Ratto: Warriors Express Disappointment, But Foot the Full Bill for Oakland Parade

The Golden State Warriors have decided after some reluctance to pay the entire 2017 championship parade bill of nearly $787,000 given them by the City of Oakland.

The payment does not include an additional $244,000 that was put on the original invoice that the City claimed was from the 2015 parade. A Warrior spokesman said the city agreed that the 2015 costs should not have included any additional billing from the first parade, and a city spokesman concurred by phone.

The issue first came up when the East Bay Times/San Jose Mercury reported earlier this month that the team owed the city approximately $1,032,000 in security and other costs from the two parades. The team claimed at the time it hadn't seen an itemized bill, and the two sides met later to hash out the differences. The issue was further complicated by owner Joe Lacob's proclamation at the parade that the Warriors would "pick up the tab" for the festivities.

The Warrior statement was particularly pointed on the issue:

"Out of an abundance of goodwill toward the city of Oakland, the Warriors have agreed to cover the entirety of the city's revised estimated costs from this summer's NBA Championship parade - despite the fact that the revised amount of $786,988 is more than double the $300,000 estimate the Warriors were provided by the city in the lead-up to the parade. This amount comes on top of the nearly $6 million the Warriors have already spent to produce two victory parades in Oakland; most American cities cover the majority of the expenses associated with victory parades. We have made this decision despite our disappointment with the process and the large disparity between the two estimates."

The city's statement was more conciliatory and made no mention of the 2015 bill's disposition:

"Today, the Golden State Warriors made good on their public promise to pay the City of Oakland for hosting the team's 2017 Championship parade. The City is grateful for the $786,998 payment, which offsets all taxpayer costs it took to provide Police, Fire, and Public Works personnel to staff such a massive public event. The parade was a safe and joyous community occasion for generations of Oaklanders, and the City appreciates the Warriors' financial investment-few professional franchises can boast such a commitment to their home city."