Who's Paying for This?

AEG should pay the bill, not the taxpayer, Zine says

By JONATHAN LLOYD

Updated 12:25 PM PST, Wed, Jul 8, 2009

Print Email Share TWITTER FACEBOOK

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Twitter page includes a posting saying that so many Jackson fans have offered to help the city recoup its costs for the memorial that the website for donations couldn't cope.

"#MJ link back up! Sorry, overwhelming response from fans brought down our city servers. Donate to Michael's memorial at http://bit.ly/ABdlp," tweeted the mayor's spokesman Matt Szabo.

It was unclear at midday how much money had been donated.

The mayor sent out a call early Tuesday for donations on his Twitter page: "MJ fans, you can help LA give Michael the safe and orderly send off he deserves http://bit.ly/ABdlp."

As for the Costs Associated With This Memorial...

WATCH

As for the Costs Associated With This Memorial...

LOOK

Jackson Memorial Ticket Winners Line Up at Dodger Stadium

LOOK

Fans Gather At Forest Lawn Memorial To Mourn Michael Jackson

The city is asking fans of the pop icon for donations. The mayor's office said the tax-deductible donations by Jackson fans would help pay for "the public safety resources needed to ensure his memorial remains safe, orderly and respectful."

Szabo said the city was launching a website with a link to a PayPal account into which fans could make only contributions using major credit cards. Fans will have access to the site through the mayor's facebook page and twitter page.

Acting Mayor Jan Perry said donors were coming forward.

"I've received e-mails that are really kind of touching because they're obviously coming from fans," she said. "They're very sweet, saying things like 'I can give $10, $25 and I can organize my friends.' But I think there will be a significant announcement that we'll be able to make in the next day or so."

She declined to say at this point whether any corporate sponsors or any of the entertainer's famous friends have offered to help.

And, if they don't?

Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine said Monday that concert promoter and Staples Center owner AEG should pay all the expenses for Jackson's memorial tribute, and the cash-strapped city should be reimbursed for the cost of deploying police and fire crews to secure the streets around the event. Zine said the city is in the midst of a budget crisis and cannot afford to spend millions to secure the event.

"This is not an emergency. This is a memorial service for a celebrity who died a week ago," Zine said. "We are cognizant of AEG's need to honor the memory of Michael Jackson, but they should also be cognizant of the taxpayers' needs."

Zine added that AEG could have held a private memorial, but they chose to make it public even handed out free tickets.

"They should pay for that, not the city," he said.

On Wednesday, Zine demanded an audit of the city's spending on the memorial tribute. He said he plans to ask Controller Wendy Greuel to examine the books, determine how much taxpayer money was used to secure the streets around Staples Center, and who signed off on it.

"Who made the approval? Who authorized all this?" Zine said.

Greuel herself had expressed concerns about the cost even before the memorial began.

In a letter to Villaraigosa, City Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilman Bernard Parks, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee -- dated the eve of the memorial -- she said "we need to avoid spending any taxpayer funds without reimbursement."

Greuel urged the officials to "move quickly to create a clear, coherent city policy that dictates who is financially responsible when an extraordinary event such as the Michael Jackson memorial takes place... to protect our scarce resources during this budget crisis."

AEG's Michael Roth responded to a question about the event's costs Tuesday morning.

"We're working with the family to put on the show here," Roth said. "Beyond that, we're working with the city to find out the most equitable way of continuing with the show and making it a safe environment for everybody."

Perry, who is acting mayor while Villaraigosa is on vacation, said last week that the Los Angeles Police Department's budget includes funding for officers to respond to large events. She pointed to recent immigration marches as examples of events that required a heavy police presence.

But Perry said she was willing to talk to any businesses or individuals interested in working with the city to help defray costs.

Although it's a strain on city services, the memorial events might mean a boost for tourism. LA's chief economist predicted a $4 million boost for the local economy.