
 
 The newest start-up to watch in Silicon Valley involves a crowd of top tech stars –led by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg — who are seriously exploring the formation of a new independent expenditure group focused on a range of issues, including education and immigration reform, sources tell the Chronicle. 
 
 Word is the IE move was organized by Joe Green, Zuckerberg’s old Harvard roommate. And we’ve heard the Facebook CEO has pledged millions to the cause — one source says as much as $20 million — and has gotten others to pledge as much as $2 million to $5 million each. 
 
 Some people are raising their eyebrows over the choice of a hard-right Republican consultant — one who produced a famed spot deriding liberals as a “latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading” freak show — to handle the Silicon Valley SuperPAC’s work. 
 
 Sources say the group is bringing on Jon Lerner, the Republican strategist who founded Maryland-based Red Sea LLC and who is behind the conservative Club for Growth. Joining him will be ultra-conservative GOP consultant Rob Jesmer, a former strategist with Texas Sen. John Cornyn and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. 
 
 Here’s one of Lerner’s memorable spots digging at liberals: 
 
 Facebook spokeswoman Sarah Feinberg declined comment Friday. 
 
 We attempted to contact Green, but received no response. 
 
 The reports of a big Valley SuperPAC effort to push for reforms on a variety of different political fronts follows recent news. We reported Zuckerberg and a group of tech executives recently became part of an effort organized by TechNet to push President Obama and Congress for a “more open and flexible” U.S. immigration system. 
 
 Among valley luminaries who joined Zuckerberg in signing a letter to Obama and Congress were Hewlett-Packard CEO (and former GOP gubernatorial candidate) Meg Whitman, venture capitalist John Doerr, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, Cisco CEO John Chambers, Intel CEO Paul Otellini and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. 
 
 Their goal: to attract and better develop “a workforce of highly skilled immigrants.” 
 
 Sources say the new IE will be much more far-ranging and deal with an agenda of topics related to economic growth and vitality. 
 
 Still, the GOP consultants involved have already drawn scrutiny in Silicon Valley. 
 
 Lerner’s Red Sea strategy group has not only helped Club for Growth and Grover Norquist, but it has also worked with conservatives like South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Utah Gov. Mike Lee and Nevada U.S. Senate candidate and Tea Party darling Sharron Angle. 
 
 “Our clients are those who favor freedom and limited government,” Lerner’s Red Sea website proclaims. 
 
 A 2010 McClatchy piece by reporter James Rosen said the “publicity-shy” top GOP consultant has shown an “unwillingness to work for candidates whose views don’t match his own hard-line conservative beliefs.” 
 
 Maybe so. 
 
 But Doerr, Schmidt and Mayer are all generous Democratic donors who have hosted Democratic presidents or presidential candidates in their homes. ( Here’s a link to our coverage of a 2010 fundraiser for Obama in her Palo Alto home.) 
 
 Zuckerberg also recently hosted a fundraiser for Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Cristie in his Palo Alto home that included many of the same tech stars. 
 
 Jesmer served as Cornyn’s chief strategist during the four years he headed up the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). Before that, he managed Cornyn ‘s successful 2008 re-election campaign. 
 
 And Cornyn “was the guy who derailed” early immigration reform efforts by Arizona Sen. John McCain, one top GOP source told us. 
 
 A GOP source called the tech leaders’ choice of consultants “unbelievable,” given that they’ve worked for a lot of hard-right candidates and issues that horrify many in the latte-drinking … uh, Facebook-using enclaves of Silicon Valley. 
 
 Others say that if the goal of the tech leaders is to get bipartisan support, they’ve got to get respected strategists who can persuade conservative GOPers on Capitol Hill to “like” their ideas. 
 
 This should be interesting. ||||| Mark Zuckerberg appears to have found his next venture: politics. 
 
 The 28-year-old Facebook CEO and billionaire — after mostly staying out of the political fray while running his company’s day-to-day operations — is joining with other executives to form an issues advocacy organization, with an initial focus on comprehensive immigration reform, according to sources familiar with the discussions. 
 
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 reset 'The Scrum' podcast: Obama's Israel trip, immigration 
 
 The group is forming at a time when the tech industry is stepping up its immigration efforts, with executives advocating key provisions to help in the battle for global talent. But those executives also say they support reforms to create a path to citizenship for undocumented people for the good of the nation and economy. 
 
 (PHOTOS: Mark Zuckerberg with pols) 
 
 The sources said Zuckerberg and other tech executives have enlisted the help of Democratic and Republican strategists to create the group that would advocate long-term economic issues. 
 
 "Leaders are coming together on a broader agenda,” said a person familiar with the conversations. “It's not necessarily company driven." 
 
 Zuckerberg recently raised some eyebrows in Democratic circles when he and his wife played host to Gov. Chris Christie at their home for a fundraiser. Protesters stood outside his Palo Alto, Calif., residence during the event for the prominent New Jersey Republican. 
 
 (PHOTOS: Chris Christie’s career) 
 
 The Facebook co-founder has been generous with his money, donating $100 million to Newark, N.J., schools. But when it comes to making campaign contributions, Zuckerberg appears to have made just two donations of $5,000 each to Facebook’s political action committee, according to Open Secrets. 
 
 News of the group was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, which said Zuckerberg has committed millions to the effort. A source told POLITICO that the group is likely going to be a nonprofit. 
 
 Other than Zuckerberg, a central person involved in the discussions is Joe Green, co-founder of NationBuilder and Causes, who was Zuckerberg’s roommate at Harvard University. Green recently resigned as president of NationBuilder and is now an entrepreneur in residence at Andreessen Horowitz, the venture firm. 
 
 Green declined to comment because the group’s formation is in its early stages. A Facebook spokesperson also declined to comment. 
 
 (PHOTOS: 20 quotes on immigration reform) 
 
 Planning for the group began about a month ago, according to sources. The executives are working with a bipartisan group of consultants, including Joe Lockhart of the Glover Park Group; Jon Lerner, a Republican strategist; and Rob Jesmer, a Republican strategist and former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. 
 
 Lockhart, a former White House communications secretary under President Bill Clinton, worked for Facebook as vice president of global communications before departing late last year. 
 
 Michelle Quinn reported from San Francisco; Anna Palmer reported from Washington, D.C. 
 
 This story first posted on POLITICO Pro at 11:03 p.m. March 22. 
 
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– Mark Zuckerberg, political advocate? Yep, the Facebook CEO has joined other executives in forming an advocacy group that's likely to focus on various issues, starting with US immigration, Politico reports. No surprise there: It's already a hot topic among Silicon Valley executives competing for global talent. And Zuckerberg recently joined other tech execs in lobbying Washington for a "more open and flexible" US immigration system, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A few more juicy details: Zuckerberg has thrown big money at the new group—maybe up to $20 million—and persuaded others to pitch in $2 million to $5 million. His old Harvard roomie, Joe Green, is a central player in the group. Executives are working with consultants on both sides of the political aisle, including GOP strategist Jon Lerner, who once produced an ad that described liberals as "latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading" freaks. Zuckerberg has raised eyebrows among Democrats by hosting a fundraiser for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican. Protesters stood outside his Palo Alto, Calif., house during the event. Click for more at Politico or the Chronicle, which broke the story.