Angelenos have mixed opinions about 2024 Olympic bid

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- While Mayor Eric Garcetti traveled to Switzerland to woo the International Olympic Committee, there is mixed reaction to L.A's 2024 Olympic bid back at home.

The torch atop the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was lit ablaze on Tuesday, marking L.A.'s selection as the U.S. bid city for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Garcetti is traveling as part of a delegation that also includes L.A. 2024 Olympic bid chairman Casey Wasserman and some U.S. Olympic Committee members. The delegation is set to visit with the IOC and return to Southern California Thursday.

Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to go forward with the bid.

Support among Los Angeles residents, however, is far from unanimous. While some support the games and all the prestige that may come with it, others are concerned about the financial details.

The Twitter account @No_LAOlympics was created after Boston opted out of the bid and L.A. was floated as a strong alternative.

A key concern involves costs. The specifics behind the costs and financial responsibility are expected to be ironed out over the next two years.

Historically, the Olympics have run over budget, and studies have questioned whether host cities benefit economically.

However, councilmembers on Tuesday were assured repeatedly that the approval process only starts a negotiation with Olympic officials and does not commit taxpayers to future spending to stage the games.

The city's plan for the 2024 Olympic Games would outline $6 billion in public and private spending and calls for staging events from volleyball on Santa Monica's beaches to mountain biking in Griffith Park. The L.A. Coliseum would serve as the center stage, which was the case when Los Angeles served as Olympic host in 1932 and 1984.

The International Olympic Committee will pick the host city in September 2017, and Rome, Paris, Hamburg, Germany, and Budapest, Hungary, are also in pursuit of the 2024 Games.

The IOC had set a Sept. 15 deadline for cities to enter the race for the 2024 Games.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.