Any idea how this fits within the hoax maybe?
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Jackson memorial payback hindered by threat?
Monday, December 07, 2009
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KABC) -- Los Angeles taxpayers will likely pick up the tab for Michael Jackson's more than $ 3-million memorial this summer.
A City Council committee took up the matter Monday. The discussion centered on a threat from the Los Angeles City Attorney.
LAPD expected more than a million people for the Michael Jackson memorial. They had the largest deployment of police since the Los Angeles Olympics. The overtime alone cost the cash strapped city $2 million.
"It was an event promoted by Staples. In all due respect to Mr. Jackson -- his sad death, untimely death -- the fact of the matter is, it was more than a memorial service," said L.A. City Councilman Dennis Zine.
It became clear Monday the city has no chance of recovering the costs as long as its city attorney holds out the possibility of a criminal prosecution.
City Attorney Carmen Trutanich has said there are potential criminal or civil violations he's investigating regarding the memorial.
There had been negotiations with AEG, the owners of Staples, about the company paying the costs -- until Trutanich made that threat.
"When you have a threat of criminal prosecution hanging over your head that's not conducive to having somebody make a donation," said Councilwoman Jan Perry.
Members of the Los Angeles City Council's Public Safety Committee all but admitted Jan Perry was correct. Liewicke has said of the threat from the city attorney, "prove it or drop it." He's accused Trutanich of being a bully.
"I think there is nothing gained by prolonging this any further," said Councilman Craig Weiss. "We are going to be partners with AEG for a long, long time."
Friday, the City Council hopes to have Trutanich explain just how far he's willing to take this, whether there is a chance of criminal charges.
Also this article:
City-Touted, $4 Million Benefit From Jackson Memorial Pulled From Thin Air
By Dennis Romero in City News, community, crime, economy, media, politics
Mon., Dec. 7 2009 @ 7:00AM
Sony Pictures
LA Weekly obtained a series of emails that shed light on City Hall's oft-touted contention that July's Michael Jackson memorial at Staples Center downtown was a $4 million boost to area businesses. The number is important because it's often cited by those who believe it was worth it for the city cover the bill for police and officer overtime -- $3.2 million -- for that day's events downtown.
It turns out the $4 million number didn't come from a study. It first arose when Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation was quoted in the media -- before the memorial took place -- saying that it could bring $4 million in business to the city. The City Council had no investment in the figure until Oct. 22, when the legislative analyst's office shot an after-hours email off to the LAEDC asking it to justify the figure on the eve of a council hearing on the memorial's costs. City Hall needed to cover its decision to spend $3.2 million on the memorial, and the $4 million windfall could have been its magic number.
"Was the LAEDC able to actually determine the revenues generated from the event," asked June Gibson, assistant chief legislative analyst, in the Oct. 22 email.
Kyser responded the next morning: "The $4 million estimate was a very rough estimate that was done in response to media calls. We have not done a comprehensive analysis of the revenue generated, but would estimate that the $4 million was probably low."
In a subsequent email to the city, Kyser said, as he had told the Weekly, "The conclusion was based on the number of celebrities who came in to L.A. for the service. Several probably came in on private planes, which would go to either Van Nuys, BGP or LAX. They would probably have used car services. Some would have stayed in hotels probably on the Westside. They probably also conducted business while they were in Los Angeles."
As we reported last week there was little evidience to support the idea that a throng of celebs flooded L.A. for the memorial. One major fact to consider is that many of the dignitaries who came to the memorial already live here. Some of them, as an official at Anschutz Entertainment Group, the company that owns Staples Center, admitted, were already in town as a result of Jackson's death (and some of them famously skipped the 17,500-ticket event at Staples).
What's more, the expected, million-strong throng of people never showed at Staples that day. In fact, then-Chief William Bratton estimated the crowd around Staples at 600 at one point during the memorial July 7. One expert told LA Weekly that people turned off by the prospect of a mob scene downtown stayed away and could have actually hurt area business.
As the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday, AEG has been kind to some of the same folks on the City Council who have been quick to deflect criticism of the city's spending on the memorial. The company has raised funds for political issues of great importance to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilwoman Jan Perry, who represents much of downtown. Villaraigosa had originally asked members of the public to pitch in via a website to help cover the city's costs for AEG's show. Perry has been critical of those on the council who have pressured the company to cover the city's costs, calling them people who "want to get recognition for being the one who took it across the finish line."
The money is a drop in the bucket for a city that is heading toward a more than $1 million per day operating deficit. But what critics are asking is whether residents should have to live with one less cop or one less firefighter because AEG, a company owned by billionaire Tim Leiweke Phil Anschutz, wanted to put on what was essentially 90-minute television special for 31 million viewers across the world. The company sold the rights to Jackson's Staples Center rehearsal footage to Sony for $60 million. Sony used it as the backbone for the blockbuster concert film This Is It. AEG has a 10 percent stake in the movie's profits. The memorial served, intended or not, to stoke interest in the entertainer and, thus, AEG's stake in his legacy.
Chief legislative analyst Gerry Miller and city administrative officer Miguel Santana wrote in a report that the city should back off of AEG.
"In light of the overall positive impact of the event ($4 million), and that there was no ordinance in place prior to the event providing for cost recovery from major venues, the city may wish to cease pursuing cost reimbursement."
That's one option as the City Council is expected to take up the issue Monday. You are not allowed to view links.
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I have to mention I saw this on an MJ fansite where a fan also mentioned the fact that fans were threatened not to come to the memorial (on the side of the road that is) and burial. I remember not thinking much about it the time but now that we are looking into a possible hoax,could that have something to do with it? Not wanting his fans to go through something like that?
It's very odd when you think about how close Michael was with his fans...
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