US President Biden heads to storm-hit California to rev up his fundraising

WASHINGTON, THE U.S. - FEBRUARY 20: President Biden embarked on a trip to California on Tuesday (Feb. 20) to attend a series of campaign fund-raisers in some of the wealthiest regions of the country, aiming to bolster the $42 million he raised for his re-election campaign in January. According to a statement released by a spokesman for the Biden campaign over the weekend, the contributions in January came from over 422,000 donors, with nearly 97 percent of the donations totaling under $200 each. However, the focus of President Biden's three-day visit to California is not geared towards soliciting support from small-dollar donors. Instead, he is set to headline several "campaign receptions" in Santa Monica, San Francisco, and Mountain View, targeting the affluent members of the Democratic establishments in Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Before departing the White House for California, President Biden told reporters that he would unveil a new sanctions package against Russia following the death of Alexei Navalny at a penal colony in Siberia last week. This week's itinerary in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area will mark Biden's third visit to California in just over two months for political engagements. This effort comes after he largely avoided the Democratic donor stronghold during last year's strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. President Biden's schedule includes a fundraiser in Los Angeles, campaign stops in San Francisco and Los Altos Hills, and a policy speech near Los Angeles on Wednesday. Earlier this month, Biden made a brief visit to Los Angeles for a meeting with supporters in the city's upscale Bel Air neighborhood. Additionally, he and First Lady Jill Biden spent a weekend in December in the Los Angeles area for campaign-related events.(Footage by Yasin Ozturk /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)