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To pay or not for Jacko memorial, mulls California

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-13 09:03

LOS ANGELES: Disgruntled Californians, their state broke and in budget meltdown, are asking why taxpayers should foot the bill for Michael Jackson's million-dollar memorial last week.

Actress Brooke Shields speaks at a memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, July 7, 2009. [Agencies]

While the largest state in the union has long reveled in its glitzy image as a home to the stars, some officials, faced with a deficit expected to stretch to $24 billion within two years, are keen to pinch pennies.

Los Angeles councilman Dennis Zine has called for a review into how the city's resources were used during Tuesday's Jackson memorial at the Staples Center.

The event, watched on television by hundreds of millions across the world, required the deployment of thousands of police officers, emergency services and a SWAT team that reportedly transported Jackson's casket.

Zine called for the probe to determine whether the event's promoters or producers might provide "reimbursement to the city to replenish the public safety and other critical funds".

He claimed the actual cost of Jackson-related events for Los Angeles may be as high as $4 million, and urged the memorial's promoters - such as AEG - to pick up the tab.

His sentiments were echoed by the Los Angeles Times, which in an editorial said "it makes sense to call on AEG, which ran the show and owns the facilities, to foot the 1.4-million-dollar bill."

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Such calls have prompted a local political bun fight. A spokesman for the mayor's office said the estimated cost of $4 million was likely too high.

"The flaw in the councilman's estimate is he assumes - absent the Michael Jackson memorial - that there would be no officers in the streets of Los Angeles," said Matt Szabo.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn has called for an investigation into how much the city made because of Jackson fans flocking to the city.

Los Angeles is "probably going to make a lot more money than it spent," local media quoted her as saying.

"We are going to see tourism jump. People now want to come to Hollywood Boulevard, they want to go to Michael Jackson's star, they want to buy flowers to put at his star, they want to get on the tour buses that go to his home in Holmby Hills."

'Michael was murdered'

Jackson was killed by a band of greedy hangers-on, his sister La Toya alleged in interviews with Britain's The Mail on Sunday and the News of the World weeklies.

"I believe Michael was murdered, I felt that from the start," the 53-year-old said.

"Not just one person was involved, rather it was a conspiracy of people. He was surrounded by a bad circle. Michael was a very meek, quiet, loving person. People took advantage of that."

"Less than a month ago, I said I thought Michael was going to die before the London shows because he was surrounded by people who didn't have his best interests at heart."

La Toya said she had ordered a private autopsy after Jackson's death on June 25.

"Michael was worth more than a billion dollars. When anyone is worth that much money, there are always greedy people around them. I said to my family a month ago, 'He's never going to make it to London'. He was worth more dead than alive."

AFP