The Warriors on Thursday said that they will "pay Oakland nearly $800,000 for costs associated with their June championship parade" after weeks of "contentious back-and-forth between the city and team over the bill," according to Kimberly Veklerov of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The Warriors had "agreed in advance to pay for the costs of the parade -- including police overtime and landscaping repair -- and the city estimated that would amount to $300,000." But the city in July "sent the Warriors a bill" for more than $1M. Since then, the two sides have "disputed what ought to be in the bill." The final "agreed-upon figure of $786,988 does not include costs pertaining" to the '15 victory parade -- some $244,278 -- which the "cash-strapped city had tacked on an initial invoice." The Warriors in a statement said that they were "disappointed by the process." The team noted that it had "covered all production costs associated" with the '15 and '17 parades -- the "stage, floats, microphones, buses, confetti, posters" -- totaling about $6M. The statement also said, "Most American cities cover the majority of the expenses associated with victory parades." City officials released a statement saying that they were "grateful that the Warriors 'made good on their public promise,'" referring to Warriors co-Owner Joe Lacob telling fans at the parade that he would "cover the city’s expenses" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/29). In San Jose, Matthias Gafni writes the Warriors "held their nose" and ended up "following through" on Lacob’s promise. Meanwhile, the city also acknowledged it "should never have billed" the Warriors for the costs associated with the '15 parade (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 9/29).
