California's finances are a complete mess. Everyone everywhere is broke. So there was some concern about having enough money to cover the costs of a Lakers championship parade. But private donors have stepped in.
LOS ANGELES -- An aide to City Council president Eric Garcetti says private donors have agreed to cover all of the nearly $1 million in city costs for the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers' victory parade.
Julie Wong said Tuesday that donors are providing enough money to defray all the expected costs for police and traffic control. She didn't have the names of the donors but they're expected to be released at an afternoon news conference.
The mayor and other officials had sought donations after critics blasted the idea of using city money when Los Angeles is considering layoffs to close a half-billion-dollar budget gap.
The Lakers and the company that owns the Lakers' home court will cover another $1 million for Wednesday's parade.
Hmm... $2 million for a parade? Kobe's got that in loose change. The Lakers payroll is $75 million! You mean to tell me Kobe ($21.2 mil last season) Pau ($15 mil) and Odom ($11.4 mil) couldn't have chipped in to cover the costs and thank their fans? How much is Nike paying Kobe?
These guys are swimming in cash. You'd think that maybe in this economic climate, a few guys who get paid a gazillion bucks could scrape together a goodwill gesture and maybe really win people over. Hell.. they'd probably get twice what they paid by sponsorships they picked up just because of that.
