Economic development a priority for '28 Olympic Games, Bass says while leading delegation to Paris
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Small business growth and economic development will be a top priority for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday.
Bass, alongside a delegation of City Council members and Olympic officials, traveled to Paris for a five-day visit to learn from French officials as they prepare to host the games this summer. On Thursday, Bass said they talked about possible investments made by French companies in Paris that could be replicated in Los Angeles.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to engage with Business France and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield CEO Jean-Marie Tritant to witness first-hand the collaborative nature of businesses and consumer engagement during major events," Bass said in a statement. "We are working urgently to ensure that Los Angeles will grow economically during the 2028 games and that our small businesses will grow and thrive past the 2028 games."
According to the Mayor's Office, the delegation arrived in Paris and met with U.S. Ambassador Denise Bauer. The group also received a safety briefing from embassy officials.
The delegation includes Council President Paul Krekorian, Council members Traci Park and Katy Yaroslavsky, Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, LA84 Foundation President and CEO Renata Simril and Priscilla Cheng, Senior Vice President for Government Relations at LA28. The three Council members sit on the Ad Hoc Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Bass previously served as a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs for 12 years, leading several international delegations.
On their first day, the delegation met with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and her leadership to learn about her agenda for the Paris 2024 Games.
The focus of the trip is to learn best practices to generate business development, learn from innovative housing, green transportation and infrastructure projects to prepare the city of L.A.
"The mayor of Paris talked about how they wanted to reduce carbon emissions by 50% in terms of these games," said Bass. "They wanted to have parody in terms of gender equity in the games, but she also gave us, I think, a piece of advice I know we will keep with us, which is act like the games are going to happen in 2027, not 2028."
Hidalgo said the Olympic Games are a "very incredible accelerator" for the transformation of the city.
"I think it's important to manage together, not just the project for the city and the games, but the games as an accelerator," she said.
Additionally, discussions were held to discuss proposals and priorities with Business France. In a roundtable discussion with French companies, the delegation spoke about transportation, sustainability, sports and technology sectors.
Business France is an agency of the French Government, which is responsible for fostering business relationships of France worldwide. With eight offices throughout the U.S. and Canada -- with a full office opened in L.A. in January -- Business France caters to companies that seek to partner with French companies or source French products and services.
Bass also said she sees the games as a way to address traffic in L.A and even address the homeless crisis.
"We're going to resolve the situation," said Bass. "We have four years. There's no reason for us not to make major headway in street homelessness by getting people into interim and permanent housing and dealing with why they were unhoused to begin with. Even though we're here, encampments are being cleared today in Los Angeles, so that does not stop us from addressing the situation of the unhoused."
According to the Mayor's Office, the delegation will be hosted at Bauer's official residence for a celebration, welcoming guests from across Europe, such as representatives from Warner Bros. Discovery, as well as government and business leaders.
The delegation is expected to return Sunday.
