President Obama coming to town (again)

RANCHO SANTA FE, CA. — No hacked and stolen emails needed, the truth is out there: President Obama is coming to town.

Who says you can’t return to Crosby Estate again?

The president last came to Rancho Santa Fe in October, 2015 where he played golf at The Crosby Estate and La Jolla’s Torrey Pines and, attended “a private event.”

Besides the probable round of golf, the president is expected to speak  to 45 high-rolling donors at an exclusive Hillary Victory Fund reception. The event costs $10,000 per person to co-host or $33,400 per couple to be co-chairs.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan also were scheduled to appear at the fundraiser.

The exact location is on a need to know basis, kind of like the emails, although those in the know, the cognoscenti if one will, can take an educated guess.

The president is scheduled to arrive aboard Air Force One Sunday night at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Then, the hard questions to consider, and, as many wish, the heck with Election 2016.

Will the president fit in an early Monday game of golf and where — Crosby Estate again?

Entourage protection for President Obama at Crosby Estate, October, 2015/Image from ericksonhall.com

President Obama has been to North County several times and has a favored resting place — exclusive Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa, now owned by John Moores and company.

The 2015 presidential visit was “exciting,” organizing hostess Christine Forester, a business consultant and member of Obama’s National Finance Committee, said.

Prior to last year’s visit, Obama had attended a fundraising reception at her home in May 2014, followed by a dinner at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs’ estate.

After declaring his White House candidacy in late 2006, Obama returned to San Diego on Feb. 18, 2007 for his first official campaign fundraiser.

Although much of the 2015 trip itinerary went to a place where hush met hush, Obama was photographed practicing at the Torrey Pines driving range before driving a golf cart to the course. The White House said he played with San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos and Darrell Harrington, a Torrance doctor.

The president was accompanied by Rep. Scott Peters, (D-San Diego) into the city at some events. He  touted the 52nd Congressional District’s Peters at a Pacific Palisades fundraiser hosted by Dr. Robin Berman and featuring actor Jamie Foxx singing Motown, as  someone who “not only has a good heart, but knows how to get things done.

This is part of how Crosby Estate resident Jess Yacovelle described the president’s visit to Fine Magazine:

“When I left my house on Columbus Day for the usual 8am drive to work, the last thing I expected to see on Bing Crosby Blvd in Rancho Santa Fe, were three policemen decked head to toe in kevlar padding and armed with automatic rifles. From the number of brake-lights flashing in front of me as the commandos came into sight, I’d wager seeing armed guards crop up in a relatively quiet neighborhood is a universally shocking experience. If anyone living in The Crosby, a gated Rancho Santa Fe community off of Del Dios Highway, doubted that President Obama had chosen our golf course for his day off, this made it very clear.

To those who knew what to look for, the signs that the president was in The Crosby were apparent long before the officers came into sight. Secret service agents were strategically parked along Bing Crosby Blvd. While the stereotypical large black SUVs with Washington DC plates were visible and filled with agents dressed in the standard black suit attire, the real giveaway were the “undercover” agents who began showing up earlier in the weekend. 

…People camped out in lawn chairs, waiting for hours on the off chance that maybe he would use the nearby gate to exit The Crosby. Various news crews were parked across the street, hoping to experience even a moment of the excitement we could see inside. So many enthusiastic supporters and well-wishers were kept out by the gates. The general consensus was true: we were lucky…

Everyone stayed until President Obama finally came into view. Residents had been catching glimpses of him throughout the day from the balconies or backyards near the golf course. In general, the president smiled, waved, and shouted a quick hello before secret service ushered him along. His appearances were always brief, but the joyous, high-pitched excitement you could hear from those who saw him illustrated that he was worth the wait.

As the motorcade filed out around midday with over twenty traffic-stopping vehicles, everyone waved goodbye and returned home content. We had seen firsthand a window into the president’s world; into his personality and his security. Though perhaps, President Obama didn’t stay as long as we wanted. In his brief visit, he somehow managed to bring a quiet and secluded community closer together.”

For more visit Fine Magazine.