First Lady to Visit East Bay for Fundraiser

Bay City News—First Lady Michelle Obama will be fundraising in the East Bay next week for her husband's re-election campaign.

Tickets to the June 14 Obama Victory Fund 2012 breakfast reception cost between $1,000 for general seating and $25,000 to co-host, according to President Obama's campaign website.

The event will be held at 8:45 a.m. at the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa, 41 Tunnel Rd., Berkeley.

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, encouraged the first lady to come to the area, Lee spokesman Ricci Graham said.

"I'm delighted that the First Lady has accepted my invitation to visit the East Bay," Lee said in a statement. "We plan to provide a very warm welcome to her next week."

Graham didn't know the circumstances surrounding the invitation, and he declined to elaborate on Michelle Obama's fundraising plans.

Berkeley culinary institution Chez Panisse is reportedly catering the breakfast, but a spokesman for owner Alice Waters did not return requests for comment last week.

Michelle Obama's trip comes less than two months after her husband kicked off his West Coast re-election effort in San Francisco with several high-profile fundraisers in April.

The events were estimated to have brought in millions of dollars for the president's campaign.