Rudy and Hillary, All About The Beverly Hills Benjamins
LOS ANGELES – Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani both aggressively sought 90210 dollars 5/30 p.m. at competing Beverly Hills fundraisers, with the ex-New York mayor drum-beating against Clinton’s “old-thinking” call this week for tax hikes, writes David Finnigan.
“She said that we’re gonna go back to the tax (rules) of the 1990s – it sounds to me like doing government in reverse,” Giuliani said to reporters at the Beverly Hilton. “It would mean tremendous burdens on American businesses; it would mean fewer jobs for Americans. It’s very, very outmoded, old thinking.”
On Fred Thompson (R) being thisclose to entering the primary officially, Giuliani said, “The more voices we have in this race, the more competitive the Republican primary is, the better chances we’re gonna have in the November election to win.”
Up in Beverly Hills’ tony Benedict Canyon a few hours later, Clinton greeted friends at Hilhaven Lodge, the late actress Ingrid Bergman’s onetime address - a 35k-square-foot mansion restored by current owner and filmmaker Brett Ratner (Rush Hour). Pop singer Christina Aguilera was listed as a party co-host along with actors Mike Meyers of Shrek fame and Entourage’s Jeremy Piven, South Park producer Debbie Liebling, Desperate Housewives eye candy Eva Longoria plus Heather Graham and ex-Tom Cruise girlfriend Penelope Cruz.
A separate, Steven Spielberg-led cocktail reception brought Clinton to the home of News Corp. chieftain Peter Chernin, a more intimate event which one source said attracted Spiderman’s Tobey Maguire, actress Jodie Foster and comic actor Ben Stiller, who previously attended Hollywood’s 2/20 Barack Obama fundraiser.
The two gatherings were expected to earn Clinton a combined $1 million, a source said. Also on Wednesday, Clinton picked up the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent Hispanic faces. “She’s the one candidate who’s been there,” the mayor said standing next to the senator at a primary school photo op.
His influence on her is evident in the senator's Villaraigosa-rich California campaign staff now led by:
- Campaign director: Ace Smith, ex-aide to Villaraigosa and CA AG/onetime Linda Ronstadt squeeze Jerry Brown.
- Field director: Michael Trujillo, a Villaraigosa inner circle man whose political resume kicked in with his mid-‘90s service under former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, a Republican. Two weeks ago, Trujillo helped Villaraigosa ally Tamar Galatzan win a seat on the L.A. Board of Education, a traditional L.A. political proving ground.
- State political director: Chris Lavery, deputy political director for Lieberman ‘04 plus northeast political director for Gore/Lieberman ‘00.
- Communications director: Luis Vizcaino, a bilingual spokesman for Kerry-Edwards, Villaraigosa, 2000’s Democratic National Convention in L.A. and the national gay-and-lesbian advocacy group Human Rights Campaign. [DAVID FINNIGAN]