LA strikes 2024 Olympic bid deal with USOC

[TexasTowelie]

Source: AP

Los Angeles and the U.S. Olympic Committee have struck a deal that will make the city America's 2024 Olympic bidder pending approval by the city council next week.

If the council approves the deal at a meeting Tuesday, the USOC will announce Los Angeles as its candidate, a person familiar with the process told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the negotiations have not been publicly announced.

Last month, the USOC scrapped plans to make Boston the bid city and entered talks with Los Angeles. On Friday, a city council subcommittee approved the pact and sent it to the full council for a vote.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/nation-world/national/article32777343.html

[tularetom]

1. All DUers residing within the city limits of LA should immediately contact their council member

and urge them to vote against this poorly thought out, utterly stupid idea.

[lancer78]

2. doesn't this

Make sense since LA already had an Olympic games and already has the infrastructure and stadiums for it?

[C Moon]

3. Don't know that I'm looking forward to this.

[ellisonz]

4. We can totally afford this!

[catchnrelease]

5. Interesting

One thing in it's favor is that there are existing venues that can be used vs building from scratch like many cities have to do. Maybe would need some refurbishing. In 1984 Peter Ueberroth ran the show and it was actually financially a success. I hope if they really do this that there is someone that will hold tight to the reins and not go nuts with spending, trying to be showy etc. (I can dream right?)

At that time, I worked in a place on the LA/Glendale border and I recall that there was a lot of effort in people doing alternate working schedules and promoting things to help with potential traffic issues during the time the events were going on. If I remember right it was pretty successful in that way too.

(Thank god Villaraigosa is no longer the mayor. His mug would be in front of the camera 24/7. I'd vote against it just to prevent that!! )

[Demeter]

6. In an epochal drought? Doesn't anyone think in California?

[Le Taz Hot]

7. Yes, just no one who actually holds political office.

[Demeter]

16. Nobody else could, either.

California, heal thyself!

[EEO]

8. I am so thankful Boston told the Olympics to go fuck itself.

[ripcord]

9. This could work out for LA

They are planning on turning the Olympic Village into housing when they are done, I believe I heard mixed middle and low income. If the games pay for all or even a large part of that it would be a big win for the city, think of the subsidies they could provide to people.

[Blue_Adept]

10. Good luck guys!

Glad to have gotten this boondoggle out of Boston.

[olddots]

11. L.A. is perfect for the Olympics

its just a big commercial .

[AZ Progressive]

12. Only L.A. knows how to do a profitable Olympics

They've done it twice already.

[PasadenaTrudy]

14. The traffic was light during the '84 games

Everyone stayed off the streets. It was great!

[Tikki]

15. I worked the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics at the UCLA venue as a security guard...if I were to work....

the 2024 Olympics I would be 75 years old.

I would certainly like to do that gig again.


Tikki

[GreatGazoo]

19. I worked that venue -- Gymnastics and Tennis -- as a ticket taker

I, with the help of security guards, stopped a German stalker who was stalking Steffi Graf. He pushed through the turnstyle in the middle of a family. He didn't have a ticket. Blurted out in my broken high school german: Du hast kleine ticket. Sie mussen ausgang!

Also saw Steve Wozniak's wife(?) get busted scalping tickets outside gymnastics. She was trying to hold a mini auction, selling one pair at a time.

[Tikki]

22. I was outdoors at 8 gate B. We would clear the athletes in who returned from.....

Westwood.
Sometimes the volunteers who shuttled the athletes to the venue
would park and abandon their vehicles on the little road in and we
would have to call the authorities to sweep the vehicles.

I worked 11:00pm to 7:00am and drank lots of coffee.



Tikki

[MurrayDelph]

17. It was lousy for business

I was working for the training division of a multinational computer company. We had to close down for those two weeks in anticipation of none of our customers coming to town during that period.

In fact, the freeways were better than normal, and the regular tourist business (Disneyland, Universal, etc) tanked during that period because anyone who didn't want to come for the Olympics stayed away in droves.

[taught_me_patience]

18. As an Angelino, I think this is awesome

Bring the games on! I'd love the chance to see some of these events in person. Los Angeles can easily handle the games.

[GreatGazoo]

20. Bring Your Own Water.

The cheap seats will be $300 . Gymnastics will be $1200 for nose bleed seats.

They'll tell businesses to close and tell residents to go on vacation so the 1%ers don't have to deal with them, just like last time.

[davidpdx]

21. This is a great idea with a huge drout

Maybe they can ask all California residents not to use water for the three weeks the games are held.