When the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship in June, the team and private donors paid the $2 million tab for the victory celebration. The same can’t be said for Michael Jackson’s July 7 public memorial at Staples Center, unfortunately.

Los Angeles Times:

Hours after the last eulogy to Michael Jackson bounced off the rafters of Staples Center, discussion in Los Angeles civic circles turned to more down-to-earth matters: Were the pop star’s death and memorial a net fiscal loss or gain to the city, and should taxpayers get stuck with the tab?

City Atty. Carmen Trutanich said this week that he was investigating how the city ended up with a $1.4-million bill. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office conceded that a city effort to solicit online donations to cover the memorial costs yielded only $17,000 before being upended by “frequent and prolonged server crashes.”

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#los angeles#los angeles lakers#memorial#michael jackson#parade#taxpayer#villaraigosa