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Obama Plans OC Fundraising Stop Prior To UC Irvine Commencement Address

SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — President Barack Obama will take part in a fundraiser when he visits the Southland next week to deliver a commencement speech at the University of California, Irvine.

The president is scheduled to take part in a roundtable discussion in Laguna Beach before he heads to Anaheim's Angel Stadium for the June 14 ceremony, a Democratic National Committee official told City News Service.

Twenty-five supporters contributing up to $32,400 each were expected to attend the discussion. The location of the event has not been released.

The White House on Friday also announced plans for the president and first lady Michelle Obama to travel to Palm Springs next Friday, and to return to Palm Springs after Saturday's commencement address. The Obamas will return to Washington, D.C. the following Monday, a White House spokesperson said.

The president's appearance at UC Irvine's commencement will meanwhile mark the accomplishments of more than 8,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students of the graduating class of 2014.

Chancellor Michael Drake extended the initial invitation to the president in an April 2013 letter that outlined the accomplishments of the relatively young campus, which was founded in 1965.

Students and staff later followed up on that effort with signatures on approximately 10,000 postcards from Anteaters of all stripes – students, faculty, staff and alumni. In March, a delegation delivered the postcards and a student-produced video invitation to the White House Office of Public Engagement, school officials said.

Drake subsequently confirmed President Obama would deliver the keynote address to a diverse class in which nearly 50 percent are first-generation university graduates.

"We are thrilled that the President has accepted our invitation to deliver the keynote address at our commencement exercises this June," he said. "We are proud of the progress we have made during our first half century, and are looking forward to even greater achievements in the years to come."

President Obama last visited the Southland in May, when he attended two Los Angeles-area fundraisers.

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President Obama To Speak At UC Irvine Commencement Ceremony

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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