Brief

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, seconded by Imelda Padilla, introduced a motion to establish the zero-cost principle for the 2028 LA Olympic and Paralympic Games, which would prevent unreimbursed costs to the City and create mechanisms to capture and distribute Olympic-related benefits to communities. The motion is currently pending review in the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee. A community impact statement was filed by North Westwood Neighborhood Council in May 2026.

Full summary

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez introduced this motion in April 2026 amid ongoing negotiations between the City and the LA28 organizing committee over an Enhanced City Resources Master Agreement (ECRMA). The ECRMA, originally expected to be finalized in October 2025, remains unresolved on several key issues, including how surplus funds will be defined and whether an LA28 Legacy Fund can be established before the City is made whole on its costs. Rodriguez argues that the current lack of clarity exposes Los Angeles to significant financial risk and undermines the zero-cost principle under which the Games were originally approved by the City. The motion directs the Chief Legislative Analyst, working with the City Administrative Officer and the City Attorney, to draft language for a new section of the City Charter that would formally codify this zero-cost principle. The proposed charter language would prohibit LA28 from using surplus funds to create a Legacy Fund unless and until the City has been fully reimbursed for all costs associated with hosting the Games. The motion specifically flags security costs as a major concern, noting that preliminary estimates put security spending alone above $1 billion — costs that are not included in LA28's published $7.15 billion budget, raising questions about how those expenses will ultimately be accounted for and repaid. The motion seeks to route these protections through the ongoing Charter reform process, giving them a degree of permanence and legal enforceability beyond what a standard agreement might provide. By tying the Legacy Fund's activation to full City reimbursement, the proposal is designed to prevent a scenario in which Olympic organizers declare a surplus and redirect funds to legacy programming while the City is still absorbing unreimbursed public safety or service costs. The file was referred to both the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee in April 2026. The North Westwood Neighborhood Council filed a community impact statement in May 2026. No committee action or council vote has been recorded, and the file remains pending as of mid-May 2026, with an expiration date of April 2028.

Activity (2)

• 2026-05-12 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council.
• 2026-04-14 Motion referred to Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games ; Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Documents (2)

• 2026-05-12 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2026-04-14 Motion · motion