County says Michael Jackson hearings, trial could cost millions
8/13/04
By DAWN HOBBS
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The county's bill for the Michael Jackson hearings is rapidly approaching the $500,000 mark -- and the trial hasn't even begun.
So far, the bill for the six days of pretrial hearings in the entertainer's child molestation case is running about $426,000, according to a county analysis released Thursday. Courthouse security alone accounts for more than half that amount, or about $240,000.
Based on the county's experience so far, that means the cost could top $4 million for the anticipated four-month trial if the media frenzy and fan fascination with the high-profile case are sustained. At the start of the Jackson case, county officials did not offer estimates of how much it would cost. "There were none, because it was a totally new thing," County Administrator Michael Brown said.
"My hope is over time, perhaps the interest will wane and we'd need the extra staffing on days when there's major decisions or key witnesses," said Mr. Brown.
He said he has seen that happen in Scott Peterson's murder trial in San Mateo County.
"It's real up and down," Mr. Brown said.
Mr. Brown said he hopes the state provides a helping hand: "The courts are in discussion with the state about added revenue to pay for some of this because of the extraordinary nature of it."
The cost for law enforcement salaries nearly doubles when Mr. Jackson is present; he is expected to attend a hearing Monday. Those costs ranged from $32,000 to $38,000 per day for hearings Mr. Jackson did not attend to $57,000 on April 30 when he pleaded not guilty to child molestation and conspiracy charges.
By this point, it has become easier, and less costly, to plan for the pop star's appearances, Mr. Brown said.
"For instance, with his appearance this coming Monday, we're already ramping up for that," Mr. Brown said Thursday morning. "We had a major two-hour meeting. And all the logistics are worked out -- where the visitors and fans will go, how the courtroom seats are allocated. Over the months, we've been developing this. So when the call came yesterday saying he could be coming, it was just basically checking their plan.
"You could have something unexpected happen, but looking at what's happening with the other big trials -- they seem to just be rumbling along."
When news of the Jackson case first hit, county administrators spoke extensively with officials from Santa Monica, where the O.J. Simpson murder trial was held, and Eagle County, Colo., where basketball star Kobe Bryant faces rape charges.
"We learned some good stuff from them," Mr. Brown said.
In addition to security, another big expense is paying staff salaries for planning time. But that cost has also come down during the case.
The planning for the first hearing in January, when Mr. Jackson was arraigned on the original child molestation charges, cost more than $35,000. The overall cost for that hearing was $160,000. Comparatively, the planning for Mr. Jackson's arraignment on the indictment in April cost $3,400 and the total cost for that hearing was $61,000.
The county's overall budget picture has brightened since April, when officials anticipated a $22 million shortfall in the $620 million 2004-05 budget. Since then, the budget has grown by $12 million and the expected deficit has shrunk to $5 million.
"So if nothing else happens, we can deal with that," Mr. Brown said. "We've added to our strategic reserve as a fallback position to cover most of it. But we'd prefer for the economy to keep growing and to have growth in the property tax, sales tax and the special Prop. 172 sales tax to help cover most of it."
If the state does not help pay for the Jackson case, there are options for the county, Mr. Brown said. "Like last year when the state took $8 million away from us, we had to use a mixture of freezes, fewer purchases and some reserves to balance it. We are getting some revenues, though, from (the media) at about $7,500 per day for the added services we provide."
So far, that's brought in about $67,000.
A RARE COURT APPEARANCE
Michael Jackson is expected to attend Monday's hearing in Santa Maria, where his defense lawyers will question Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon about what they claim was an illegal raid.
Mr. Jackson, who is not legally required to attend the hearing, will likely be accompanied by several family members, including his parents, Katherine and Joe, his brother Jermaine, and his sisters Janet and LaToya.
At issue during Monday's hearing is whether Mr. Sneddon knew or reasonably should have known that private investigator Bradley Miller was working for Mark Geragos, Mr. Jackson's lawyer at the time, when he obtained an affidavit to raid the investigator's Beverly Hills office in November 2003.
The defense team -- now led by Thomas Mesereau -- contends the evidence seized should be tossed out because it's protected by attorney-client privilege. Prosecutors maintain that they did not have knowledge of the working relationship between Mr. Miller and Mr. Geragos.
:nav Source: http://news.newspress.com/topsports/081304...haeljackson.htm
8/13/04
By DAWN HOBBS
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The county's bill for the Michael Jackson hearings is rapidly approaching the $500,000 mark -- and the trial hasn't even begun.
So far, the bill for the six days of pretrial hearings in the entertainer's child molestation case is running about $426,000, according to a county analysis released Thursday. Courthouse security alone accounts for more than half that amount, or about $240,000.
Based on the county's experience so far, that means the cost could top $4 million for the anticipated four-month trial if the media frenzy and fan fascination with the high-profile case are sustained. At the start of the Jackson case, county officials did not offer estimates of how much it would cost. "There were none, because it was a totally new thing," County Administrator Michael Brown said.
"My hope is over time, perhaps the interest will wane and we'd need the extra staffing on days when there's major decisions or key witnesses," said Mr. Brown.
He said he has seen that happen in Scott Peterson's murder trial in San Mateo County.
"It's real up and down," Mr. Brown said.
Mr. Brown said he hopes the state provides a helping hand: "The courts are in discussion with the state about added revenue to pay for some of this because of the extraordinary nature of it."
The cost for law enforcement salaries nearly doubles when Mr. Jackson is present; he is expected to attend a hearing Monday. Those costs ranged from $32,000 to $38,000 per day for hearings Mr. Jackson did not attend to $57,000 on April 30 when he pleaded not guilty to child molestation and conspiracy charges.
By this point, it has become easier, and less costly, to plan for the pop star's appearances, Mr. Brown said.
"For instance, with his appearance this coming Monday, we're already ramping up for that," Mr. Brown said Thursday morning. "We had a major two-hour meeting. And all the logistics are worked out -- where the visitors and fans will go, how the courtroom seats are allocated. Over the months, we've been developing this. So when the call came yesterday saying he could be coming, it was just basically checking their plan.
"You could have something unexpected happen, but looking at what's happening with the other big trials -- they seem to just be rumbling along."
When news of the Jackson case first hit, county administrators spoke extensively with officials from Santa Monica, where the O.J. Simpson murder trial was held, and Eagle County, Colo., where basketball star Kobe Bryant faces rape charges.
"We learned some good stuff from them," Mr. Brown said.
In addition to security, another big expense is paying staff salaries for planning time. But that cost has also come down during the case.
The planning for the first hearing in January, when Mr. Jackson was arraigned on the original child molestation charges, cost more than $35,000. The overall cost for that hearing was $160,000. Comparatively, the planning for Mr. Jackson's arraignment on the indictment in April cost $3,400 and the total cost for that hearing was $61,000.
The county's overall budget picture has brightened since April, when officials anticipated a $22 million shortfall in the $620 million 2004-05 budget. Since then, the budget has grown by $12 million and the expected deficit has shrunk to $5 million.
"So if nothing else happens, we can deal with that," Mr. Brown said. "We've added to our strategic reserve as a fallback position to cover most of it. But we'd prefer for the economy to keep growing and to have growth in the property tax, sales tax and the special Prop. 172 sales tax to help cover most of it."
If the state does not help pay for the Jackson case, there are options for the county, Mr. Brown said. "Like last year when the state took $8 million away from us, we had to use a mixture of freezes, fewer purchases and some reserves to balance it. We are getting some revenues, though, from (the media) at about $7,500 per day for the added services we provide."
So far, that's brought in about $67,000.
A RARE COURT APPEARANCE
Michael Jackson is expected to attend Monday's hearing in Santa Maria, where his defense lawyers will question Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon about what they claim was an illegal raid.
Mr. Jackson, who is not legally required to attend the hearing, will likely be accompanied by several family members, including his parents, Katherine and Joe, his brother Jermaine, and his sisters Janet and LaToya.
At issue during Monday's hearing is whether Mr. Sneddon knew or reasonably should have known that private investigator Bradley Miller was working for Mark Geragos, Mr. Jackson's lawyer at the time, when he obtained an affidavit to raid the investigator's Beverly Hills office in November 2003.
The defense team -- now led by Thomas Mesereau -- contends the evidence seized should be tossed out because it's protected by attorney-client privilege. Prosecutors maintain that they did not have knowledge of the working relationship between Mr. Miller and Mr. Geragos.
:nav Source: http://news.newspress.com/topsports/081304...haeljackson.htm