L.A.’s 2028 Olympic games in danger? Damage cost of wildfires at risk

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Hosting the Olympics is about more than just stadiums and athletes. It requires thousands of police officers, expanded transit services, security perimeters and infrastructure upgrades—all of which come at a cost.

Los Angeles officials say the 2028 Games will be a ‘no-build’ Olympics, meaning no new venues will be built. But even without new construction, the Games still carry a hefty price tag in public safety, transportation, and operations—costs that are under greater scrutiny as the city deals with mounting wildfire recovery expenses.

The city’s preliminary estimate places the wildfire-related costs at $358 million, but studies show the total economic impact in the region is far greater, with property and capital losses from the Palisades and Eaton fires estimated between $95 billion and $164 billion. Meanwhile, costs continue to climb, ranging from lost tax revenue to long-term rebuilding efforts, further straining a city already in the network.

Some city officials warn that these rising expenses could strain the City of Los Angeles’ ability to absorb Olympic-related costs, particularly for public safety — one of the most unpredictable and expensive aspects of hosting the Games.

“The biggest part of those expenses are going to be associated with the security and some of those related costs that will come closer to 2028,” said L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who represents Council District 7, an area that includes much of Northeast San Fernando Valley.

While L.A. Officials have not yet released a full estimate for public safety costs, past host cities have seen those expenses arise as the Games approach.
The 2012 London Olympics, initially budgeted £282 million (about $450 million in U.S. dollars at the time) for security, but the overall costs rose to more than £1 billion, about $1.6 billion U.S. dollars. The 2024 Paris Olympics reportedly spent approximately €1.14 billion (about $1.21 billion U.S. dollars) on security.

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