LOS ANGELES (AP) — Private donors agreed to cover nearly $1 million in taxpayer costs for a parade honoring the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. The prospect of the cash-strapped city having to cover the cost had drawn strong criticism.
The costs for police, traffic control and other services for Wednesday's parade were still being calculated, but they were expected to run a bit under $1 million, said Julie Wong, an aide to city council president Eric Garcetti.
"There are donors who are making contributions that will, in the aggregate, cover the expected costs of the parade," Wong said.
She didn't have the names of the donors but they were expected to be released later Tuesday.
Employee unions had objected to public spending on the parade at a time when Los Angeles was contemplating layoffs to close a more than $500 million budget gap.
Appeals for private funding were made by the mayor and other city officials, the Lakers and the head of the company that owns the team's arena. The Lakers and AEG, which owns Staples Center, earlier had agreed to cover another $1 million in costs.
The head of the city's police union said Tuesday he was pleased no city funding would be used.
"At a time of financial crisis, when employees are being furloughed and services are being reduced or eliminated, it's good to see our city leaders being accountable to the public," Los Angeles Police Protective League president Paul M. Weber said in a statement.
