Occupy L.A. costs will run an extra $2 million or so

The city shelled out $1.2 million in LAPD overtime and $335,000 in overtime for the General Services Department's police force (did anyone know there was such a thing?) Tack on 400K for the repair and replacement of the lawn outside City Hall and $125,000 for miscellaneous expenses (temporary fencing, lawn lighting, etc.) and you're over $2 million. Budget Chief Miguel Santana listed another $590,000, but that would have been spent with or without the occupation. From the LAT:

The price tag released Friday was smaller than that for the 2009 Michael Jackson memorial at Staples Center, which lasted one day and cost $3.2 million, Santana said. But it was on a par with the 2009 Lakers parade, which cost $1.7 million.

To be fair, stuff happens in cities that cannot be predicted or budgeted. It's the cost of doing business. But here's the thing: The city faces an ongoing deficit crisis, and that added $2 million, while not breaking the bank, will have to come from somewhere - perhaps budget trims of one sort or another. In that context we've seen a kind of cavalier attitude among some elected officials about the potential costs. "Stay as long as you need." City Councilman Eric Garcetti told the protesters early on. What he might have said was, "We can't afford you." From the Daily News:

Councilman Dennis Zine, who at one point had questioned what the cost would to repair the lawns, said he is not surprised at the tab. Zine said he will ask City Attorney Carmen Trutanich to look into a possible civil suit against Occupy L.A. "They are suing us, so I think we should look at filing a suit to try to recover whatever we can," Zine said. "We had a lot of officers, police and General Services, who were watching the occupation," Zine said. "Most of them were on overtime and those costs add up quick."