The 2028 Games: California State Actions to Date

 

by Jason Sisney 

Financing Olympic and Paralympic Games has been a highlight of my public finance career, starting years before I joined California state government in 2005. This year, the International Society of Olympic Historians published my article (“California’s Olympic Financial Failure: The 1960 Winter Games”)—completed over seven years—on the interaction of the California state budget with the 1960 Olympic Winter Games in Northern California. I am working on more Olympic history journal articles now. I am a big fan of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and think they benefit host communities with shared experiences and great memories. At the same time, as my journal article shows, I focus on risks to communities in managing finite public resources for a sporting event.

This Post: State Actions To Date for 2028. In this post, I summarize key state government actions to date concerning the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Several of these relate directly to California’s state budget. Later posts may respond to questions I receive, such as a look at how the 1984 Los Angeles Games interacted with the state budget and views on the economic and public budget issues of modern Olympic and Paralympic Games. While my daily focus is California state budgeting, I note the 2028 Games probably will be a more significant budgetary issue for the U.S. government and the host jurisdiction, the City of Los Angeles.

Background: The Biggest Event on Earth. Pursuant to a contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the City of Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. A few Southern California cities—as well as Oklahoma City (with established venues for two Olympic sports)—are expected to host competitions during the Games. Prior to the Olympics, U.S. residents will see the traditional Torch Relay carry the Olympic Flame across the country on its journey from Greece to Los Angeles. With up to 15 million spectators in person and billions worldwide watching more than 15,000 athletes, the 2028 Games may be the largest such event in history. For more information on the Games, visit the website of the local organizers, LA28.

State Actions To Date. Here are the key state government actions related to the 2028 Games so far:

• Assembly Bill (AB) 132 (Jones-Sawyer), passed in 2017. AB 132, signed by Governor Brown in 2017, authorizes the Governor to execute a “games support contract” to cover a portion of deficits that might be owed by Los Angeles’ organizing committee at the conclusion of the 2028 Games. AB 132 authorizes a state contract that pays for up to $270 million of a hypothetical deficit, provided that the City of Los Angeles first covers at least $270 million itself. While the 2028 Games plan currently envisions no such deficits, the IOC generally insists on national or subnational governments providing these guarantees, as deficits have occurred at several Olympics. When a Governor signs a games support contract, it “may contain additional provisions that the Governor requires in order to carry out the purposes” of AB 132.
• AB 1754 (Jones-Sawyer), passed in 2019. Since 2000, federal law has given the U.S. Secret Service a leadership role in coordinating security activities at “special events of national significance” (known as NSSEs), which have included the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Super Bowls, political party conventions, and other events. Los Angeles’ bid to the IOC for the 2028 Games committed to use this setup for security operations. AB 1754 establishes the California Olympic and Paralympic Public Safety Command (COPPSC). A 2021 memorandum of understanding with the City of Los Angeles and the state’s Office of Emergency Services states that this state-local COPPSC partnership will be integrated into the federal NSSE structure. Federal, local, and state officials all will have leadership roles over various aspects of the large security operation in Los Angeles in the summer of 2028.
• AB 2747 (Nazarian), passed in 2022. Sponsored by LA28, AB 2747 does not relate directly to the 2028 Games, but instead provides that, until 2032, designated Team USA student athletes in elite level programs in California approved by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee will be eligible for in-state tuition and fees at the state’s public universities and community colleges. Prior state law included similar provisions for athletes training at an elite athlete training center in Chula Vista (in San Diego County) that previously was owned by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. California is, by far, the leading source of Team USA Olympians and Paralympians. AB 2747 aims to maintain California’s leadership role in Olympic and Paralympic sports.
• Senate Bill (SB) 128 (Budget and Fiscal Review Committee), passed in 2025. The June 2025 state budget transportation "trailer bill" authorizes Caltrans and local authorities to temporarily designate road and freeway lanes as part of the required Games Route Network (GRN) in 2028. Since the 2000 Sydney Games, GRN lanes are prioritized for movement of athletes and other Games personnel to and from the Olympic and Paralympic Village (planned for UCLA) and competition venues. About 360 miles of such lanes may be put in place for 2028. SB 128 authorizes spending up to $20 million from the State Highway Account to fund GRN activities. Recently, the California Traffic Control Devices Committee moved forward with planning for temporary signs and pavement markings of the GRN.
• AB 144 (Budget Committee), passed in 2025. The September 2025 state budget health trailer bill exempts certain medical professionals and activities at the 2028 Games from state licensure requirements and authorizes official team representatives to consent to such services in specific instances, including for minors. Prior state law included Olympic-related exemptions, but AB 144 clarifies these provisions specifically for the 2028 Games. The Games feature a polyclinic at the athlete village, as well as other medical services at venues.
• AB 149 (Budget Committee), passed in 2025. The September 2025 state budget resources trailer bill authorizes Coastal Act and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) exemptions for temporary facilities associated with the 2028 Games. The CEQA exemption clarifies a prior exemption already in law, which was secured by organizers of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The exemptions reduce financial risk related to development and dismantling of the 2028 Games' temporary facilities, which in turn reduces financial risks for the City of Los Angeles and the state as financial guarantors of the Games. (The city has been working on zoning exemptions related to Games temporary facilities.)
• State and UC-Owned Venues. State entities will host various Olympic and Paralympic events. Most notably, UCLA will host the Olympic and Paralympic Village, reprising its role during the 1984 Games. The Village needs to be one of the most secure places on earth during the event, and preparation for the Games will be a major management challenge for the university for several months in 2028. In addition, Trestles at San Onofre State Beach will host Olympic surfing. In general, LA28 will be responsible for costs of the Village and competition activities.

More state legislation and budget actions are expected between now and 2028, such as legislation to ensure state tax law does not impose certain tax burdens on non-resident individuals or entities participating in the Games. H.R. 1 provided $1 billion in security grants to state and local governments for public safety activities concerning the games, consistent with prior U.S.-hosted Olympics, and more federal legislation related to the Games seems likely.