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President Obama Lands In Bay Area For Conference With Tech Leaders

MOUNTAIN VIEW (CBS SF) -- President Barack Obama landed at Moffett Field in Mountain View Thursday evening for his third trip this year to the Bay Area for a roughly 20-hour trip that includes a conference alongside tech industry leaders.

Air Force One landed at 5:06 p.m., and Obama came in from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland just outside Washington, D.C.

Obama was dressed in a dark-colored suit and blue and gray striped tie as he stepped out of the plane at 5:19 p.m. with Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, to windy and sunny conditions.

They were greeted by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Santa Clara Board of Supervisors president Dave Cortese, Mountain View Mayor Pat Showalter and Sunnyvale Mayor Glenn Hendricks.

Obama shook hands with a crowd of more than 50 people waiting for him from behind a gate for about five minutes before he boarded a Marine One helicopter that departed shortly after 5:30 p.m. for Crissy Field.

For a brief time on the tarmac, Liccardo thanked the president for his leadership with San Jose in the gang prevention program My Brother's Keeper, which is focused on providing education and opportunities to young people.

"This has been a great president who really understands big cities and has been a great partner with mayors throughout the country," Liccardo said.

Cortese wished he had a brief conversation with Obama on the Supreme Court's divided vote that blocked the president's plan on immigration that would've stopped millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation.

The county has been one of the most progressive in the nation on immigration, according to the supervisor.

"It's a big disappointment for him and for us," Cortese said. The supervisor didn't have a chance to discuss policy with Obama, but the president did accept an invitation to play golf in his district.

Obama also said Moffett Field was one of his favorite places and would return after he leaves the White House, according to Cortese.

Damon Preston was with his wife, Chanel, and sons Jaden, 9, and Ashton, 6, who were all dressed in black suits.

The family drove an hour and a half from Pittsburg to see the President for the first time.

Damon Preston said it was "truly an honor" to meet the President, who called his sons "nice-looking young men."

Ashton said he was honored and excited to see Obama.

Ricardo Nappier, 26, a senior airman with the California Air National Guard, said it was amazing to see Obama, who thanked him for his service.

Nappier, originally from Sacramento, has served with the Air National Guard for three years and is based at Moffett Field. He was with his supervisor and seven other co-workers to see the president.

It was amazing to see Obama for the first and probably last time, Nappier said.

Obama will stay overnight in the Bay Area and headline the seventh annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit at Stanford University's Memorial Auditorium, where he will make remarks during a partner plenary scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Other speakers include Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and AOL co-founder Steve Case.

He will then take part in a Google Portal virtual conversation with entrepreneurs at the university shortly after noon Friday.

The president is scheduled to depart from Moffett Field at 1:35 p.m. Friday for Seattle, where he will speak at a reception for Gov. Jay Inslee and a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee event.

Obama attended Democratic fundraisers during his last two visits to the Bay Area in February and April.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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