| Jackson memorial cost Los Angeles $1.4 mn | |
| Press Trust of India / Los Angeles July 9, 2009, 13:06 IST | |
Michael Jackson's grand public memorial cost the city of Los Angeles a whopping $1.4 million, the mayor's office said.
The bill for the star studded ceremony was footed by the city and included the costs for putting extra police on the streets, trash pickup, sanitation, traffic control and more, explained spokesperson Sarah Hamilton.
The city which is already facing a $530 million in debt has asked for donations from it's residents and Jackson fans around the globe to help with the expenses.
A website had been set up for the purpose and on Tuesday donors contributed more than $17,000 through the site. But then, the high volume of traffic caused it to crash frequently and for long periods of time, the mayor's office said.
The Tuesday event held at the Staples Centre was viewed by more than a billion people around the globe and 3,000 police officers, about one-third of the total Los Angeles Police Department force, were deployed to ensure the maintenance of law and order.
The decision by the city authorities to sponsor the event has irked many, including Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich who does not want taxpayers to pay a penny for the service, CNN reported.
"The city attorney does not want something like this happening again, the city paying [the initial costs] for a private event. That's especially in a cash-strapped city, where people have been furloughed or even lost jobs." his spokesman John Franklin said.
During the Los Angeles Lakers championship parade this year, nearly 2,000 police were called in, at a cost of $2 million but The Lakers and private donors had reimbursed the city for most of the expenses.
AEG, the company which owns the Staples Centre and had organised the event had earlier added that the organisation will pay part of the expenses.
But there has been no word from the company since the total expenses were announced.
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