ALBANY – A Hollywood trade publication is reporting Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be heading to California next week for a deep-pocket fundraiser held, in part, as a thank you for his successful push to legalize gay marriage in New York this year.
The Hollywood Reporter says people will pay at least $1,000 apiece to attend a cocktail reception with Cuomo and $12,500 for dinner in the Los Angeles home of interior designer Michael S. Smith and his partner, James Costos, an HBO executive.
The lineup of guests for the Dec. 2 fundraiser, including many reliable donors to progressive political causes, will feature director Rob Reiner, producer and director J.J. Abrams, sports and entertainment executive Casey Wasserman and Candy Spelling, the widow of TV producer Aaron Spelling. Spelling, a millionaire, was most recently in the news for winning $90,000 on slot machines at Las Vegas.
The trek by Cuomo, who until a recent trip to Puerto Rico limited his out-of-state travels, will be coming at a time when New York’s finances are eroding. Cuomo is mulling calling the Legislature back to Albany in December to deal with a worsening budget deficit.
A source close to Cuomo confirmed the Hollywood fundraising trip. The money is for his 2014 re-election campaign account.
"New York Governor Taps Hollywood for Re-election Cash," reads the Hollywood publication’s headline.
Besides Smith and Costos, who also have a home in New York, the hosts include socialite Wallis Annenberg, Vanessa Williams and former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, who now heads the Motion Picture Association of America.
-- Tom Precious
