Mayor Bass is traveling with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden as part of the U.S. Presidential Delegation to Paris for the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games as she continues crucial preparations for the 2028 Games
PARIS, FRANCE – In order to continue preparing for Los Angeles to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028, Mayor Karen Bass and leaders from across the Los Angeles region and the nation are in France attending the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. 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. Photos and video available here.
After landing in Paris late Thursday morning with the First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, and members of her official delegation, Mayor Bass visited with LA28 leadership and staff to get an update on their engagement at the 2024 Paris Games. The White House Delegation then joined the U.S. Ambassador to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco Denise Campbell Bauer at her residence to welcome Team USA family members to France. The delegation also visited the Team USA High Performance Training Center, where she met with Team USA rugby and track athletes and coaches and leadership of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
“Our momentum is strong as we continue our urgent work ensuring that Angelenos benefit from the preparation for the Games, as well as in the decades following,” said Mayor Bass. “As we approach the 2024 Paris Olympic Opening Ceremony, we continue to learn about strategies and solutions from Parisian and Regional Officials that we can leverage back home in Los Angeles to help local small businesses, create local jobs, and make lasting environmental and transportation improvements throughout our region.”
One of the primary objectives of this trip is to lock arms with partners across all levels of government to host a successful Games in 2028. In addition to Dr. Biden and Ambassador Campbell Bauer, the White House Delegation includes U.S. Senator Chris Coons, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles Casey Wasserman, and Olympians Brian Boitano and Dawn Staley. Read more about the members of the Presidential Delegation here. The Mayor will depart Paris on Sunday.
BACKGROUND
Ensuring Los Angeles is prepared to host a 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games that benefits Angelenos now and for decades to come is a top priority for Mayor Bass.
In March of this year, Mayor Bass led a delegation of members of the City Council and other civic leaders to Paris, France to generate business development and learn from innovative housing, green transportation and infrastructure projects to prepare Los Angeles ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and to create lasting impacts in L.A. for generations to come. The delegation met with French officials, dignitaries and business leaders to see how Paris was preparing for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The delegation included Council President Paul Krekorian, Councilmember Traci Park, Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, LA84 Foundation President and CEO Renata Simril, and Priscilla Cheng, Senior Vice President for Government Relations at LA28. All three Councilmembers sit on the Ad Hoc Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Councilmembers Park and Yaroslavsky serve as Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively and President Krekorian was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee when the host city contract was signed. Since the delegation trip in March, Mayor Bass has continued to prepare Los Angeles with a focus on economic investment and business procurement, building a greener Los Angeles by improving upon green transportation and infrastructure, and confronting the homelessness crisis with the urgency it requires.
Economic Investment and Business Procurement: Los Angeles is engaging with local small businesses to optimize the procurement opportunities anticipated to flow through the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Mayor’s Office is hosting roundtables with chambers of commerce from throughout the City, business associations, and faith-based business organizations, to receive their input on how best to engage their members and other stakeholders with procurement and contract opportunities ahead of the 2028 Games. The Mayor’s Office and city departments are also working closely with LA28’s Community Business Working Group, which will develop the plan and specific goals for small and local businesses as a key part of their procurement strategy.
A Greener Los Angeles with Green Infrastructure and Transportation: Los Angeles’ commitment to host more sustainable Games dates back to the bid, with a pledge to radical reuse by leveraging the city’s wealth of existing world-class venues. The 2028 Summer Games will become the first-ever Games to build no new permanent venues, and instead will rely exclusively on existing and temporary venues. Additionally, Los Angeles is focused on lowering the overall footprint of the Games by promoting the use of circular construction principles for temporary venue sites and significantly reducing waste at the games. Los Angeles aims to host a transit-first Games and will also promote the use of zero-emission vehicles. Ahead of welcoming the world to Los Angeles in 2028, the city will also enhance water conservation by promoting water efficient fixtures, plant water saving landscapes and enhance existing open and green spaces. The Mayor’s Office is working closely with LA28 in order to ensure alignment and accelerate the City’s sustainability goals.
Strengthening Transportation and Infrastructure: The Los Angeles region recently secured nearly $80 million to electrify Metro buses to reduce air pollution. This followed $900 million in federal funding awarded to strengthen critical infrastructure, expand the Metro Rail system and reconnect communities ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games through a spending package signed into law by President Biden and new grant funding from the Biden-Harris Administration. LA Metro will receive $709.9 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Fiscal Year 2024 transportation spending law, which will go toward sections two and three of the D Line (Purple) Subway Extension Project, among other projects. The Los Angeles region will also receive $160 million in new federal grant funding for street and transit infrastructure, traffic safety and to improve connections between neighborhoods. This includes $139 million that will directly improve transportation mobility access during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and create lasting enhancements for communities. More here.