Why LA28 administrators are less than forthright<\/p>\n
As my colleague James Rainey wrote yesterday<\/a>, those tensions are already bubbling to the surface as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Summer Games.<\/p>\n The current beef is over promised disclosures by LA28, the private nonprofit that is organizing the Games. When they made the deal with L.A. city officials in 2021 to host, LA28 administrators vowed to keep the public informed on who got contracts worth more than $1 million and to offer regular updates on the preparation of dozens of venue sites chosen to host the events.<\/p>\n In the early years, when there weren\u2019t many contractors, LA28 disclosed that information freely in its annual reports. But recently, as the list of contractors has grown and the amount spent has ballooned to nearly $690 million, the committee has stopped being so forthright, Rainey wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cLA28 seems pretty determined not to give up that information,\u201d Rainey told me yesterday. \u201cThey\u2019re saying it could harm some of their future negotiations with other contractors if they put out this information, and so right now there\u2019s a bit of a stalemate on that point.\u201d<\/p>\n Hmm. Surely LA28 honchos considered that possibility when they made the promise to disclose the amounts five years ago, right?<\/p>\n The public deserves that information because it\u2019s the best way to prevent self-dealing \u2014 that ever-present temptation to funnel money straight into the pockets of local politicians\u2019 friends and family.<\/p>\n City Controller Kenneth Mejia says \u2018we\u2019re on the hook\u2019<\/p>\n Public disclosure also allows interested parties \u2014 including Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia \u2014 to monitor how much business is going to local companies, a reasonable expectation given that the local taxpayers are ultimately responsible for the bill.<\/p>\n But most of all, disclosure helps local leaders track the rapidly growing tab.<\/p>\n \u201cIf LA28 does not do well, then we as taxpayers, as the fiscal backstop, we\u2019re on the hook,\u201d Mejia said.<\/p>\n For their part, LA28 administrators insist that the disclosure kerfuffle is much ado about nothing and nobody will even remember who disclosed what when the Games break even or generate millions in profits.<\/p>\n And although the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics technically cost slightly more than originally promised, according to the Oxford study, they turned a healthy profit. Mostly because they relied on existing stadiums \u2014 a practice LA28 is emulating. <\/p>\n If LA28 can also turn a profit, that money would go to support youth sports programs in Southern California, organizers have promised.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a big if.<\/p>\n Top stories In advance of effects of Hurricane Polo, a bodyboarder watches the surf at Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach on Sunday.<\/p>\n (Scott Strazzante \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Storms roil warm Pacific watersHurricane Polo and Tropical Storm Odalys are expected to affect ocean waters<\/a> through the middle of the weekThis swell is smaller than the one earlier this month, but some south-facing beaches are especially vulnerable because they have already sustained erosion.A disappearing California beachIf the California Coastal Commission has its way, vehicle access soon will be nixed at Centerville Beach County Park<\/a> \u2014 one of just a handful of beaches where driving is allowed.Coastal Commission staff said motorized vehicles threaten sensitive vegetation and critical habitat for the federally threatened western snowy plover. The locals say its a power grab. Lower mileage standards, higher pump costsThe Trump administration lowered the fuel-economy requirement<\/a> for 2031 vehicles to 34.9 miles per gallon, down from 50.4 under Biden-era rules.The rollback could mean more gas-guzzling vehicles, higher fuel costs and increased pollution.California and environmental groups are likely to challenge the change in court.Questions for the candidates for governorMore newsCommentary and opinionEditor\u2019s pickMore picksThings to do Spaghetti vongole, left, with chicory salad and hamburger au poivre topped with mushroom and fried onion at Maree, a new Parisian-inspired wine bar in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n (Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Today\u2019s recipe Pumpkin maple drizzle cake.<\/p>\n (Katrina Frederick \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n This pumpkin maple drizzle cake<\/a> combines pumpkin-spice warmth with a citrus brightness, thanks to a tart syrup that soaks into the loaves once they come out of the oven. A thick, rich maple icing finishes the cake off in show-stopping fashion, but you can always leave it off and enjoy the syrup-soaked cakes plain.<\/p>\n Question for you<\/p>\n What\u2019s a television show that takes place in California that you\u2019d recommend to friends?<\/p>\n Cherie H. says, \u201cHands down, \u2018Shrinking.\u2019 Set in Pasadena, the series films multiple Pasadena landmarks. Also, Jason Segel, the lead actor, lives in Pasadena!\u201d<\/p>\n Monica G. says, \u201c\u2018Gentefied,\u2019 which is the most realistic portrayal of a Mexican American family on TV, in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com<\/a>, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.<\/p>\n Photo of the day (Ariana Drehsler \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n Games Here\u2019s today\u2019s mini crossword<\/a>, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games<\/a>.<\/p>\n Have a great day, from the Essential California team<\/p>\n Jack Dolan, investigative 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":"Ah, the Olympics. That once-every-four-years celebration of youth, beauty, national identity and athletic excellence that brings the world…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[7,2299,1085,891,2300,2297,340,2303,48,52,51,47,50,49,63,2302,1086,1459,2301,2298,74,225,315,688],"class_list":["post-479405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-california","tag-civic-revolt","tag-covid","tag-covid-19","tag-days","tag-essential-california","tag-israel","tag-l-a","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-may","tag-pandemic","tag-part","tag-president-biden","tag-red-county","tag-san-diego","tag-state","tag-time","tag-years"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790692331_820_.jpeg\")
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<\/p>\n
Hugo Mart\u00edn, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters<\/p>\n