Hillary Clinton visits LA Southwest College during fundraising trip

LOS ANGELES (CNS / FOX 11) - Hillary Clinton fired up supporters Saturday at Los Angeles Southwest College, part of a daylong swing through Los Angeles that will also see her raise funds for her presidential campaign, including a $33,400 per person event at the home of George Clooney.

The former secretary of state highlighted some of her economic plans in her speech at the community college south of downtown, including raising the federal minimum wage, promoting more minority- and female-owned small businesses and increasing the use of alternate energy sources.

Clinton also criticized her opponent for the Democratic nomination, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

"We've had a very spirited primary campaign, which I think is great, but just remember, it's not enough to say what's wrong, you've got to tell people what you're going to do to make it right,'' Clinton said. "We don't need another diagnosis of the problem, we need solutions.''

Sanders was in Italy Saturday, where he met briefly with Pope Francis. His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The speech was briefly interrupted by a few protesters who were escorted out.

Clinton has proposed tax cuts for the middle class and small businesses; a profit sharing tax credit, creating a 15 percent tax credit for companies that share profits with workers on top of wages and pay increases; and raising the federal minimum wage to $12.

Clinton's plan also calls for a cap on itemized deductions; a 4 percent surtax on taxpayers with incomes over $5 million; establishes a 30 percent minimum tax on taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of over $1 million; raising taxes on medium-term capital gains to between 27.8 percent and 47.4 percent; and restoring the estate tax to 2009 levels.

According to an analysis conducted by the The Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan and nonprofit research institution, Clinton's tax plan would reduce the gross domestic product by 1 percent over the long term due to slightly higher marginal tax rates on capital and labor. It would also cause the after-tax incomes of all taxpayers to fall by at least 0.9 percent.

Ninio Fetalvo, a Republican National Committee deputy press secretary, called Clinton's economic plan "harmful,'' saying it will "shrink the economy, cost jobs and reduce wages.''

Clinton's first fundraiser will be an afternoon reception in Koreatown. Tickets are $2,700, the maximum individual contribution under federal law to a candidate seeking a party's presidential nomination, according to Political Party Time, a website that tracks political fundraisers.

Couples that have made $5,400 in contribution to Clinton's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination will be able to have their pictures taken with Clinton. Those raising $30,000 received an invitation to a host reception with Clinton.

Clinton will also speak at a $33,400 per person fundraiser for the Hillary Victory Fund at Clooney's Studio City home. The higher amount is permissible because it is a joint fundraising committee, benefiting her
presidential campaign, the Democratic National Committee and 33 state Democratic Parties.

The price is based on the $33,400 maximum amount an individual can contribute to a national party committee in a year.

Individuals contributing and raising a total of $353,400 get two seats
at the head table with Clinton and Clooney, the Oscar-winning actor and producer, and his wife Amal, an attorney.

Clooney was also the attraction at a fundraising dinner with an identical price Friday night in San Francisco.

Sanders' campaign ran a television commercial in San Francisco, which it also plans to run at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday in the Los Angeles market, promoting what he has repeatedly said was the average contribution to his campaign -- $27.

The commercial is Sanders' first to run in California, which will hold its primary on June 7.

This trip is the 68-year-old Clinton's 10th to the Los Angeles area since declaring her candidacy on April 12, 2015. Her previous visits included 22 fundraisers.

"Hillary Clinton represents all of the reasons people are frustrated with politics,'' Fetalvo told City News Service, citing her "peddling political access to the highest bidders, spewing hypocritical attacks or recklessly attempting to avoid transparency and accountability.''

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