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County: No Official Word Yet On Public Memorial for Jackson
By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Staff Writer | 
11 p.m. | Published on 07.01.2009
If a viewing of Michael Jackson’s body at Neverland Ranch is scheduled for Friday, no one has told Santa Barbara County officials.
The county has had no direct contact with the Jackson family, and there is no official information regarding a funeral or memorial service in Santa Barbara County, county communications director William Boyer confirmed in an e-mail sent late Wednesday.
The California Highway Patrol has heard of a public memorial being pushed to next week, most likely Wednesday, and perhaps being held farther south at a venue such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum or the Staples Center, CHP officer Rich Sapikowski said.
Boyer said the county on Wednesday continued with its limited planning efforts to ensure that certain logistics and resources could be made available should an event take place in Santa Barbara County, but that most of those efforts were placed on hold later in the day as the situation unfolded and it appeared that the focus for any such public activity appears to have shifted to other areas.
Increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Figueroa Mountain Road near Neverland Ranch prompted public safety officials to request that the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department close portions of Figueroa Mountain and Happy Canyon roads on Wednesday afternoon, according to Boyer.
The temporary closure lasted for less than two hours. Those roads and other roads in the area could be subjected to additional temporary closures on short notice throughout the weekend, Boyer said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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» on 07.01.09 @ 12:32 PM
They should let them bury MJ at Neverland and then turn it into Graceland West! Take about a revenue generator for the County!
» on 07.01.09 @ 02:55 PM
If the SB County Powers-That-Be can stand up to Barrack’s wealth and influence in his distasteful rush to cash in on the Jackson death, then those of us who truly love the tranquility and peace of our valley can rest assured he will never, never get the permits he needs to turn Neverland into an attraction. He certainly can’t bury the poor man there. BTW, Michael Jackson came to hate this area and by extension Neverland after his trial. He would be horrified to be taken back to a place to which he vowed “never” to return.
» on 07.02.09 @ 04:55 AM
Of course he should make one last visit to Neverland, and what ironic justice to have a million people pay their last respects to a true prince; contrary to that malevolent DA Sneddon and the 200 law enforcement folk he pressed into service to hunt down this wild killer. Now Sneddon is free to collect his $200K pension on us, watch the sun go down and hopefully feel the pain he has caused a truely great artist.
» on 07.02.09 @ 09:49 AM
I agree with the last 2 comments. Michael rest in peace, and if the County can come to an agreement with the Family Estate about Neverland becoming a Graceland, new roads in and out of his ranch to avoid affecting current residents, the money to be made from taxes and fees would be a huge benefit for us! I think Michael would want to be laid to rest there, but not sure if he would want the throng of tourists in his space. There would need to be some very concrete limits to their access.
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