KMPH-TV: Gov. Palin speaks to 'wildly cheering crowd'

"Sarah Palin came out to an adoring crowd, and she adored them right back"
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Story here

- JP

The Bee: Sarah Palin speaks at Lemoore campus (Updated)

"There's no reason to destroy people's lives for bait."
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According to the Fresno Bee, Gov. Palin started speaking at West Hills Community College in Lemoore at 5PM Pacific Time, and the crowd in the new Golden Eagle Arena gave her several standing ovations:

With a large United States flag as a backdrop, Palin talked for approximately 35 minutes, touching on subjects ranging from the growing national debt to water problems facing San Joaquin Valley farmers.

"We are printing up and buying our own notes at an unprecedented rate ... adding to our $14 trillion debt," she said.

She said Valley farmers are facing a government-imposed drought because the government is protecting a 3-inch fish. Protections for the delta smelt have cut off water that otherwise would be used for crops -- affecting farmland, farmers and workers, she said.

"Where I come from, a 3-inch fish,.. we call that bait. There's no reason to destroy people's lives for bait," Palin said.

As of Saturday, organizers had sold $180,000 to $185,000 in tickets. All the profits from the event will go to support scholarships, programs and facilities at WHCL.

Update: More coverage here, here and here.

- JP

Fresno Bee: West Hills Lemoore campus readies for Palin visit

Most of the$5,000-a-table tickets are already sold.
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Fresno Bee reporter Tracy Correa advises that West Hills College officials in Lemoore, supervising the final touches being put on the school's brand new $24 million facility today in preparation for Sarah Palin to deliver a speech there in just a few hours:

Approximately 1,500 tickets had been sold for Palin's 5 p.m. speech in the school's new Golden Eagle Arena. Tickets were still available as of 2 p.m., said Felicia Torrez, a spokeswoman for the college.

The arena seats about 1,700 people, but college officials hope to accommodate up to 2,500 by placing extra seats on the floor. Ticket prices range from $25 up to $250.

After the speech, a $5,000-a-table dinner will be held in the arena. Most of the tables are already sold.

Gov. Plain will speak for about 30 minutes about what Alaska and California have in common, and she will also address California's water issues.

- JP

WHCL officials: Palin paying off for California community college

"It's quite frankly putting West Hills College Lemoore in the map"
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Sarah Palin hasn't even delivered her speech at West Hills College Lemoore yet, but school officials tell the Hanford Sentinel that her upcoming appearance on campus is already paying off for the San Joaquin Valley community college. They're $70,000 ahead of the game after paying her $115,000 speakers fee, and even the noise being made by left wing protesters is working in the college's favor by putting West Hills Lemoore on the map:

"That's the bottom line," said Frances Squire, marketing director for West Hills Community College District. "We're raising funds ... and so we wanted somebody we knew would sell tickets."

WHCL officials say they recouped the $115,000 just a few weeks after they announced that Palin was coming to kick off the grand opening of their new Golden Eagle Arena. At this point, they've sold $180,000 to $185,000 in tickets, with more than 1,000 seats still available. All the profits from the event will go to support scholarships, programs and facilities at WHCL.

"Basically, the state is upside down economically, and we need to do everything we can to raise funds," said Don Warkentin, WHCL president.

The speaker's fee came from the West Hills College Community Foundation and didn't involve taxpayer money, Squire said.

Meanwhile, workers have been putting in overtime to finish Golden Eagle Arena in time for the governor's appearance in the school's brand new multi-use facility. Her speech begins at 5PM local time Sunday. School officials expect an audience of just under 2,000 people to hear Sarah Plain speak.

- JP

Gov. Palin will return to the San Joaquin Valley May 1

"We are getting really good response to Palin. She's a rock star."
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Sarah Palin is scheduled to speak in California May 1 at a fundraiser for West Hills College on its Lemoore campus, spokeswoman Frances Squire tells The Fresno Bee's John Ellis:

Tickets are scheduled to on sale sometime next week and will start at $25.

Palin was just in the Valley last October, when she spoke at the Bakersfield Business Conference. There, she shared the stage with potential competition for the Republican presidential nomination, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

This time, she will be the featured speaker -- the second in the college's speaker's series. The first was Karl Rove, longtime confidant of former President George W. Bush and his former White House adviser.

College officials have not been actively publicizing the event -- yet -- but word has still leaked out to some in the community. And so far, Squire said, "we are getting really good response to Palin. She's a rock star."

There will also be a post-speech dinner with Gov. Palin, with ticket prices of $5000 per table.

- JP