Bratton backs gay marriages with $$

Then, when their son, Rodney Peete Jr., now 10, was diagnosed with autism at age 3, the Peetes found that conventional medical opinion seemed to offer them little hope. They decided to expand their foundation to help fund options for parents in search of the hope they'd struggled so hard to secure for their son.

"We were told a lot of nevers," said Robinson Peete. " 'He would never do this. He would never do that. . . . He would never say "I love you." ' It was devastating. But as he got older and started to make progress, we wanted to share his story of hope."

On Saturday evening, the HollyRod Foundation staged its annual fundraiser in Malibu. More than 600 people, including Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Barry Bonds, Cedric the Entertainer, Daisy Fuentes, Harry Hamlin, Magic Johnson, Ricki Lake, Martin Lawrence, Lisa Rinna, and Vanessa L. Williams -- attended the evening gala.

The couple were hoping to raise more than $1 million, which will be used toward building an autism treatment center. The event was the largest since they started the organization 10 years ago.

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tina.daunt@latimes.com