L.A. studies Paris’ Olympics prep

Looking ahead to the 2028 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles might learn a thing or two from Paris.

The French capital, which will stage the 2024 edition of the Games in July, has struggled with budget and security issues. Public workers are threatening to strike, and the organizing committee’s offices were raided as part of a corruption probe.

A recent poll showed that 44% of Paris residents consider hosting the Olympics a “bad thing.”

Against this backdrop, Mayor Karen Bass and several City Council members visited Paris this month for a firsthand look at the hurdles L.A. might face.

“If somebody has done it before me, I want to know what they learned,” Bass said. “Pros and cons.”

Money is always crucial, given that previous host cities have amassed substantial debt. Inflation and other factors have pushed the price tag for Paris, including the cost of building and renovating venues, to a reported $10 billion.

L.A. will save on construction by using existing venues but has already seen its Olympics budget grow by $700 million to an estimated $6.9 billion. The private LA28 organizing committee has vowed to generate enough revenue to pay all expenses. If it can’t, city and state legislators must fill the gap with taxpayer dollars.

“Of course I’m concerned,” Bass said.

With Councilmembers Paul Krekorian, Traci Park and Katy Yaroslavsky, Bass met with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to see how French officials have sought to keep the Games from becoming a financial burden.

LA28 insists it is maintaining a lean operation but has achieved only about $1 billion of its stated $2.5billion sponsorship goal.

Organizers remain confident, claiming that they have already secured 65% of the overall funding needed.

“We’re tracking better than any other organizing committee has 4½ years before the Games,” said Danny Koblin, LA28 chief operating officer. He predicts a few major sponsorships signed in the next month or so.

Security costs, which can run as high as $2 billion, are another budget challenge. Paris will get assistance from its federal government, a strategy that L.A. and local organizers plan to mimic.

The Department of Homeland Security is expected to take the lead in guarding against terrorist attacks by classifying the 2028 Games as a “national special security event.” U.S. officials announced they also will help with transportation by providing $139 million in funds for improving mobility during the Olympics.

But maybe the most important portion of the L.A. contingent’s three-day stay in Paris focused on homelessness.

Activists in both cities have complained about failures to address the problem and have expressed fears that officials might simply herd unhoused people to a distant location for the three weeks of the Games.

After visiting a Paris shelter for women, Bass acknowledged that she worries about television coverage in 2028 switching from a sports event to a shot of tents on the street. She hopes the Games can serve as a catalyst.

Back home, Park credited the trip with giving the council “a new sense of purpose — and direction.” In a few months, when Paris symbolically hands over the Olympic flag at the closing ceremony, the clock will start ticking toward 2028.

Hidalgo warned L.A. to use the time wisely. “You need to act as though the Games will be held in 2027,” Bass recalled her saying. “That way, you will have a year to figure out what will fall through the cracks.”