By Libby Rainey for LAist
Originally published on Oct. 1, 2026
The city of L.A. has spent around $27 million on the Olympic and Paralympic Games, less than two years out from the summer of 2028.
That’s according to numbers crunched by City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who says he’s tracking city funds used for the Olympics and where they’re going.
The tally for now includes $13 million in financing for police vehicles and an additional $14 million in other city departments. The majority of that — more than $11 million — is to pay workers in the City Administrative Office, Public Works and the L.A. Department of Transportation, among other city departments.
Mejia says he’s tracking the spending through the city’s accounting system, logging anything that is marked as an Olympics expense. His office noted that the tally is likely an undercount, since it doesn’t include LAPD expenses beyond the vehicle order.
“The city’s trying to make it a no-cost Olympics, right? But we all know that’s not true,” Mejia told LAist. “Because they’re spending a lot preparing for it and accelerating a lot of spending.”
Other noteworthy line items flagged by the controller include around $460,000 for “international affairs” within the mayor’s office and more than $3.2 million for a Recreation and Parks program called Universal Play.
A spokesperson for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass did not respond to emailed requests for details about the “international affairs” expenses.
Recreation and Parks spokesperson Rose Watson told LAist via email that Universal Play was the precursor to PlayLA, the youth sports program that private Olympics organizing committee LA28 has dedicated $160 million to.
Despite that, L.A. won’t be reimbursed for the $3.2 million it cost to staff and implement the program, Watson told LAist.
The Bureau of Street Services and the L.A. Department of Transportation did not respond to questions about their Olympics expenses in time for publication.
Paul Krekorian, the former L.A. City Council president who now leads the city’s office on major events, said in an emailed statement that most of the projects listed by the city controller were “key infrastructure improvements that Mayor Bass would deliver with or without the Games.”
He added that requests for city services by LA28 that go beyond what’s deemed “normal and customary” will be reimbursed.
