OSCAR PARTIES GIVE L.A. HANGOVER COSTS ABSORBED ABOUT $1 MILLION.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Not one to spoil a party, the city of Los Angeles absorbed an estimated $1 million in fees and costs for the Academy Awards, the Grammys and other Tinseltown bashes this awards season, officials and reports said Monday.

The city's outlay covers the range of special event-related needs - from white-gloved officers who directed traffic to engineering inspectors who ensured that the 24-foot Oscar statues on Hollywood Boulevard stayed put.

While some critics grumble that it's too steep a price for a city facing a $295 million budget shortfall, others insist it's a wise civic investment. Sunday's Academy Awards alone generated $122.5 million in gross revenues for the region.

``It's money well spent. I don't think we could buy the kind of coverage we got,'' said Bruce Ackerman, president and CEO of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley.

Of course, it wasn't lost on Ackerman that despite all that great P.R. showing the City of Angels all dressed up at its celebratory best, the Oscar for Best Picture went to ``Crash,'' a film that trashes L.A.

``Any of the positive press we can get, showcasing Hollywood, showcasing the areas around L.A.: To be able to promote that to the world, you can't put a price tag on it.''

For the 78th annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, the city waived $75,000 in fees for permits and staff time. That included the costs of staffers and equipment to close off the streets and get ready for 5,000 guests and spectators.

It also doesn't include nearly $500,000 absorbed by the Los Angeles Police Department to secure the event - costs the department simply counts as another workday.

Similarly, the city waived $125,000 for last month's Grammys at Staples Center; $6,000 for the Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium; and $10,000 for the Emmy Awards last fall.

Again those fees exclude LAPD costs, which for the Grammys and Emmys have historically cost about half the outlay for the Oscars, according to the Chief Administrative Office staff.

In all, the city waives about $9 million annually in event fees and salaries.

But not everyone thinks the city should provide all the freebies.

Councilman Dennis Zine, who says he's ``squawked'' about the giveaways in the past, experienced the outlay firsthand as he attended a party in Hollywood.

``They had a massive deployment of police officers, a massive deployment of traffic officers... That's a cost to the general fund we have to absorb,'' the councilman said.

``We need to do something in compensation for the deployment of resources.''

But Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., estimated that this year's awards ceremony - really the week of parties and events - generated $122.5 million for the region.

While he might pass on hosting another political convention like the 2000 Democratic National Convention that resulted in heavy security costs and costly legal bills, he'd have the region pony up for the Oscars just about any time.

``You have people coming into the Los Angeles area, staying in hotels. There is tax revenue generated for the city.''

With parties to throw and goodie bags to stuff, Los Angeles-area companies big and small are able to provide for the need, experts said.

Caterers, limo drivers, fashion designers and others stand to make a buck off a big event, they said.

``How many hundreds of people were parking cars last night? They were all Angelenos. How many catering waiters serving all of the food? These are all locals,'' said Alesandra Dubin, Southern California bureau chief for BiZBash, a special-events trade industry magazine and Web site.

``Some people think these events are frivolous, but it's easy to say that without analyzing what the numbers mean. It's involving the city on lots of levels and not just on the level of Graydon Carter's salary or the tuna tartar on the plate of Mischa Barton.''

Councilman Eric Garcetti, who proposed waiving the fees for this year's Oscars, wants to support the entertainment industry while also ensuring that the bashes are good neighbors to Hollywood residents.

``I think everyone recognizes that the Academy Awards are kind of crucial to Los Angeles and Hollywood,'' said Garcetti spokesman Josh Kamensky.

``They're an iconic element of economic development and the regional identity that we think is worth rolling out the red carpet for.''

Lisa Mascaro, [phone]

lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com