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LOS ANGELES (AP) They come from different worlds the buttoned-down political culture of Washington and the entrepreneurial, socks-optional, let's-do-this-faster ethos of Silicon Valley.

But where those worlds overlap, that's where you find President Barack Obama and a wealthy segment of his Democratic donor base.

Obama was to attend two high-dollar Democratic Party fundraisers Thursday hosted by Silicon Valley executives, drawing attention to the complicated relationship between the president and the high-tech industry.

The revelations of National Security Agency data collection made public by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden have created an outcry from tech companies whose data have been gathered by the government. Obama has had to reassure Internet and tech executives that he is committed to protecting privacy.

Still, Obama remains a popular political figure in Silicon Valley, and the wealthy tech entrepreneurs appear willing to part with their money to support the party, especially if the president is making the pitch.

Obama was to attend a fundraiser hosted by Anne Wojcicki, a biotech entrepreneur who founded the personal-genomics startup 23andMe. The event is advertised as a tech round table, with 30 guests and tickets set at $32,400 a nearly $1 million potential haul for the Democratic National Committee.

He also was scheduled to be the featured guest at an event hosted by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Sam Altman, the 29-year-old president of Y Combinator, a venture capital firm that seeds tech startups.

"One of the dynamics that people on the East Coast and particularly in Washington, D.C., may not fully appreciate is that these folks are in a space that is growing," said California-based Democratic consultant Chris Lehane, a former aide to President Bill Clinton. "That adds an entire pool of fresh donor blood into the mix."

Obama was spending two nights in California. On Wednesday he was the star attraction at a fundraiser for House and Senate Democrats at the Los Angeles home of Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. On Thursday he attended a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in Los Angeles that was closed to the media and was headed to another DNC event at the La Jolla home of billionaire and former Qualcomm Chairman Irwin Jacobs.

The role of the computer and Internet industry in politics has grown sharply over the past 10 years, increasing political contributions and expanding its lobbying presence. Executives and employees in the industry favor Democrats, yet the political action committees set up by individual tech firms tend to split their money more evenly.

Excerpt from:
Obama Taps Tech World For Cash Amid Privacy Debate