State lawmakers told an official for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on Wednesday that they have serious concerns about whether local residents will have affordable access to the Summer Games.
Fans from 85 countries and all 50 states bought more than 4 million tickets in the first edition, Joey Freeman, a lobbyist for the LA28 organizing committee, told lawmakers in Sacramento on Wednesday.
Nearly half a million $28 tickets went directly to locals, Freeman said, noting that 95% of all tickets priced under $100 were sold during local presales. Registration is underway for the second drop in August.
“We want people who live in the heart of these games to be able to participate in them,” Freeman said.
However, lawmakers were not entirely convinced that these efforts had made an impact. Earlier in the year, The shortage of $28 tickets caused quite a stir.
“People are shocked, quite frankly, at what they’re being asked to pay,” said state Sen. Ben Allen. “I know there’s a promise of a million $28 tickets, but is it going to be a choice between winning the lottery and getting one of those $20 tickets?”
Freeman responded that officials are working on a community ticket program funded by a charitable contribution. He said he hopes more contributions will allow tickets to be sent directly to nonprofits, which can provide free tickets to the community.
Another representative, Senator Aisha Wahab, asked how many indicators will go to non-profit organizations versus what is provided in the local pre-sale. Freeman said he had no details.
Wahab wondered how smart it is to offer free tickets to non-profit organizations.
“I suggest not necessarily giving them to non-profit organizations, because we can’t necessarily control that. They wouldn’t be seen in the aftermarket and sold right?” Wahab asked, suggesting instead that the tickets go to schools or other groups. “Just giving tickets to different organizations does not guarantee that the community will actually be there.”
“What I’ve seen consistently is that when big tickets are given out, it’s usually the executives’ friends who get first place, not necessarily the community they serve,” she added.
Sen. Laura Richardson questioned Freeman further when he was unable to give exact numbers for tickets sold in the first wave.
“This is a problem because you are in a formal hearing,” she said. “The fact that we came to this committee, and you don’t know how many tickets were issued, and you don’t know how many of them were under $100, you don’t have the information we need, because those are the questions we’re getting from our community.”
Richardson, who noted that a relative of hers applied for the tickets, said the 95% statistic doesn’t say much because it could represent a small or large number of tickets.
“The experience my family member had was that there were no tickets available under $100. The tickets available were at astronomical prices. We’re talking several thousand dollars to attend events. That’s not what we were offered and that was going to happen,” she said.
“I really think you need to go back to the drawing board and really look at your ticket disbursement plan,” Richardson added, requesting another legislative meeting on the issue.
Freeman promised to follow up with lawmakers and provide more details later.