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PRICE TAG FOR TRIAL
County's costs top $2 million but are likely to rise
By NORA K. WALLACE
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Michael Jackson is a free man, but Santa Barbara County will remain shackled for some time by the costs of prosecuting the high-profile pop star.
As the world waited for Monday's verdict, the county Board of Supervisors sat through hearings about its $662 million annual budget -- while also knowing there's more than a $2.1 million price tag attached to the Jackson trial.
As of last week, the cost of the singer's trial amounted to $2,177,696, and that number is certain to rise significantly. The tally doesn't include the tens of thousands of dollars for the investigation, nor does it account for the costs of the grand jury, the prosecution's criminal costs and other expenditures related to the case.
The county cannot enforce the law based on worries about finances, 2nd District county Supervisor Susan Rose said after Mr. Jackson's verdict was read. "Money is important for all of our programs," she said. "But we have to pursue criminal cases without a cost filter."
The case affected the supervisors in another way on Monday: Afternoon budget hearings were delayed for about a half-hour while the not-guilty verdict was read, and a planned presentation by Sheriff Jim Anderson was bumped to Wednesday to allow him to deal with security needs at the Santa Maria courthouse and outside Neverland Valley Ranch in Los Olivos.
Most of the county's costs detailed so far are for staffing, consulting, equipment rental, private security, vehicle use and other related expenses. The county had some of its costs reimbursed initially by large media outlets, which at first paid $7,500 daily for the use of space on the courthouse grounds and for parking spots for satellite news vans. That fee was eventually reduced after media representatives protested that the fees were excessive.
Although the county may have to delve deep into its pockets to pay for the trial, Santa Maria may come out on top financially.
The city, epicenter for the Superior Court trial, provided extra police patrols during the proceedings. As of Friday, the trial had cost the city $250,000, said Mark van de Kamp, city management analyst. Mr. van de Kamp said that total will certainly increase, since the verdict day meant more officers patrolling the streets and escorting the convoy of vehicles from Neverland.
Much of those costs have been offset by deals the city worked out with TV networks and cable outlets to pay for office space and parking. So far, Mr. van de Kamp said, $215,000 has come in from NBC, CBS, ABC, Court TV and Fox News.
"We wanted to try to recoup a large percentage of what our costs would be," he said.
The city also saw a 16 percent increase in its hotel bed tax totals for February, March and April, compared with this time last year. That meant an additional $78,000 for the city from taxes paid by the legions of journalists and fans staying in town.
That will increase once May and June bed taxes are added in, he said.
With an annual police budget of $17 million, Mr. van de Kamp said the Jackson trial led to costs "way above and beyond" usual police expenses. So charging the media was necessary, he said.
"We felt we were going to have added costs," Mr. van de Kamp said. "You don't just find a quarter of a million dollars lying around in this day and age."
The county may get a hand in paying the bill from Sacramento. State Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, has been working for several months on Senate Bill 827 to reimburse the county for the costs of providing security around the Santa Maria courthouse.
"The point of this bill is to help offset the staggering costs the county is facing," Mr. Maldonado said in a statement. "This was the state of California vs. Michael Jackson, not the County of Santa Barbara vs. Michael Jackson, and it is unfair to place this burden solely on the citizens of Santa Barbara County."
Mr. Maldonado said there is precedent for the bill. The state has been asked in the past to help local governments pay for criminal cases. San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties were reimbursed for the $2.8 million cost of prosecuting murderer Rex Allan Krebs.
The senator said he will move the bill forward once all the costs are tallied.
In another high-profile case, San Mateo County received full reimbursement for its costs in the Scott Peterson double murder trial. San Mateo received $881,111 from Stanislaus County, where Mr. Peterson killed his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son in 2002. The trial was moved to San Mateo County from Stanislaus County to allow the defendant to get a fair trial. e-mail nwallace@newspress.com
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