Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Others Set Fundraiser for Gavin Newsom on Universal Lot

By Ted Johnson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Gavin Newsom, running to succeed Jerry Brown as California’s next governor, will headline a fundraiser for his campaign next week on the Universal lot.

The host committee for the Aug. 16 event includes Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath, Jeff and Laura Shell, and Ron Meyer, according to an invite.

When it came to the governor’s race, the entertainment industry was a bit split between Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, but those divisions have dissipated since Newsom handily won the primary and Villaraigosa failed to land a spot in the general election. Instead, Newsom is facing a Republican challenger, John Cox, who badly trails in fundraising. Among Newsom’s recent contributors are Bill Maher, who gave $10,000; Alec Baldwin, who gave $5,000, and Sean Penn, who gave $29,200.

The reception on the lot, to be held at the Grill commissary, starts at $1,000 per person, with $10,000 to co-host and a max of $29,200. Other hosts include Starz’s Chris Albrecht, Comcast’s Amy Banse and David L. Cohen, NBC’s Robert Greenblatt, producer Andrew Hauptman, Donna Langley, and Ramin Shamshiri, RealD’s Michael V. Lewis, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and Andy Spahn and Jennifer Perry.