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paris 2024

DAY ONE PARIS RECAP: Ensuring Every Corner of Los Angeles Shines in 2028, Mayor Bass Visits Neighborhoods and Cities Benefiting from the Games Outside of Paris City Center

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PARIS, FRANCE — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass today visited cities and communities outside of the Paris city center to observe how they are engaging the local community and benefiting from the Games. The Mayor is in Paris, France with Los Angeles regional officials as they continue to make crucial preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. On Sunday, she will become the first Black woman mayor to ever receive the official Olympic flag during a Closing Ceremony. Photos and video from throughout the trip are available here.

“I want to thank the Mayors of Paris, Saint-Ouen and L'Île-Saint-Denis for showing me what they have done leading up to the Games that will leave a lasting legacy for their residents, and the ways that their cities have benefited from the Paris 2024 Games,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “It is a top priority that during the 2028 Games we showcase all corners of Los Angeles, not just our popular tourist destinations, but the incredible rich cultural communities all throughout our city. Together, we will ensure that all Angelenos benefit from the Games for decades to come.” 

Ensuring Angelenos benefit from the preparation and hosting of this major event, both now and for decades, is a top priority for the Mayor with a focus on helping local small businesses, creating local jobs and creating lasting environmental and transportation improvements throughout Los Angeles.

While in Paris today, Mayor Bass announced:

  • More than 30 unhoused Angelenos were brought inside with supportive services through Inside Safe response efforts in South Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood.

  • Following the direct advocacy of Mayor Bass and the United States Conference of Mayors to the federal government, a new policy change will make more veterans eligible for housing and increase their housing options. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a federal notice establishing policy changes that make it clear that veterans experiencing homelessness should not be disqualified from supportive housing based on their disability status. 

  • The Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement (CIRCLE) program is expanding its current Venice and Del Rey service area to also cover Oakwood, Mar Vista, Palms, Playa Vista, Playa Del Rey, Westchester, Manchester Square and Dockweiler Beach. CIRCLE provides services to help respond to calls involving unhoused individuals, including loitering, well-being checks, noise disturbances, substance abuse issues, and indecent exposure. The expansion will launch 24/7 service on Sunday, August 25th.

Earlier this week:

  • Mayor Bass issued her eighth executive directive to streamline and focus City department processes for local film and television production. 

  • Mayor Bass announced that more than 80,000 Angelenos had attended Summer Night Lights (SNL) this summer, a program that provides safe, family-friendly programming as a strategy to prevent violence in certain neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. More than 600 Angelenos have been hired for the effort. SNL is part of a proven comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime and improve health across the City. 

READOUTS FROM YESTERDAY EVENING AND TODAY IN PARIS:

Examining Strategies To Embrace The Games In Creative Ways – Mayor Bass landed in Paris in the late afternoon on Wednesday, and shortly thereafter toured the Paris 2024 Olympic cauldron at Tuileries Garden, which is an example of innovative partnership between the private sector and the Games. She was joined by LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins and George Pla, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission President. 

The group also visited Hôtel De Ville, Paris’ historic City Hall, to participate in the City-hosted La Terrasse des Jeux, a free fan festival and watch party where more than 4,000 residents and visitors are able to come together to experience the Games outside of the arenas. The Mayor hopes to implement similar activities throughout the City in 2028.

Strengthening Partnerships For the 2028 Games – Mayor Bass met with Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine Mayor Karim Bouamrane at Saint-Ouen City Hall to follow up on the partnership established with Los Angeles during their meeting in March. This partnership includes collaboration on shared priorities for youth, the environment, sports, and culture and to share knowledge from the 2024 Games experience. Saint-Ouen is a city just north of Paris and with Saint-Denis is home to the Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Village for the 2024 Games - a major reinvestment project that has created thousands of units of affordable and market-rate housing as well as new pedestrian paths and connectivity between communities lining the Seine River. 

Mayor Bass and Mayor Bouamrane also met with youth from the 100 Black Men of America Summer 2024 Cultural Exchange, an opportunity for young future leaders to experience new perspectives by visiting a foreign country, granting them permission to explore and learn about respecting cultures different from their own. It aims to inspire ideas for enhancing their communities, instill the importance of learning foreign languages, emphasize the significance of pursuing higher education, and foster tolerance. The delegation to Saint-Ouen during the Paris 2024 Games consist of participants from Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, New Orleans, Louisiana, Savannah, Georgia, Prince George’s County, Maryland, and London, England. There are six young men and four young women in the delegation. 

Observing Creative and Accessible Activations Throughout The Region And Outside of Arenas – Mayor Bass visited the Parc des Nations at La Villette, home to 15 National Olympic Committee’s hospitality houses in a shared urban park space, which includes Club France. Ten of the 15 hospitality houses offer free entry, giving visitors from all around the world the opportunity to cheer on their athletes and feel at home at little to no cost. The park sees around 100,000 visitors a day. The Mayor also visited Station Afrique, a space dedicated to members of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa. Mayor Bass hopes to implement a similar hospitality house system in Los Angeles, where our diaspora communities, visitors, and residents can connect to the cultures and nationalities represented within the Olympic Movement. 

Mayor Bass will receive the official Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo during the Closing Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on Sunday. Mayor Hidalgo and Mayor Bass are both the first women to serve as Mayor of their respective cities. Mayor Bass will make history by becoming the first Black woman mayor to ever receive the official Olympic flag during a Closing Ceremony. For more information, click here