First Lady on a Two Day SoCal Tour

Los Angeles - First lady Michelle Obama will begin a two-day visit to Southern California today, when she will appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and speak at a Democratic National Committee fundraising reception in Beverly Hills.

In her second appearance on "The Tonight Show" and first since becoming first lady, Obama is expected to discuss her "Let's Move!" initiative, what life is like for her and her family in the White House, and her upcoming book about the White House kitchen garden, according to Tracy St. Pierre of NBC Entertainment Publicity. The show will be broadcast tonight.

Obama again will discuss "Let's Move!" on Wednesday when she tapes an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" which will air on Thursday.

"Let's Move!" which will observe its second anniversary on Feb. 9, is dedicated to solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation.

It includes giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices, providing healthier foods in schools, ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food and helping children become more physically active.

"This isn't just a policy issue for me," Obama said at a Grocery Manufacturers Association conference in Washington, D.C., on March 16, 2010.

"This is a passion. This is my mission. I am determined to work with folks across this country to change the way a generation of kids thinks about food and nutrition."

On Wednesday, Obama is scheduled to speak at the future site of a Northgate Gonzales Market in Inglewood to celebrate the first few examples of the tangible progress facilitated by the California FreshWorks Fund, a public-private financing fund that has raised $264 million to invest in bringing grocery stores and other forms of healthy food retailers to underserved communities.

FreshWorks has committed $20 million in financing to Northgate for its first three projects, which are in Inglewood, South Los Angeles and the City Heights portion of San Diego.

The California FreshWorks Fund is part of a nationwide commitment announced July 20 involving retailers, foundations and small businesses intended to provide access to healthy, affordable food to millions of people in underserved communities.

Obama is scheduled to conclude her visit Wednesday by speaking at a Democratic National Committee fundraising luncheon.

Ryan Mahoney, a regional press secretary with the Republican National Committee, told City News Service the first lady's visit is "just another sign that they view the state as a piggybank for Barack Obama's re-election campaign."

"Californians suffering from some of the highest unemployment in the country don't need a president solely committed to fundraising to save his own job, they need one concerned about their jobs," Mahoney said.