaign stop where the president attended a big fundraiser. The city manager of Newport Beach explained that because of how much money was needed to pay for extra police protection and the fact that it was a campaign event and not 'official presidential business,' he wanted to treat the event like any other private one.
RELATED: RNC Files Formal Complaint Over Obama Campaigning On Taxpayer-Funded Excursions
The New York Daily News details the circumstances of Obama's campaign stop and the rather hefty sum the city says they owe.
Obama visited Newport's Corona del Mar neighborhood to hold a breakfast with wealthy donors, one of several stops during a fundraising trip through the Golden State.
The campaign charged donors $2,500 a head to attend, and as much as $35,000 for a meet-and-greet, Corona del Mar Today reported.
The town's revenue office sent the invoice to Obama's campaign office in Chicago May 10. It's due June 9.
The campaign has not commented on the bill.
It's also worth noting that Newport Beach is a rather conservative town, with Republicans outnumbering Democrats by a 3 to 1 ratio.
h/t NY Daily News
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Hillary and Newt agreed that politicians should not run up bills they don't intend to pay.
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This is an appallingly bad idea that hasn't been thought through at all.
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Is it that hard to stay on topic?
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What's appalling? That the city sent him a bill?
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'Appallingly bad idea' as in 'stupid decision' (I gave my reasons, respond to them if you wish) NOT as in 'morally suspect'
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Newport Beach is a conservative, affluent city. The median income is estimated at $107,007 (California's median income is $60,883) and registered Republicans outnumber Democrats three-to-one.
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Billing is standard for a city to a private function. And yes, a campaign is a private, non-government function.
I worked for a NW Fire Department and it was standard that the baseball team, the football team and the soccer team were all charged for police, fire and medic services dedicated to the event. It is a contract between the city, the facility and the event organizer.
These are dedicated to the event and we union folk volunteered for the event as it was overtime for us.
Standard stuff here, expect Romney to be billed when he holds an event.
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Presidents Obama has responded to this.
He said 'uhh,uhh, eh,ah,let uhh uh uh eh ehh me eh eh explain uh uh
eh, uhh uh, I, uh didn't uhh ehh uh ehhh uh will uh uh get back uh u
to uh you. -
Those are charges are agreed to in advance of being granted permits to hold events, no?
Not' charges releases after the fact to the media?
It seems to me there are two options:
1) this is a matter of course, as you say, and the bill was expected and agreed upon prior to the event and will be paid promptly' and therefore the NYDailyNews has basically tarted up a story to look like something it's not (entirely possible).
2) Newport Beach decided to stick it to Obama and look tough in the process by sending him a bill after the fact and alerting the press (entirely possible).
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The last line answered my only question, Newport Beach is a very conservative town. If only the town I lived had such foresight they wouldn't be out the extra $19,500 dollars they spent when George Bush came to town before the 2004 election. But then again it's a very conservative town also(except for me) and I'm sure they'll extend the same courtesy to Romney should he too decide to come here.
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So we don't get too much in the legal weeds, each city is different how stuff like this is handled.
A third option is that when an event organizer schedules a venue he typically states the amount of participants they expect. A stadium of 50,000 and you expect to fill the stadium, you are then billed for the full use of the stadium. If on the other hand you lease a football or baseball stadium and expect 15% of capacity then a portion of the stadium is opened and the rest is closed off. A full staff is not needed and the food vendors are probably not used either. Kinda like going to a concert or rally and the end zone and a portion of the field is used, the rest of the stadium is closed (barriers, tape, etc) and the entry and exit is typically nearest the activity.
A fourth option is that cities and states sometime absorb the cost because of the activity it brings to the city. The activity, the people participating should typically pay for the excess services provided. If it does not then the city is stuck with the cost. If I were a small city like Newport I would say we will absorb $10,000 but you pay any amount over this cost.
If I remember correctly this event was also at a private home. So charging for services is entirely justified.
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Obama's mantra: Qu'ils mangent de la brioche. (Let them eat cake.)
That's the nature of this idiotic leadership. It's all good ' as far as the State is paying for it. Who knows? That lumbering fool and his trusty sidekick are probably already saving up for his Presidential library.
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I take your points.
3rd option: Still in that case (a negotiated partial use of services)' we are talking about some agreement reached between the parties prior to the event' not a bill rendered after the fact by way of the media (if that is what happened).
4th option: cities take loses on events all the time because (like you say) though the city's coffers are diminished the event makes up for it in economic activity within the city and the city benefits in various non-financial ways.
It's hard to see much benefit to the city for a private function like this other than the modest economic benefit and the prestige of having the president there (even if not in an official capacity). So, I agree some kind of charge could likely be justified as a campaign expense.
But none of that explains why an agreement wouldn't be reached before hand.
Why is this a story? Either because someone really wants this to be a story, or it is out of the norm in one way or another.
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No contract no pay. They knew he was coming and should have made their demands at the appropriate time.
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It is a story because people want to stick it to Obama and will use every little dog eat dog story to do so. Romney has his fair share of dog poop stories that appear to be created for the sole purpose of sticking it to him too. A certain author on this site is notorious for doing that (wink, wink)
So that you know, I enjoy the stick it to the campaign story. Lazy Sunday for me so this crap caught my eye. It is a crap story but still' a small city stickin' it to the Obama campaign' it brings more of a smirk to my face.
In Seattle, I and even a few Obama supports disliked when he came to town. His team would necessarily shut down major arteries into, and through the city. It got to the point where the place I worked for actually encouraged people to go home early, come in late etc' to avoid the traffic' didn't work but at least some people were thinking.
I would hate my neighbor if he actually had a President over for the day' though I would put a box case of Columbian brand cerveza on the driveway for them. Kinda reminds them of better times'
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When the headline said 'Newport Beach' and billing Obama campaign, I knew it was politically motivated even before I got to the detail in the story. They don't get more rabidly Republican than that part of Reagan country.
Cities can elect to tell eventholders if they are able to provide city services and deal with public health and safety. That lets eventholders then decide whether they want to buy services (including security) privately or not.
I suggest that if the city government has no resources to provide service including public health and safety, that they just don't send them or provide them. The eventholder will get the idea.
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