Los Angeles councilwoman Monica Rodriguez requested an independent audit of the upcoming Summer Games’ organising committee in a recent motion to prevent Angelenos from footing the bills for the Olympic event.
Olympic and Paralympic organisers have missed the 1 October deadline to complete a critical agreement to determine compensation to the city for extra services related to the Games, and City Council members voiced their impatience last week, with what they characterise as LA28’s lack of transparency and a failure to be responsive to council questions and concerns.
“I don’t feel like LA28 is behaving as a partner to us,” Rodriguez said in an interview with the Southern California News Group. “The LA84 board of directors meetings were accessible not just to the public but to the press, so when you take that to how things have been, how they’ve unfolded with LA28 it doesn’t feel transparent, nor does it feel like a partnership.”
The Enhanced City Resources Master Agreement will determine which, beyond the ‘normal and customary’ services, such as police, transportation and sanitation, the city will be compensated for. According to a motion filed by Rodriguez, “preliminary estimates indicate that security costs alone may exceed $1 billion (€861.7m), exclusive of additional expenses resulting from extraordinary circumstances such as weather-related events, emergencies, or other unforeseen impacts.”
“LA28 has presented a $7.15bn (€6.1bn) budget that does not include security costs, raising significant concerns regarding how ‘surplus funds’ will be defined and whether the City will be fully reimbursed for essential services, including public safety,” the councilwoman explained.
Local governance says that the fact that these issues remain unresolved is emblematic of LA28’s disregard for city officials. According to the Orange County Register, LA28 has also yet to provide the council with a list of signed agreements with Olympic and Paralympic competition venues.
Council members also criticised LA28 CEO Reynold Nelson Hoover’s most recent meeting with them, which they reported was of him reading a statement of talking points highlighting LA28’s ticket sales and sponsorship agreements while council members waited to question him.
“A time suck,” Rodriguez revealed. “You know, it was a lot of words, and it didn’t, I didn’t walk away feeling any more, any better informed, or any more comfortable about what we’re headed towards. So that’s why I’m looking at what legislative means do I have to help protect taxpayers.
While LA28 drags its feet, the council moved to hold them accountable. In May, city leaders approved a motion instructing negotiators to conclude a binding deal obliging LA28 to repay Los Angeles for the cost of Games-related public safety, municipal services and infrastructure. A second motion was put forth to establish a 10 per cent tax on the sale of LA28 tickets beginning in 2027, while the third motion calls for the organising committee to finance an independent third-party audit of its expenditures and revenues. If approved, the proposed ticket tax would be placed on the November ballot for local voters to decide.
“My concern is on the cost associated with security, that has always been the primary point of concern for me, because this administration has not been a favourable actor towards Los Angeles financially,” Rodriguez said, noting that Olympic organisers could have more leverage to secure federal funding. Despite the political lobbying, Rodriguez insists she wants the Los Angeles Games to be a triumph.
“I desperately want these Games to be successful. I want there to be a positive legacy for residents, for every kid to feel inspired by what these Games are all about, but I am not going to sell out taxpayers to make friends on this.”-insidethegames
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