Generation Obama L.A. (whose goal is to engage young professionals in political campaigning) and the California Democratic Party hosted L.A.’s official inauguration celebration at the Whiskey Blue lounge at the W Hotel in Westwood last night. Generation Obama's Haroon "Boon" Saleem, Mitchell Schwartz of California for Obama, Robert Egan of RHEgan Productions, and Councilman Jack Weiss were among those who made brief live remarks. ("This is unofficially what we call our 'Farewell to W. at the W' party," Saleem quipped.) The party's main event was a replay of President Obama’s inaugural speech, which was shown in its entirety on flat-screen televisions in both of the lounge's rooms. Afterward, KCRW’s DJ Jason Bentley spun for guests beginning at about 9 p.m.
Generation Obama's Saleem was among those overseeing the event—and also among the organizers of the group's election-night party at the Hyatt, where 17,000 or so guests showed up to a space ready to accommodate 7,000. "We were thinking we'd have about 400 for this [inauguration-night party], and [R.S.V.P.s] hit capacity within a day," said Saleem. "But comparatively, this one's small."
