Lakers Victory Parade: LA Officials Say They Don't Have The Money For It

Reuters:

The Los Angeles Lakers need only one more win to capture a 15th National Basketball Association Championship, but some city officials are already saying they can't afford to throw the team a victory party.

Read the whole story: Reuters

Comments

[purplejesus]

Send the bill to Kobe "the chump"

[Mexitli]

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was long on civic pride but short on specifics Sunday, as he said the L.A. Lakers should have a victory parade should they win the NBA championship title.

But the mayor rushed away from reporters before he could be asked specific questions on how a city that faces a possible $200 million in forced budget cuts can afford even part of paying police and crowd control costs for the civic celebration of what appears to be an inevitable Lakers NBA championship.

"The idea that we wouldn't have a parade is untenable, (and) should we be fortunate enough to win I expect that we'll have a parade," Villaraigosa said today.

"I also expect that we'll figure out how we fund it, working with the private sector, to help us do that," he said.

Story continues:
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=6864588

Na Na Na Na!

Na Na Na Na!

Hey, Hey!

GOODBYE!

[ruth606]

Private Sector!

Praise God...maybe the man does have some kind of sense after all!!!!!

[Mexitli]

Private sector Lakers NBA Championship parade:
http://cdn.picapp.com/ImageHandler/GettyImageProxy.ashx?requestUrl=http%3a%2f%2fcache.gettyimages.com%2fxc%2f1322795.jpg%3fv%3d1%26c%3dEWSAsset%26k%3d2%26d%3d17A4AD9FDB9CF1935BBE657AC86A9648243E0AB93DEC7FC9

Government parade:
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/77RUS/9may/DSCN6111.jpg

lol!

[plzchuteme]

And if there is no parade, will the sun rise in the morning? If there is no parade, will the Lakers still be the champions? If there is no parade, will the players still be paid? If there is no parade, will the players each receive another gaudy piece of jewelry that could feed a family of four for a couple of years? If there is no parade, will some people not get hurt needlessly? If there is no parade will property not be damaged or destroyed? If there is no parade will some people stay out of jail? I'm failing to see the downside to canceling the parade.

[bocoe]

AMEN to that!!!!!!

[lakersfan09]

well said... we can do without the wasteful spending! tax payers cant afford it.

[bocoe]

The city pay for a Laker's parade when it is broke???? Why is this a debate? Good Grief!!!!!

[Montgriz]

This city is not broke...it merely mismanaged. There is always money for special causes....and, if you think the Lakers do not generate millions of dollars for the city of LA you are truly stupid.....sales tax alone would fund much of a councilman's bribery desk..

[jenetic]

The Lakers franchise is exempt from city taxes. And we subsidize the Staples Center too. They want a parade? Fine. Let them pay for it. Stop being a stupid fan and look at the big picture.

[stlougirl]

Yep - I agree...let those bazillionaire athletes pay for their own parade - they can consider it their little way of giving back to their community...either that or just lose the game.

[iceage7]

Heck Kobe bought his wife a ring for $4m for cheating on his wife. I am sure he can pony up 4m for the parade.

[woundedduck]

If the Lakers want a parade, all Kobe has to do is pony up, like, a third of his rape trial defense fund and it could be the best parade ever. Sponsored by a rapist.

[BritishAmerican]

Are you sure he was a rapist or the white chick was just doing what they do best - go to a black man's room and then falsely accuse him of rape. 'The black man did it". He raped me (NOT), He kidnapped my two kids and killed them (NOT)... I could go on and on.

[lakersfan09]

Kobe was used,by the woman to get money,he's the victim here.Kobe has alot of integrity! He wouldnt risk his career for such cave of a woman! Kobe is the reason Los Angeles makes alot of revenue because of him. You do the math. That's why he walked,not guilty! He lost his endorsements behind such lies,you clearly see it was about the money.

[ruth606]

Hey callllmmm down! You sound like a racist and that's not cool in any direction.

[purplejesus]

maybe kobe should keep it in his pants

[TheBaffler]

LA taxpayers gave them the arena, the least the team could do is pay for its own celebration.

[Montgriz]

That arena is generating more taxes for the city than you know.....if the city can give developers, movie studios, actors, lawyers, illegal immigrants grants and special privileges, it can cover a Laker's parade....we are not talking Rose Parade, people, we are talking police patrols and crowd controls...what is the big deal? I didn't complain when the city sponsored a week long Cinco de Mayo beerfest....

[ruth606]

I'm just curious have you ever taken any sort of classes concerning public administration, government or political science?

Do you understand that money does not just materialize out of thin air? The city has a deficit of 529 million dollars. There IS no extra, that means that for every dollar that gets spent in one area, another area has less.

How do you look someone in the eye and say, "sorry we laid you off this recession is really rough...by the way, we're spending over a million dollars to celebrate a bunch of multi-millionares"

FYI: The Cinco de Mayo Festival most likely provided a direct source of income a PARADE does not.

[Aramarcal]

I love the lakers but they and the celebrity fans can pick up a one million tab. City services are being cut for christsake

[rooks]

Weak! No contenders at all. Bird, Magic, Jordan and maybe Duncan; no one in the league can fill these shoes.

[TheBaffler]

Hakeem Olajuwan.

[Stilts9]

Not to worry City of LA, the celebration is gonna be in Orlando.

[AA9586]

Oh how i wish you were right, but i doubt it:(.....But it's not over yet!!!!

[bocoe]

My sentiments almost exactly!!

[Sportswoman]

I hope all of you complainers stay home. More room for my family!
If you don't remember Mark Madsen screaming in Spanish and dancing, or Magic johnson back in the showtimke days on the back of a flatbed pick-up truck with a bottle of champagne in each hand yelling, "Party! Party!"then you either are too young, a bandwagon fan, or some geek who hates sports.
The Laker Parades are the best and don't worry--it's going to happen. The city can pay the police and firemen OT as far as I'm concerned. Along with LA city teachers, they haven't gotten their COLA this year, either.

[bocoe]

I am glad you got your priorities together... Jeesh!

[Sportswoman]

My priorities?Who said anything about priorities? Are you against celebrations? They area part of life--unless you're Amish or something...
As for the Lakers not helping the local economy, thatis an inane comment. Even USC and UCLA help the economy here in LA. 1000s of jobs are created, many for people who would otherwise have a tough time getting one. They are event workers. They park cars at the Rose Bowl or Coliseum or Staples Center. They are concessions workers; ushers; ticket takers. I even know some of them because they have worked these venues for years.
You who live outside of LA cannot understand what the Lakers mean to this city. It has been a love affair since they arrived. Elgin Baylor, Magic, Kareem, Shaq and Kobe--phenomenal. Think of what Spaniard Pau Gasol speaking to Spanish TV/radio stations means to this city. To the majority of citizenry who cannot afford game tickets, being able to cheer the Laker on for free in a festive atmosphere means something positive in a n otherwise gloomy economic environment.

[PhilipTaylor]

Confetti is cheap!

So are balloons!

[ComicBooksandPolitics]

You guys are looking at this wrong. The Lakers bring BILLIONs of dollars into the local community. Adding Jobs, and tax revenue to the state and the local economy. Let's not forget the residual economic effects of having a SUCCESSFUL sports franchise to local bars, pubs, restaurants, hotels, sports shops, ect. ect.

I mean honestly, think of how many more folks would be unemployed if the NBA and NFL did not exist. It's an unwritten rule that the host city to a NBA or MLB or NFL franchise take care of their team in return for the robust economic benefits the team adds to the community. Besides, if they don't, there's always a city that will. Just ask the Seattle Supersonics. How many folks in Seattle lost jobs when the Sonics left Washington State becuase Seattle didn't want to take care of its team?

[ruth606]

The city of LA built them a beautiful, state of the arena.

The Los Angeles fans are pay an average face valu of 105 bucks for each ticket, that doesn't count what they spend on parking and concessions and all of the other accoutrement necessary to show their love and support.

The Los Angeles Lakers get paid very well and the organization enjoys the second highest revenue in the NBA. Los Angeles has always supported the Lakers and taken very good care of them. None of them are feeling the crunch, I guarantee you.

If they have any decency whatsoever, they will not expect the City of Los Angeles to pick up the tab for a parade that we cannot afford.

[ruth606]

Correction:

*state of the ART arena*

[impik]

Kobe can pay for it.

[peepeeray]

Actually, Jan Perry, Bernard Parks and the rest of the blinged out LA Council should personally pony up and pay for a parade. They are, by far, the highest paid City Council in the nation, ripping off Angelenos to the tune of over $14K/month each for the 15 of them. That's nearly double what the San Fran and NYC City Council makes.

[ruth606]

Well guess what...
Population as of 2007 - LA = 3,834,340 / NYC 8,274,527
NYC has 51 City Council Districts. Los Angeles has only 15.
NYC avg per district - 162,245
LA avg per district - 255,622

Jan Perry has a masters degree and she busts her butt taking care of a quarter of a million people 5 days a week. Her district includes skid row, which is no easy task and she's been serving our city government for just under 20 years...that I know of.

I think her pay is pretty fair.