Hillary Clinton made her first fundraising swing through Los Angeles on Thursday, including a noontime fundraiser at the home of Steven and Dayna Bochco.
An organizer said the $2,700-per-person event, with almost 300 people in attendance, raised about $800,000, greatly exceeding the goal.
Norman Lear, Chuck Lorre and Howard Gordon were among the almost 300 people who attended the event, held at the Bochco's Pacific Palisades home. Sim Farar, Debbie Farar and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., were co-chairs, and Gordon and his wife, Cami, along with the Bochcos, were co-hosts. Also present was Rep. Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles.
Farar, who was finance chair in Clinton's 2008 bid, said, "She was incredible," noting the breadth of issues she covered.
Gordon, speaking for about 40 minutes including a Q&A, said Clinton talked of her decision to run and put into the context of her new granddaughter Charlotte, in that Clinton said she hoped to "give all the people in this country the same opportunities her granddaughter would have."
Clinton also addressed domestic issues like mental health and affordable education, as well a mass incarceration.
"The theme of mothers and daughters came through very strongly," Gordon said, adding that Clinton talked about how her mother Dorothy was a working class woman and "very much an inspiration."
She also talked of national security, and making tough decisions as secretary of state, as well as the threat from ISIS and Iran. Clinton did not address her views on the Obama administration's framework of an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program, Gordon said.
Boxer introduced Clinton, who also took questions, including one about income inequality.
Gordon hosted a fundraiser in September for Ready for Hillary, the SuperPAC set up to lay the groundwork for a potential candidacy. He expressed a sense of relief that the campaign had now launched and, anecdotally, said that in the industry he has "a sense there is a growing excitement, a cautious enthusiasm."
Clinton attended a $2,700-per-person fundraiser on Thursday morning at the home of Cathy Unger, and this evening will attend an event at the Beverly Park home of Haim and Cheryl Saban.
Josh Lockman of USC's Gould School of Law also attended, and called Clinton's speech "strong and passionate." He specializes in international law and U.S. foreign policy, and although she addressed those areas, he noted that she also talked about "serious domestic issues that go unrecognized, like substance abuse and mental health reform."
Mike C. Manning, a documentary filmmaker, said that he appreciated her emphasis on the next generation. "As a young person attending this event, she said exactly what I wanted to hear," he said.
Fundraisers said they expected the campaign to raise about $3 million from all three events on Thursday.