The clock is ticking on Los Angeles’ preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics, but officials still haven’t figured out how they are going to pay for the transportation, policing and other public services to accommodate millions of expected visitors. We can’t blame local officials when in 2017 they lobbied to host the games, as they had no way of knowing that this year’s wildfires would put such strains on an already-strained city budget.
But anyone who has watched major entertainment events unfold should have scoffed at officials’ grandiose promises. The city promised that the event would come at “zero cost” for local taxpayers — and Olympic boosters love to note that the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles turned a profit. That was a rarity and LA’s finances have hardly inspired confidence in the ensuing 41 years. The LA28 committee overseeing the games is still seeking corporate sponsorships to pay the estimated $7 billion in costs.
There’s also uncertainty over how much money the city will receive from the federal government. The $1 billion included in recent federal legislation is far short of the city’s ask, and according to the Los Angeles Times, the city is still uncertain as to how exactly that money can be used. LA taxpayers are responsible for the first $270 million in shortfalls, so it’s critical to resolve the issue.
In August, the city was in “high stakes negotiations” with LA28, per the Los Angeles Times, to determine how to divvy up costs. The city and LA28 are more than two months past their deadline for resolving such matters. According to a recent newspaper report, “city officials indicated the potential for a lawsuit against LA28 … during a meeting of the council’s ad hoc Olympics committee.” This is not reassuring.“I have seen 10th-graders plan their prom better than the city is planning these Olympics,” quipped retired civil rights attorney Connie Rice to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles officials promoted the Olympics as a way to highlight the great attributes of the city, but if officials don’t get their act together soon it might showcase LA’s constant budget problems and bureaucratic incompetence. We hope that the Olympics are a success, but Los Angeles should have conquered its day-to-day problems before tackling this unnecessary expense.
