LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced today that she will be leading a delegation with members of the City Council and other civic leaders to Paris, France this week 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. The delegation will meet with French officials, dignitaries and business leaders to see how Paris is preparing for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games ahead of the Games’ start at the end of July.
The delegation includes 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.
“The City of Los Angeles must be prepared to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This trip is vital to that preparation while generating business development and learning from innovative housing, green transportation and infrastructure projects,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “If we wait until the Opening Ceremonies to be on the ground in Paris, we miss a crucial opportunity to learn from the City of Paris during their preparations to welcome the world this summer and this trip will allow us to fully immerse ourselves in the Olympic and Paralympic planning process in order to generate growth for Los Angeles. Thank you to Mayor Hidalgo and Ambassador Bauer for having us in Paris and to Mayors Mathieu Hanotin of Saint-Denis and Karim Bouamrane of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine for showing us the projects shaping your communities ahead of the 2024 Games.”
The Mayor and the delegation will generate business development, innovative housing, green transportation and infrastructure proposals for Los Angeles:
Business Development:
Discussing Priorities with Business France to Bring Parisian Success to Los Angeles – The delegation will engage with French companies in the transportation, sustainability, sports, and technology sectors and discuss possible investment in Los Angeles. Business France is an agency of the French Government with a mission to foster the business relationships of France worldwide. With eight offices throughout the USA and Canada, Business France caters to companies that seek to invest in France, partner with French companies, or source French products and services. The agency opened a full office in Los Angeles this January.
Connecting with Businesses like Westfield to Lay Groundwork For Consumer Engagement in Major Events – The delegation will join Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield CEO Jean-Marie Tritant to see firsthand how Westfield plans to activate their partnership during the Paris 2024 Games by visiting one of their eight retail sites, and discuss how they can generate economic growth for Los Angeles during upcoming major events.
Housing Development:
Examining Initiatives To Assist Parisians – The delegation will tour La Fabrique de la Solidarité to learn about the City of Paris’s homelessness response strategy. La Fabrique specializes in distribution of basic necessities and support for seniors. La Fabrique also provides training courses for volunteers, coordinates donations of money, clothes and other supplies, and provides information and resources for members of the unhoused community. The delegation will join the Paris Homelessness Assistance Unit to learn more about their unhoused outreach efforts in Paris ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Innovative Green Transportation and Infrastructure Initiatives:
Investing in Innovative and Inclusive Infrastructure Ahead of the Games And Beyond
The delegation will visit Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, including a visit to the newly inaugurated Athlete’s Village just outside of Paris, to learn more about their community-centered redevelopment tied to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. After the Games, the Village will transition to housing as an eco-responsible neighborhood.
The delegation will also visit the City of Paris’ temporary Media Center at The Carreau du Temple, which will host hundreds of non-accredited media covering the 2024 Games. With capacity for 600 people, the media center will provide 300 workstations, two press conference rooms, interview areas, recording studios, as well as relaxation and catering areas, creating a free, all-hours, centralized location for journalists to operate during the 2024 Games.
Hearing from Parisian Leaders About their Preparations in the Home Stretch Before the Start of the 2024 Games – The delegation will receive briefings from City of Paris officials regarding their preparations to maximize public and active transportation, increase safety, generate economic development, and create lasting positive impact from the Games and the millions of visitors expected to arrive in Paris this summer.
Locking Arms on the International Stage:
Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo – The delegation will meet with Mayor Anne Hidalgo and her leadership team to hear about her agenda for the Paris 2024 Games, and how the City of Los Angeles can learn from their experience and shape our preparations. Mayor Hidalgo has been Mayor of Paris since 2014 and is the first woman to hold that office. This will be the first meeting between Mayors Bass and Mayor Hidalgo.
United States Ambassador to France and Monaco, Denise Campbell Bauer – Ambassador Bauer will greet the delegation and host them at a celebration of sports, diversity, and inclusion at her official Residence. The U.S. Embassy and Warner Bros. Discovery will host an event to conclude a week-long conference on sports, diversity, and inclusion ahead of the Paris 2024 Games. Ambassador Bauer will welcome guests from across Europe, representatives from Warner Bros. Discovery, French athletes, government and business leaders, noting Paris 2024’s achievement as the first Games in history with gender parity in its sports program.
French Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra – Minister Oudéa-Castéra has been serving as the Minister of Sports and Olympic and Paralympic Games since May 2022. She is the first woman and the first former athlete to hold this position.
Mayor of Saint-Denis, Mathieu Hanotin – The delegation will meet to discuss preparations in their city to host the athletes as well as the legacy that the Games will leave for Saint-Denis and its people and its impact on urban planning and housing.
Mayor of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, Karim Bouamrane – The delegation will meet with Mayor Bouamrane to learn more about centering their community throughout the development of the Athlete’s Village and surrounding areas, and their preparation for the 2024 Games.
International Women’s Day Conference – In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8th, Mayor Bass will participate in a conference and luncheon hosted by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, with panel discussions featuring women leaders and advocates. Mayor Bass will join Mayor Hidalgo, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, Mauritanian Political Leader Fatimetou Abdel Malick, and Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh in conversation about their journeys to elected office.
Mayor Bass and the delegation will leave Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 6 and return on Sunday, March 10. As the Mayor of Los Angeles, Host City for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Mayor Bass has been invited to have an official role alongside Paris Mayor Hidalgo in the Closing Ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Games.