A Los Angeles councilman has revealed that Britney Spears' trip to hospital last Thursday cost the city $25,000.
Speaking on the Rick Dees in the Morning Show on Movin' 93.9FM, Councilman Dennis P. Zine said that the cost of the police escort, helicopters, motorcycle officers and police cars clocked up at $25,000 bill for the city.Zine said "We have celebrities in the city - in this region of Southern California, thousands of celebrities who live here, and they choose to live here. And they have the right to live in peace and tranquility. And I respect the First Amendment, the Constitution, people's right to gather, freedom of the press. But we have to have a balance, though."
He added, "In the case of Britney Spears, which is the most recent, you've got a situation where an individual is being escorted to a hospital because of a serious situation. So while they get into that celebrity status, and they can expect for people to seek their autograph, to take a photograph, we also have stalking laws where sometimes these people want to stalk a celebrity: there's laws against that."
According to Zine, celebrities have a right to seek medical attention just like anyone else but even at that moment, they are hounded by the media.
"If it's the Academy Awards, if it's at a public venue where they are attracting the media, where they are attracting publicity, I can understand that. But if a female celebrity is en route to the hospital to deliver a baby, or a celebrity has a heart attack and they need to get to the hospital to save their life: they have a right to protect themselves. They have a right to seek medical attention," Zine said.
