President Barack Obama begged supporters in L.A. on Thursday to give him more time in office because the ascent to "a summit where America is more competitive than ever before" had become steeper than imagined when he won election in Nov. 2008.

"I hear people saying the campaign was so smooth, so why isn't the governing?," Obama said. "And I say, what campaign were you on!"

Obama spoke to a crowd of more than 2,500 people at an indoor lot in Sony's Culver City studios, taking the stage shortly after 7 p.m.

"I know who you all are, I know the conservations you've been having," Obama said to them. "We knew this wasn't going to be easy."

The private event was one of several in a three-day campaign swing through California and Nevada. Obama launched his re-election bid about two-and-half weeks ago with the field of Republican contenders still large and unclear.

The rally was squeezed between an exclusive lunch and dinner with entertainment industry leaders and other supporters in L.A. The events were expected to add nearly $3 million to his campaign coffers.

The main message Obama wants to send to supporters is that change takes time, and he needs to be elected next year to another four years in office to fulfill the many campaign promises he has yet to act on.

"I want everyone to understand we have made progress," he said. "That progress shouldn't make us complacent but it should remind us what's possible."

He repeated many of the goals he and Vice President Joe Biden laid out in recent visits to other areas of the country: more affordable access to college, less reliance on dirty fuels for energy, expansion of broadband Internet coverage, immigration reform and defending health care reform.

He reminded the crowd that he does not want to punish success, but he wants to make sure America's highest-income earners are paying their fair share of taxes. Letting Bush-era tax cuts on the rich expire is a central tenent of his budget package for next year.

Entertainer Jamie Foxx kicked off an Obama rally inside a lot at Sony's Culver City studios by championing Obama as "being above the fray."

"I'm not saying anything about the competition but we look a whole lot better," Foxx said to about 2,500 attendees.

He said Obama needed another term in office to finish the job he set out to do.

"We aren't here tonight to talk movies, we're here to talk movement," said actress Rashida Jones to the crowd.

"Two words are going to get us from here to election day...just two words," said Mary Jane Stevenson, the California director of Organizing For America, teasing a slogan from BarackObama.com. "I'm in."

Singer Jason Mraz performed. Among the celeberties spotted at the rally were Omar Miller and Sophia Bush.

Obama landed in LAX at 2:30 p.m. after a day-long stay in San Francisco. He took a helicopter to a park in Brentwood. His motorcade then led him to the Beverly Hilton. Several exits along the I-405 were closed for a brief period along with with other surface streets in West L.A. while his motorcade weaved through the region.

Protestors gathered outside the Studios to defend their various interests, including immigration reform, recognition of the Armenian genocide and federal budget cuts.

SLIDESHOW: Pictures from President Obama's Hollywood rally for his 2012 presidential re-election campaign.

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