City officials have questions about plans for Staples Center memorial for Michael Jackson [Updated]

Officials said they are close to locking in Staples Center for a Tuesday public memorial for Michael Jackson. But city leaders said they still have questions about how they would deal with the event and who would pay for the city resources needed to pull it off.

Sources familiar with the planning told The Times that the Los Angeles Police Department's deployment for the event would involve thousands of officers and be bigger than last month's Lakers' victory parade.

At a news conference this afternoon, AEG Live's chief executive, Randy Phillips, said he had been conferring with the Jackson family and that their desire was to hold a memorial service at Staples Center, the scene of the singer's final rehearsal. Phillips said the ultimate decision about the date and format of such a program lay with Jackson's mother, Katherine.

“It’s all up to Katherine,” Phillips said, adding that he expected an announcement from the family’s publicist.

Last month, the city’s political leaders debated whether taxpayers should pay all or part of the $2-million cost of the Lakers'  parade, which stretched from Staples Center to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and various business leaders, mindful that the city was weighing layoffs and furloughs, managed to raise enough money privately to keep the public from picking up the tab.

With a Jackson memorial service, city officials are unclear on just how large the turnout might be — or whether it would spill out into surrounding parking lots.

 “We’ve done Laker parades. There’s no precedent for this,” said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who is  serving as acting mayor because Villaraigosa is on vacation in Africa and City Council President Eric Garcetti is in Japan.

City Controller Wendy Greuel also was trying to find out more information, an effort hampered by the fact that, on her second day on the job, her office in City Hall East still lacks e-mail access.

Councilman Dennis Zine said he and other council members were consulting throughout the day Thursday about the potential costs and planning required for a Jackson memorial at Staples Center.

Zine said he was concerned about whether the LAPD would have time to plan for an event of that scale — particularly since many officers will be working overtime during the Fourth of July weekend.

“You don’t have a lot of time to work up tactical plan and notify the officers. A memorial is a time of reverence but there’s always rabble-rousers that seize the opportunity — like they did with the Lakers’ parade…. If you have thousands of people show up — and you’re over capacity — what are we going to do with the people? … Who’s going to maintain control?” Zine said.

He noted that because of the holiday, council members would not have a chance to discuss how — or if — the city could absorb the costs for an event likely to draw thousands of people.

“There’s no way we should pay for a memorial. We don’t pay for memorials,” Zine said. “I don’t think they even know the cost because they don’t know how many people would show up…. The council has to approve an over-expenditure by the Police Department…. With our budget, there are some major concerns. We’re $530 million in the hole. But whatever happens we will make sure it’s a secure environment.”

[Updated at 4:30 p.m.: “I hope we are going to have something to announce by the end of today, but I don’t know yet,” said publicist Ken Sunshine, who was hired Wednesday to represent the Jackson family. “Once we announce something officially in terms of a memorial, all of the details have to be buttoned down and there’s a lot of details and there’s a lot of sensitivities and everyone should respect that.”]

-- Harriet Ryan, Maeve Reston, David Zahniser, Maria Ellen Fernandez and Cara Mia DiMassa

Comments

[JS]

The cost should come out of his estate. I think most of us regular people are tired of the entitlement of the rich and famous. If they are so rich and famous, stop making us pick up the tab.

[sad_this_is]

Mercy me...this poor man has been dead for a week now. Meanwhile his money grubbing family who exploited him all of his life is yet again trying to figure out how to cash in on him even in death. Put this poor man to rest already........this is crazy!

[C]

Best Plan

Have him lie in state at the convention center for 1 - 2 days (fans can line up to see him, eg Bradely burial, capacity of Staples 20,000),
On 2nd day procession to the Staples Center for service
after service private memorial for family and burial.

[reasonmclucus]

They should delay the memorial service for a few days to allow adequate preparation. Delaying the service could allow developing a deal to bury Jackson at Neverland. They could get around the prohibition of burial on private property by turning ownership over the area where he is buried to local or state government. This could be accomplished either by donation of the land in exchange for a tax write off, or selling the land to government with payment made over time from a portion of any revenue from admission charges or possibly a portion of revenue from sale of Jackson memorabilia at any buildings used as a museum. If a museum is part of the government owned area, it would be exempt from property taxes.

A portion of the ranch or possibly the entire ranch could be part of the deal.

The owner could donate the land and then lease back a portion for a museum with payment coming from admissions or memorabilia sales.

Jackson had millions of fans and many of them would like to visit Neverland which would benefit surrounding communities.

[Pete the Fed]

Again, this should not be something paid for by taxpayers.

[Louweegie272]

Way to go Mayor Villaraigosa! The day after you are sworn in to
a second term that you promised would be different from the first term, you go on vacation to Africa. How soon can he be recalled?

[Erika Ruiz]

I really need to purchase 4 tickets to the memorial at the Kea theather, not the Stapless center.. Thank you

[m collier]

The city of Los Angeles complains of a budget deficit ,yet the city council members are the highest paid "in the nation" at approx $14k/mo plus benefits. I understand the taxpayer not paying for the OT of the police Dept for the memorial service but come on city council aren't YOU overpaid? Your salary increases are tied into the Superior Court Judges Raises, so everytime they get a raise you get a raise. How about for the goodness of the city you contribute part of your salary to cover the police dept OT. Obviously you make enough money with one of you on vacation in Africa and the other in Japan. Don't criticize the Jackson family for purchasing a coffin for their loved one they are grieving. Would you want your family to just give you a pine box . It is every families right to bury their loved one the way they wish. As far as OT for the police YOUR deficit YOUR problem. Reduce your salaries and maybejust maybe reduce the deficit.

[Kuldeep]

For heaven sake let the man rest in peace....all his life he was followed by media & people....let the people see him one last time...if he was Michael Jackson then it was because of Millions of Fans around the world....he shares a undying relationship with his fans & his fans deserve to pay their respect to the man they have idolized all their life...

They are never gonna get the chance again...don't let the millions people down...even MJ wouldn't have turned the people down who have so much love for him..

[david barron]

Common sense says; let the Jackson Estate pay for the event.

Bravo to the Jackson family for not charging a fee to attend the memorial service.

Our condolense,
david barron