There’s been a growing sense of frustration at LA City Hall over the lack of concrete information the City Council is getting from the Olympic Organizing Committee, LA28. At the last meeting of the City’s Ad Hoc Olympics Committee in January, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez made it clear that she was not happy about LA28’s refusal to turn over detailed information about financial issues. At today’s meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee, almost every one of the members present aired their complaints about the way things were unfolding. I wouldn’t say the anger was boiling over, but it seemed to be seething beneath the surface.

And it wasn’t just the councilmembers who were frustrated. A group from the Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative at Loyola Law School showed up to speak about their frustration with LA28’s Human Rights Strategy for the Games. They had been asking for months to see the document, and now that it’s finally been made available they shared a number of criticisms. Human trafficking is closely associated with major sporting events, with construction and hospitality being the two sectors where it’s most common. Businesses often hire undocumented workers to cut costs, and in many cases the workers are subjected to awful conditions, which they’re not likely to complain about because they’re undocumented. The group from Loyola had submitted their own report last year, but apparently LA28 ignored many of their recommendations. Speakers cited the fact that LA28’s plan included no funding for non-profits that address human trafficking, and complained that the plan emphasized law enforcement rather than assistance for victims. Another concern is that the Federal government will be in charge of security for the event. Since the Olympics will undoubtedly bring a surge of undocumented workers, there are fears that ICE will play a large role. It would be very convenient for businesses that hire undocumented workers to have their employees whisked off to detention centers when the Games are over. No need to cut a final paycheck for those folks.

But the Council’s focus today was the lack of detail in LA28’s procurement plan. Obviously, one of the benefits of hosting the Olympics is that local businesses will get contracts tied to the Games. But what qualifies as “local” was a point of contention. The members of the Council had counted on businesses located in the City of LA to be the primary beneficiaries, but LA28’s procurement plan allows almost any business in Southern California to get a contract. This was not acceptable to the Council, since revenue for businesses also translates into tax dollars which the City badly needs. LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover told the committee that, all things being equal, LA28 would favor businesses in the City of LA. But as Councilmember Hugo Soto Martinez pointed out, there are naturally going to be huge differences in bids from businesses located in the City of LA as opposed to businesses located in more remote areas. Salaries, rent and taxes are all going to be higher in the City of LA than in cities on the periphery of the county. Businesses in the City of LA will naturally charge more than businesses in outlying areas. If they have to compete with businesses all over Southern California, they’ll likely lose out on the basis of cost. The members of the Council tried to get LA28 to narrow the focus for the procurement plan. Hoover did not say no, but he wouldn’t say yes.

Hoover is a retired Lieutenant General who’s also served in civilian roles at FEMA and the CIA. He started his remarks today by reading a lengthy opening statement where he talked about how great the Olympics were going to be. It was all worthless marketing-speak. My guess is that he knew the committee members were angry and he was trying to set a positive tone. It didn’t work. The frustration of the committee members was palpable. They’re not buying it.

Looks like it’s going to be a rocky road to 2028.