The strangers seemed to be on every street corner. They were doing a lot of smiling. Ahhhh \u2026 Paris in the summer of 2024. The Olympics had come to town. And locals, dressed in snazzy aquamarine uniforms, tried their darndest to vanquish the legend of the haughty Parisian.<\/p>\n
You’re reading the Essential California newsletter <\/p>\n
Paris \u201924 volunteers gave directions, helped visitors find landmarks and generally made themselves useful. A friend of mine noted that their knowledge didn\u2019t always match their good cheer. Still, another visitor told me how impressed he was when four volunteers launched into a song and dance during a Paralympic wheelchair basketball game. They soon had the crowd \u201criled up\u201d and happy.<\/p>\n
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L.A. 28 Volunteer Program logo.<\/p>\n
(LA 28 Olympic Games)<\/p>\n
That memory stuck with Reynold Hoover, the former U.S. Army general who is chief executive of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Hoover also couldn\u2019t forget the prominent Angeleno who told him the story of how his wife so loved volunteering during the 1984 L.A. Olympics that she couldn\u2019t part with her LA84 uniform. It remained hanging in her closet, years later.<\/p>\n
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Mayor Karen Bass, center, and LA Conservation Corps program coordinator Aracely Farias, right, plant a tree in Sherman Oaks on May 17 as part of an initiative that seeks to clean up L.A.\u2019s streets before the Olympics.<\/p>\n
(Carlin Stiehl \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
The result? Hoover and the other leaders of L.A.\u2019s Games plan to recruit a volunteer army that they say will start earlier and do more than those at all the Olympics that came before. Starting today, people from around greater Los Angeles can register their interest in volunteering at LA28.org<\/a>. With events scheduled across the region, volunteers will likely be needed wherever L.A. needs a good scrubbing, literally or figuratively. <\/p>\n With the Games still more than 2\u00bd years away, the initial volunteer efforts will focus on improving the look and feel of the city. That\u2019s no small task, given Southern California\u2019s struggles with homelessness, graffiti and trash-filled lots and streets.<\/p>\n The exact work of of LA28\u2019s unpaid helpers remains to be determined, with more details expected next month. The program is likely to follow work LA28 volunteers have been doing since the city won the Games in 2017. Just this October, the organization brought dozens of volunteers to the neighborhood between the Farmer\u2019s Market and Melrose Avenue to assist Mayor Karen Bass\u2019 Shine LA program. Shine LA cleans streets, sidewalks and alleys. And the LA28 crew visited the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in South Los Angeles, where they stuffed bags with potatoes, onions and produce, destined for the needy.<\/p>\n Jobs like those are likely to be on the horizon, along with others, like reading to children\u2019s groups, aiding homeless people or cleaning up parks and beaches. The work will depend on the nonprofit and government groups that LA28 partners with, Hoover said in an interview.<\/p>\n Cleanup volunteers head along Ventura Boulevard to their next work location in Sherman Oaks on May 17.<\/p>\n (Carlin Stiehl \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to bring that spirit of volunteerism, that spirit I saw first-hand in Paris, back to Los Angeles,\u201d said Hoover, a West Point graduate hired 17 months ago to steer the Games to completion. \u201cI think that it can really be unifying, and I think it\u2019s indicative about what the Olympics is all about \u2014 this idea of uniting people and bringing people together.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Bass and Delta Airlines, the corporate sponsor of the volunteer campaign, have joined with Hoover around the idea that the Olympic ideal should prevail, long before the opening ceremonies on July 14, 2028. Hoover said seeing L.A.\u2019s resiliency after January\u2019s wildfires, and its joyful spirit after the Dodger\u2019s World Series victory, renewed his belief in the power of volunteerism.<\/p>\n \u201cOur hope is that this program can be a catalyst for Angelenos,\u201d the LA28 chief executive said in a statement, \u201cto give back to the city they love, unite across communities and help build a stronger city together.\u201d<\/p>\n Today\u2019s top stories Gov. Gavin Newsom attends a Yes on Proposition 50 rally.<\/p>\n (Eric Thayer\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Election 2025: Prop. 50Democratic wins nationwideGrammy nominations coming FridayKendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny \u2014 who is headlining next year\u2019s Super Bowl halftime show \u2014 are among the top Grammy contenders<\/a>.Taylor Swift\u2019s latest album won\u2019t dominate Grammy nominations; it was released in October, falling outside the competition\u2019s eligibility window.Music\u2019s most prestigious awards show will take place Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.What else is going onCommentary and opinionsThis morning\u2019s must readsOther must readsFor your downtime (Daniel Jurman \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Going outStaying inA question for you: What\u2019s the best hiking trail in SoCal?<\/p>\n Geraldine writes: \u201cTrans-Catalina Trail- 38 miles of stunning views. Mile markers and great wayfinding signs, clean air. You can backpack it, do sections as day hikes or glamp it with an outfitter. A great respite if you need some solitude. Starts from the trailhead in Avalon close to the ferry landing.\u201d<\/p>\n Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.<\/p>\n And finally … from our archives White House contender Mitt Romney and then-President Obama exit the stage after their 2012 debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.<\/p>\n (Pablo Martinez Monsivais \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n On Nov 6, 2012, Barack Obama was reelected as president of the United States in a hard-fought battle with Mitt Romney.<\/p>\n Times columnist Mark Z. Barabak wrote about Obama\u2019s second-term win<\/a>, which proved more difficult than his barrier-breaking sweep four years prior to become the nation\u2019s first Black president.<\/p>\n Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n Jim Rainey, staff reporter How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>. Check our top stories<\/a>, topics<\/a> and the latest articles<\/a> on latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The strangers seemed to be on every street corner. They were doing a lot of smiling. 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Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters<\/p>\n