A taxpayer lawsuit will be filed today against the city of Los Angeles alleging an unlawful “gift of public funds” to the Los Angeles Rams in the form of security at home games.
The lawsuit will be filed by former Los Angeles City Councilmember Dennis Zine and Los Angeles resident James Bibeau “to prevent the city from expending any additional taxpayer funds to provide over 200 LAPD officers free of charge to secure Rams home games,” according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Protective League.
“Rams owner Stan Kroenke has refused to pay in full for the police services necessary to ensure public safety at his team’s home games,” the statement said. “This free use of LAPD personnel constitutes an illegal gift of $2 million in public funds.” Earlier this month, the Rams issued a statement on the general topic of security saying the team is “working with the LAPD to find solutions that work for everyone — in fact, we have a few meetings already scheduled with LAPD and USC leadership in the coming weeks.
“The safety of fans attending our games is a priority and we are appreciative of the great team at LAPD and other agencies that will be part of our game-day security operation for helping ensure a safe environment for our guests,” the Rams statement said.
The LAPPL represents the more than 9,900 members of the Los Angeles Police Department.