Avoid DTLA on Saturday night – Biden and Obama are coming to town

President Biden is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on Saturday to raise millions of dollars from thousands of supporters at a star-studded fundraiser, but the president’s visit is likely to impact many more Los Angeles residents – because of traffic.

The rally, which will be attended by former President Obama, actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts and other celebrities, is scheduled to take place Saturday night at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. At least one protest is planned outdoors.

Roads and parking lots in the area, including the LA Live entertainment complex where the theater is located, will be closed at times, and heavy traffic is expected. Additionally, it is unclear where Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and Obama will stay during their stay in Los Angeles, but highway closures are expected as their motorcades travel through the city.

Los Angeles County traffic and police officials referred questions about the road closures to the U.S. Secret Service. The agency declined to provide further details but warned of possible traffic jams.

“The U.S. Secret Service is working closely with our local law enforcement partners to minimize disruption to the public while ensuring the highest level of safety,” said Melissa McKenzie, a Secret Service spokeswoman. “For security reasons, we cannot announce specific motorcade routes in advance, but the public should expect intermittent road closures and parking restrictions as part of the visit.”

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation was more explicit.

“Travelers should expect delays in the city center and plan accordingly,” said spokesman Colin M. Sweeney.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has closed “VIP movement” airspace over a wide swath of the region from 4:45 a.m. Saturday to 3:00 p.m. Sunday to pilots not flying presidential, passenger, cargo, military, police or air ambulance aircraft.

Given the enormous security resources required to protect the leader of the free world, traffic jams caused by presidential visits are not surprising – especially when he is not in a secure location such as the White House or a previously carefully screened venue.

But the traffic jams that followed in Los Angeles are also legendary. During Obama’s time in office, they were so bad that the expressions “Obamajam” and “Obamageddon” became part of local parlance.

“Mr. President, I elected you to sit in the White House, not on the 405,” one commenter wrote on Twitter when Obama visited Los Angeles in 2012 to attend a fundraiser at George Clooney’s Studio City home. “There are times outside of rush hour when you can visit LA.”

Obama’s advisers have obviously learned from such experiences and are increasingly using helicopters to transport the president within the city, thus reducing the number of closed streets and highways.

Biden has also caused traffic congestion during his visits to the region, including closing parts of the 405 Freeway during weekday rush hour so the president could drive from Century City to media mogul Haim Saban’s sprawling Beverly Park estate in February, where he was attending a fundraiser.