Michael Jackson's Memorial Cost LA $1.4 Million

LOS ANGELES — A city council member on Thursday called on AEG Live to pay some of the estimated $1.4 million cost for policing Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center.

Dennis Zine told Fox 11 that the city's taxpayers "are getting ripped off" because the owner-operator of the Staples Center profited by charging media up to $50,000 to use risers outside the venue.

AEG President Tim Leiweke had said Zine was out of line for asking AEG to pay for policing because it helped solicit donors for the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA victory parade last month.

Jackson's concert promoter, AEG Live, said that it paid for the memorial itself along with the Jackson estate, but did not mention the cost of crowd control.

The parade and memorial both resulted in extraordinary costs to Los Angeles at a time when it is in debt for half of a billion dollars and facing employee layoffs.

The cost of city services for the Lakers' parade was about $1 million. Donors covered about $850,000 of that sum. The Lakers and AEG spent another $1 million to produce the parade and rally at Memorial Coliseum.

Comments

[dax49]

if we can pay for that dog and pony show they put on for reagan, we can pay for this

[samandally]

Isn't this spectacle what LA is all about? Did Spears pay for all the cost she incured?

[court99]

okay here goes....
The Jackson family paid the normal expenses that one pays for a family funeral. AEG requested a permit and paid the normal expenses that one pays when holding a large event. The city has to approve the permit (and I assume before they approve it determine if they have enough resources for traffic management and additional security if needed).

In short, the city should have thought about this before approving the permit. As a matte of fact, I am sure that the Jackson family would have been happy to have a large memorial service in London (where the concert was going to be) or in Japan (where he has a large fanbase).

Right now, the city overestimated the resources needed and now they have to pay up like they do for any large event like the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, etc. The only thing that is different about this situation is that LA is choosing to whine, instead of doing what they are supposed to do...and no one is thinking about the revenue involved from public transportation, restaurants, hotels, etc. Add in the future revenue potential for visitors to Neverland, and LA should just suck it up.

Or...if this is too much for LA to handle - then stop approving permits for large events, and one of your celebrity residents dies...make sure their funeral is held somewhere else. You no longer have to be bothered.

[aristippe]

I thought MJ wanted to be frozen

[chitown8]

I wonder if they ask the Grammy, Emmy, and Golden Globe folks the same thing.

[singforpeace]

Indeed. And the rest of the headline is .... and they made $$$$$??? from the influx of MJ fans.

[RiskyBizMiss]

It's no wonder the City of LA is in serious debt. They clearly have no logical business sense. All they have to do is collaborate with AEG and sell programs to the Memorial to all those who registered to receive tickets (but weren't selected), as well as those around the world who didn't that are MJ fans. If they sell those Memorial Programs at $10.00 above the costs, they could wipe out any costs related to the service in record time. If people are offended by this, they shouldn't be. With any monies that exceed those costs, the City of LA can put those funds to use for charitable purposes consistent with what Michael Jackson likely would have done.

[jukesgrrl]

Excellent idea. And they should have had this settled before permits were issued for Staples to be used.

[mcbaby2]

Oh please. One of the greatest entertainers of all time died...pay for the freakin funeral LA.

[ECB]

How much was made by LA; Hotels, Restaurants, Cabs, Limos, etc., that would not have occured without the funeral ?

[Altruth]

LA you are looking bad really bad!

[maiforpeace]

How come no one ever complains when the Pope, or ex President Bush go out in public?

[RobinLandseadel]

Never attended any protests, have you?

[TabbyJ]

So what, Michael paid his share of taxes and he should get everything that an average person get as a resident in L.A. His memorial didn't hurt any of the people that were ranting and raving, they just made an ar$$ of themselves.

[flurryup]

I Live in L.A. and no average citizen gets 1.4 mil memorial, He has parents and the promotion company should have shell out.

If you died, I am certain your community would insist that your parents pay for your memorial. The problem ppl are having is that most of Jackson's fans are just that fanatic, and unreasonable, which makes you tabbyj the arss.

The state is more than a half billion dollars in the red. Ppl are homeless, hungry, without healthcare, etc. and the city should pick up the tab for this? MJ's estate made more than the 1.4 mil, in it's first 24 hrs.

If you were just as adamant about helathcare, then that would be something.

[JaneQCitizen]

Maybe the Jacksons can squeeze it out of Michael's estate, eh?

[DennisMM]

That would be nice.

[RobinLandseadel]

Maybe Sony ATV could foot the bill.

[opine2u]

And he still hasn't been buried yet, where else on God's good earth do they want to parade his body around. What other news networks on this planet have they not yet exploited. This is getting spooky, maybe they're waiting for Halloween.

[Archivist1000]

Where else??? That implies that they have 'paraded his body' already .. and they haven't .. You are making up a 'fact' then ranting about it .... It's getting 'spooky' in your mind, because you are letting your imagination run rampant then believing your own fantasy.

[tel8034]

All the talk about the expenses from the powers to be in LA ................But NO DISCLOSING the REVENUE generated from increased hotel room nights, rental cars, gas purchases, highway tolls, sales taxes, food and beverage purchases, taxis, buses, limousine rentals, memorabila purchases, local newspaper sales, advertising on local tv affiliate stations, clothing purchases etc.

WHY ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE STORY FROM THE LA OFFICIALS?­..........­...... LA wants to PROFIT from MJ's death, without paying the expenses.

The decision to deploy the number of officers, helicopters etc for the event was decided by the LA officials.­..........­. The same officials who ALSO told all persons not invited to the memorial, to stay away.

So if LA officials PLANNED to limit the crowd outside the center, then why deploy the number of officers they did, and WHINE about it later?

AND WHY ORDER LUNCH FROM A RESTAURANT 80 MILES AWAY FROM LA? ............. WHO MADE THAT DECISION?.......... WHICH LA OFFICIAL PROFITED FROM THAT DECISION?

The restaurant bill was nearly $49,000, but would have been $17,500 if ordered from a sandwich shop in LA ............ SO IF COSTS WERE THE ISSUE, THEN WHY SPEND $31,500 MORE THAN WAS NECESSARY.

How many of these WHINERS sat inside the Staples Center in CHOICE SEATS? ..........­..........­.... And SURPRISINGLY, no complaints for the 15 minutes of fame interviews on national TV.

[Lynn McKinney]

When anyone dies, people come in from out of area and stay in hotels and buy gas. That just happens. Yet, no one asks the city to pay for the funeral due to the increase of revenue. People set aside funds or insurance for their own funerals and the family left either stays within budget or pays themselves. When one is as wealthy as MJ was.....it is assumed that they can pay the expenses for their own funeral...­....especi­ally if it includes a gold plated coffin.

It is absurd to do a spectacle like this and expect for others to pay for it.

[elfNW]

Guess things are a lot better in California [and L.A.] than has been said. If it can spend $1.4 million on a big to do for a particularly weird entertainer. I assume that all the M.J. fans who seem to think he was the second coming of Christ will be willing to step up and pay the tab? And how long is it going to be before we can stop talking about that freak?

[Faithtoo]

How sad you are.

[smile13]

Thanks Faithtoo....I agree. I think they should ck out the website that list the TWO PAGES of charities he gave to. How many of us can say that. Just like John Lennon....he took nothing with him but his BEAUTIFUL soul. xo :)

[DennisMM]

He's over the top, but he is asking valid questions. If it was Bruce Springsteen, and you lived in NJ, would you be willing to pay the tab?