Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Promises ‘No Car’ Olympics in 2028

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is promising that the 2028 Olympics will be a “no-car games,” according to an August 10 press release she issued.

“Back in L.A., we’re already meeting with businesses about procurement, especially small businesses. And I’ll say that that’s something that I admire Paris is doing, making a commitment that a percentage of the business goes to small businesses here. We’re already working to create jobs by expanding our public transportation system in order for us to have a no-car games,” she wrote.

“And that’s a feat in Los Angeles, because we’ve always been in love with our cars, but we’re already working to ensure that we can build a greener Los Angeles,” the California mayor continued in the release.

“That’s a priority of mine as we get ready for these games, making sure that all of Los Angeles is on display. And I know that with the help of the city, the county, the state, the federal governments, that we will get this done in a way that is sustainable, that brings jobs to Los Angeles and visitors to every corner,” she wrote.

Bass’s statement was released the day before the closing ceremonies for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.

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Karen Bass Announced a Series of Other Initiatives for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games

Bass’s press release says she is in Paris. “Mayor Bass also previewed Sunday’s Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony where she will become the first Black woman mayor to ever receive the official Olympic flag during a Closing Ceremony. The Mayor is in Paris, France with Los Angeles regional officials as they continue to make crucial preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028,” she wrote.

She added, in comments that she also gave during a press conference, “As we’ve seen here in Paris, the Olympics are an opportunity to make transformative change. It’s our top priority to ensure that the Olympic preparations benefit Angelenos for decades to come, and we’re already doing that by the investment in youth sports.”

Continued Bass: “We want to make sure that we’re helping small local businesses, that we’re creating local jobs and making lasting environmental and transportation improvements throughout Los Angeles.”

She then listed a series of initiatives involving getting homeless people housing, making more veterans eligible for housing, directing support to the entertainment industry, and expanding safety initiatives.

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Social Media Reaction to Karen Bass Was Mixed

There were mixed opinions about Bass on social media. “Come 2028, Karen Bass will have a hard time hiding the mess she’s made out of LA,” wrote one critic.

“We look forward to Karen Bass @MayorOfLA taking the lead and using LA Metro to get to and from work,” wrote another person on X. “Otherwise, this is yet another ‘rules for thee, but not for me!’ declaration from this Hallmark Card of a career politician.”

But other people praised Bass. Basketball legend Magic Johnson wrote, “It was good to see LA’s outstanding Mayor Karen Bass in Paris get the Olympic torch passed to her for #LA28 ! Cookie and I are looking forward to watching all our favorite events: track and field, gymnastics, swimming, and of course basketball in our city!”

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