George Clooney hosting pricey fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in LA

Leanne Suter Image
Sunday, April 17, 2016
George Clooney hosting pricey fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in LA
Hillary Clinton attended a rally at Southwest College before heading to a fundraiser at George Clooney's home.

STUDIO CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hillary Clinton is attending a pricey fundraiser at George Clooney's home in Los Angeles Saturday night, while Sanders supporters held their own event for just $27 a head.

Clinton first made a stop at Southwest College, where she told a crowd of supporters that if elected she would seek to raise the federal minimum wage, now at $7.25 an hour. She praised California for taking its own steps to raise the minimum wage to $15. She also pledged to make college more affordable.

"Let's take California values and New York values and put them to work for American values," Clinton said.

Clinton was scheduled to attend a fundraiser at George and Amal Clooney's Studio City home, where some guests were expected to pledge more than $300,000 to support the former secretary of state.

Just down the street, supporters of Bernie Sanders held a smaller-scale event designed to contrast the two candidates' fundraising philosophies. Sanders supporters were asked to contribute just $27 per person, the average donation to the Vermont senator's grassroots campaign.

"This is an expression of a movement that is of, by and for the people and is accessible to everyone for $27," said Jay Ponti, who organized the Sanders event.

This year's extended primary season could be the first time in many elections that the California nomination in June could make a difference. A recent poll showed a still-tight race, with Clinton ahead by just six points in California. It also showed that 12 percent of those polled are still undecided.

While Clinton was in Los Angeles, Sanders was returning to New York after meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican.