President Obama’s visit to Southern California

Ben Davis, left, of Costa Mesa, and Rob Stonecipher, of L.A., share their excitement over getting tickets to see President Obama at the Orange County Fairgrounds.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Air Force One arrives at Long Beach Airport on Wednesday with President Obama aboard. The president is on his first trip to California since the election.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

The president waves as he leaves the aircraft.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

The president steps aboard Marine One for the flight to Orange County.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Attendees cheer the arrival of President Barack Obama to the Orange County Fairgrounds.  (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

President Obama meets guests at a town hall event at Orange County Fairgrounds.  (Bryan Chan / Los Angeles Times)

President Obama answers questions during Wednesday’s town hall meeting in Costa Mesa.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

In his address at the O.C. Fairgrounds the president referred to the bonuses paid to Wall Street executives, saying, “But these bonuses, outrageous as they are, are a symptom of a much larger problem. And that’s the system and culture that made them possible -- a culture where people made enormous sums of money, taking irresponsible risks that have now put the entire economy at risk. So we’re going to do everything we can to deal with these specific bonuses.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Supporters reach out to touch the president at the Orange County Fairgrounds.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Obama tours the Edison Electric Vehicle Technical Center in Pomona with Ted Craver, chairman of Edison International, and Ed Kjaer, senior engineer.  (Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images)

Rosalba Mondragon, 50, waits outside Miguel Contreras Learning Complex to welcome President Obama.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Crowds wait to get into the town hall meeting near downtown L.A.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Immigration protesters demonstrate outside the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex before President Obama’s arrival.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Tony Coles, 4, stands outside the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Liz Sheen gets her picture taken outside the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Obama addresses the crowd at the town hall meeting in L.A.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

President Obama is greeted by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger before a town hall meeting held at the Miguel Contreras Learning Center near downtown Los Angeles.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Obama looks for people to call on to ask him a question at the town hall meeting in L.A.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

President Obama appears on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” at the NBC Studios in Burbank, Calif.  (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)

It wasn’t all serious policy talk during President Obama’s appearance with Jay Leno.  (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)

President Barack Obama waves at Long Beach airport as he boards Air Force One to return to Washington, D.C. at the conclusion of a two-day visit to Southern California.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)