President arrives in Oakland and makes a bee line for tech leaders

For those who thought President Obama’s visit to the East Bay would mean, for a change, he wouldn’t hole up in a room with Bay Area tech leaders at $35,800 a pop—wrong. The President landed at Oakland airport at 3:43 p.m. and the motorcade headed past the downtown library and cheering street folk for a “closed-press roundtable” with tech leaders at the Scottish Rite Center near Lake Merritt. That was in advance of his advertised appearance tonight at the Fox Theater, preceded by a high-dollar reception in Piedmont, says the Mercury News’ Josh Richman, providing pool coverage.

Tarmac time: First in line at Oakland International: Rep. Barbara Lee, a neck ahead of Mayor Jean Quan and Alameda County supervisor Keith Carson.

Protest front: Medical marijuana protesters, about 200 strong, rallied downtown in the early afternoon but a spokesman said they wouldn’t attempt to interfere with the President’s appearance at the Fox. The Oakland Tribune says there’s no such guarantee from members of Occupy Oakland and other groups who are out, including Code Pink and World Can’t Wait, who’re planning to demonstrate near the theater.

Rep. Barbara Lee greets President Obama at Oakland airport; Susan Walsh/ AP