A city that is already operating at a $500 million deficit will likely end up holding the bill for the massive security efforts needed to keep the public safe around the Michael Jackson memorial in Los Angeles today. While the cost of the actual event in the Staples Center is being paid for by the concert promoters who were to have produced Jackson’s come-back concert tour, AEG has so far refused to agree to reimburse the city for its expenses.
One source estimates the price tag at $2.5 million and includes security in downtown LA as well as at the Jackson’s Encino compound and the rented home where Jackson was living.
The expenses will include at least 1,400 police officers, workers from the Department of Transportation to enforce street closures, workers from the Department of Public Works, and fire and rescue squads on stand-by for the inevitable scuffles and medical emergencies that arise when tens or hundreds of thousands of people convene in a small area.
One LA city councilman, Dennis Zine, has publically complained about the expense and started lobbying for the Jacksons and AEG to cover the costs.
“If the Jackson family’s gonna spend $25,000 on a gold casket, I would think that AEG and the Jackson family could help defray the costs so it’s a safe and secure environment for mourners that want to come,” said Zine.
While it is easy to feel sympathy for the already cash-strapped city now dealing with completely unexpected costs and we hope they can come to some sort of cost-sharing agreement, protecting public safety is their job, regardless of the event. The same concerns are faced by cities who are graced with visits by presidents or other world figures like the Pope, or who are fortunate enough to be home to championship sports teams. Most city budgets should be designed to absorb one or two of those unexpected events.
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