BIDEN POPS IN TO LOS GATOS FOR FUNDRAISER

Alia Arafeh, Contributor

A small scattering of people lined Los Gatos Boulevard Monday afternoon in anticipation of President Joe Biden, hoping to catch a glimpse of the POTUS riding through town with his brigade.

Some held signs, while others seemed confused about the street closures and traffic caused by his arrival.

Biden came to the Bay Area for a series of events geared toward bolstering his climate agenda and preparing for the election campaign ahead. One of these took place in Los Gatos Hills. It was a fundraiser hosted by Kevin Scott, a Microsoft executive, and Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Linkedin. Biden arrived following a visit to Palo Alto and preceding another fundraiser in Atherton.

In Palo Alto, Biden toured the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center, where he announced that $600 million would be directed toward climate initiatives.

The last time he visited the Bay Area in January was to assess storm damage along the coast.

While the latest visit was welcomed by some, others felt it was somewhat unexpected.

Sophia Fenchel is a Los Gatos High School student who lives on Loma Alta Avenue. She only had to step outside her door to witness the president driving through town. Fenchel explained that she’s experienced this kind of event before, as she witnessed Vice President Kamala Harris passing through the community, last year.

“While I am not big into politics or follow Joe, I do think it is a very interesting experience to get to watch the president drive down your street,” Fenchel said.

However, she added, “it is very annoying that they block off all the streets and that you are unable to leave.”

Such unannounced road closures took place throughout the day and were expected to continue around the San Francisco area throughout the week. The motorcade exited Los Gatos just after 4pm.