Mayor Karen Bass returned to LA on Monday after accepting the Olympic flag at the Paris Games over the weekend. The Southern Californian city will host the next Summer Olympics four years later. Bass talks about her plans for the super-sized sporting event, and what it means for LA’s homelessness crisis over the next four years.
A car-free Games
On Saturday, Bass promised a two-week “no-car” Games in 2028, which led to lots of skepticism.
She clarifies, “It is our goal to have public transportation available to people who are traveling to and from the Games. And that public transportation includes our need for 3000 buses to come into town. And they would be borrowed from surrounding areas and surrounding states.”
The cost for passengers would be low, she says, though the exact amount is currently unknown.
A ballooning budget?
LA28, the organizing committee behind the Games, estimates it will need a $7 billion budget. If costs go over that amount, LA will be charged for the first $270 million, then the state of California for an equal amount. Afterwards, LA foots the rest of the bill. Previous Olympics, including in Paris, Tokyo, and Rio, all exceeded their budgets. Ahead of the 1984 Games, Angelenos voted to prohibit the city from spending public money it could not recuperate. That year, the Games actually profited.
Bass, who will soon return to Paris for the Paralympics, says so far, LA28 has raised $2 billion, and the committee is confident they will get the rest.
“LA28, by the way, has already started funding youth sports. So they made a commitment to $100 million. … I'm going to be working 24/7 because we cannot go over and leave our city financially in jeopardy,” she emphasizes.
A way to reduce expenditures is to not build new venues. Some of the money will go to renting and leasing existing venues. Bass points to UCLA, which will serve as the 2028 Olympic Village.
And for those who aren't able to secure tickets to the Games, she hopes LA will offer live watch parties and simultaneous concerts, like France did.
What about homelessness?
LA County has more than 75,000 people living on the streets and the city has 45,000 — according to the latest homeless count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority in January. Bass says LA will continue to deal with the issue “very aggressively.” She adds that her target is 2026, when LA will host FIFA World Cup matches.
“I do not believe I have a percentage I could give you right now, but [the goal is] significantly reducing street homelessness, which means that when you drive down the street, you won't see very large encampments.”
Bass adds that within the next month, the city will release a “more extensive” plan to help house people. She also affirms her support of Governor Gavin Newsom, who was photographed clearing an LA-area encampment on Friday.
“Where we are in complete agreement is that street homelessness must end, and we have to get people housed. And what we can't do, and what we're not going to do, is just tell people to move from one neighborhood to the next. And I know that he wants to get people housed as well, because he has provided us significant funding to do that. … We absolutely need more funding, and we have a ballot initiative to do so in November.”
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