Valley lawmakers are inundated with requests for inauguration tickets

Published online on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008

WASHINGTON -- Good luck at getting inaugural tickets.

Demand far outstrips supply and grows by the day.

San Joaquin Valley lawmakers must figure out how to distribute what they have. First-come, first-served is one solution. Pure chance is another. Political connections can help, but not always.

Every inauguration draws crowds, but this one is special. The prospect of seeing Barack Obama sworn in Jan. 20 as the nation's first black president has brought a deluge of requests to the congressional offices that have a monopoly on the inaugural-ticket market.

"They're really coming from all over," Spencer Pederson, spokesman for Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, said Monday. "It's a pretty diverse group."

The office of Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, for instance, has received requests for more than 1,000 inaugural tickets.

That's five times more than the office has available. That demand is typical, regardless of party affiliation. Radanovich's office has received requests for more than 800 tickets, and stopped accepting requests at the close of business Tuesday.

For some, including Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, ticket-allocation strategies remain in flux.

Every House member receives 198 inaugural tickets to distribute however the lawmaker sees fit. The allocation includes 177 tickets for standing and 19 tickets for sitting. Two tickets are assigned to the lawmaker and significant other.

Every senator receives about 350 tickets. The president-elect and vice president-elect split the rest. All told, about 240,000 tickets will be available.

The inaugural tickets themselves are free, despite what some would-be scalpers might claim.

"The inauguration of the president is one of the most important rituals of our democracy," Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Monday. "The chance to witness this event should not be bought and sold like tickets to a football game."

Feinstein chairs the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which is overseeing the big show. She introduced legislation Monday making it a misdemeanor punishable by fines of up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison to counterfeit or sell the free inaugural tickets.

Inaugural ticket demand, always high, began accelerating immediately after Obama's historic Nov. 4 election victory. Some ticket-seekers are political activists or officeholders themselves, already well-known to the congressional staff. In other cases, they are political newcomers.

By Monday, the office of Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, had received requests for more than 500 tickets. Most of those requesting tickets were unknown to Nunes' staff. Nunes and Fresno Democrat Jim Costa -- who received requests for about 500 tickets -- are both distributing tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.

"They've come from everyone from John Q. Public, or Joe the Plumber, to local elected officials," said Costa's press secretary, Bret Rumbeck.

Others have opted for a lottery to distribute tickets. Still others plan on a hybrid technique. Pederson said Radanovich's office will provide some through a lottery while retaining some for local elected officials.

Inaugural balls and related events are a different matter altogether. They not only require tickets, but they can cost a bundle.

On Jan. 18, for instance, the California State Society is sponsoring a Presidential Inaugural Luncheon and Fashion Show. The ticket-purchasing opportunities include, for $25,000, a "Presidential Debut Sponsorship" whose benefits include a VIP reception.

Throughout Washington, other inaugural balls will tempt the celebrants. Unlike the inaugural tickets, the rules against scalping don't apply. On Craigslist, for instance, one seller is asking $1,600 for two tickets to the Jan. 19 Illinois Inaugural Ball and Gala.