Games for All, Ethics by Reservation Only

ERIC PREVEN'S NOTEBOOK - 

Peter Rice is back.

The former Disney executive and indie prestige king (Slumdog Millionaire, Little Miss Sunshine) has been tapped by LA28 to run the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Olympics. He’ll oversee four nights of spectacle at the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium. No prior live event experience? No problem. According to LA28 chair Casey Wasserman, “We didn’t talk to anyone else.”

Rice’s job? Unite the city. Inspire the world. Knock people’s socks off.

The budget? Undisclosed. (“Whatever he needs,” Wasserman says—Paris 2024 reportedly spent $108 million.)

LA28 be like: We swear it’s going directly to the people.  

Meanwhile in L.A., 20,000 Angelenos are displaced after January’s wildfires, FireAid won’t say where its $100 million went, and the only thing harder to get than help is a working RSVP link for a neighborhood council briefing.

Welcome to the Krekorian Olympics, where the mascot’s name is Sam, the ethics are ornamental, and the transparency is… conceptual. 

When wildfires torch L.A., real philanthropy looks like friends pooling cash for a pal’s dead dog’s vet bill—no gala, no swag, just help. But L.A.’s disaster response? A glitzy fundraising pageant where celebrities cry, funds vanish, and victims get a pamphlet. The 2028 Olympics, billed as “Games for All,” are shaping up as the same hustle: $7 billion in promises, zero transparency, and ethics as ornamental as a City Hall proclamation. 

FireAid’s $100M Vanishing Act

FireAid raised $100 million post-January wildfires, vowing “direct help.” The catch? No direct payments—just “trusted nonprofit partners.” Who? A mystery. When? Someday. Receipts? You’re killing the vibe. It’s the Mayor’s Fund reboot, where Angeleno Cards fueled Nobu binges, or Maui’s People’s Fund, where Oprah and The Rock’s $10 million stiffed grassroots aid. Disaster hits, and the grift kicks into gear—vultures swoop before the embers cool. 

Angeleno Cards: Relief or Sushi Spree?

Garcetti’s 2020 Angeleno Card program promised “no red tape” aid. Prepaid debit cards flew out, but nobody tracked them—no ZIP codes, no logs. A hypothetical CPRA might show: $1,480 at Nobu Malibu for sake and selfies captioned “@MayorOfLA, my savior”; $842 at Perch for mezcal and clout fees; $2,610 at Barneys for “essential” Balenciaga; $556 at Erewhon for anti-poverty elixirs; $1,032 at Craig’s for four “jobless” influencers in G-Wagons; $1,229 at Soho Warehouse for aid-application brainstorming; $780 at Sugarfish for toro-fueled recovery. Not relief—a status upgrade. 

The Krekorian Olympics: Transparency Timeout

Paul Krekorian, now Mayor Bass’s Olympic czar, promised “Games for All” transparency at a July “Neighborhood Council Briefing.” The RSVP link? Dead as a doornail. The event? A unicorn. Public outreach? A gold-medal ghost job. His slide deck surfaced at UCLA’s invite-only Lake Arrowhead summit, where insiders sipped sparkling water while Angelenos got iced out. Paris 2024 shared maps and budgets years ago; LA28’s website is a mascot and a mission statement. Krekorian, fresh off terming out as council president, now runs the Office of Major Events, overseeing a $270 million city liability if the Games flop. Transparency? More like a PowerPoint gated community. 

Ethics: A Martial Arts Campaign

In Council District 2, Krekorian’s handpicked successor, Adrin Nazarian, funds martial arts classes for women and kids—city (previously state) dollars, his face on the flyers. Self-defense with a side of ballot-box branding. Karo Torossian, Krekorian’s 3rd, 2nd banana, crafted a 47-page Olympic workshop report, cited in council files but hidden from the public. Governance by slide deck, not sunlight. Meanwhile, Bass’s Office of Strategic Partnerships, led by Amanda Daflos, courts “philanthropic investment” from developers eyeing Olympic plazas, skipping pesky oversight. Ethics? It’s a suggestion, like ordering the salad at Langers.

Never order a salad at Langer's and pack Bear spray after dark.

The Nonprofit Hustle

Disaster fundraising is a rigged carnival: 

Celebrity Savior: Weeping on Reels, shilling unvetted GoFundMes.

Political Lifter: Posing with water crates, whispering “partnerships.”

Nonprofit Behemoth: Cash-drunk, delivering buzzwords, not aid. 

Victims are the tagline, not the priority. Feeding America’s CEO banks $1 million while “rescuing” 9% of 92 billion pounds of wasted food. Funds drown in “capacity-building” sludge, leaving the hungry with a side of rhetoric.

Olympic Expense Account: A Fantasy CPRA

Imagine prying open LA28’s books: 

Sugarfish – $780.44: Toro for IOC suits, delivered on taxpayer Segways.

Soho Warehouse – $1,229.00: Brainstorming lounge with $400 nap-pod upcharges.

Erewhon – $556.42: Collagen spritzers to keep ethics hydrated.

The Abbey – $337.88: Post-debrief martinis, drag tips billed to “transparency.” 

This isn’t aid—it’s branding with a charcuterie board.

Civic Snapshot: July 29, 2025

Tuesday’s County Board meeting is a tone poem to dodging accountability. Trump’s “Ending Crime and Disorder” order demands 30-day reports on homelessness and behavioral health, but expect PDFs, not progress. A $44 million sewer surveillance contract and $5,000 staff bonuses sail through—tough times, unless you’re a county employee. A $3.5 million Sheriff’s Deputy crash settlement joins $4.6 million in payouts. Norwalk’s “Care Community” lease? $1 a year for 99 years, no bids, CEQA pre-cleared—like Monopoly, but the board’s already sold.

No refill - collector's item!

Wednesday’s City Council tackles wildfire tenant protections, but rent freezes and eviction bans got gutted. Hernandez and Soto-Martínez push for gouging data and fines, while Lindsey Horvath’s attendance is as reliable as a FireAid receipt. Will Solis carry her motions again? 

One Fire, Two Cities

January’s wildfires didn’t just burn hills—they ignited a housing crisis. Six months later, 20,000 Angelenos are displaced, rents are up 50%, and evictions soar. The County’s 30-day price gouging cap (10% rent hikes) is a Post-it on a five-alarm blaze. For Maria, a single mom in a $200-a-night motel, it’s no fix. Zillow flaunts profiteering; the hotline’s hold music is the real relief. Hernandez and Soto-Martínez’s plan—gouging reports, eviction bans, profiteer maps—was neutered in committee. Landlords cry “repairs” while pricing out low-income renters. Wednesday, the Council can pass real protections, publish data, and fine violators. Recovery’s a lie if families can’t return. 

The L.A. Grift Games

L.A.’s elite play disaster like a slot machine. FireAid’s $100 million? Swallowed by “partners.” Krekorian’s Olympic transparency? A 404 error. Nazarian’s martial arts? A campaign ad with a jab. The County’s $1 lease? A giveaway wrapped in “community.” It’s governance by sleight of hand, where the public’s invited to cheer, not check the books. Krekorian, an ethics commissioner a million years ago, now oversees a $7 billion Olympic gamble with less oversight than a Valley Village condo demo. The kicker? If the Games tank, L.A.’s on the hook for $270 million, but don’t worry—we get to keep Sam the mascot

LA28 for the kids... then and now. Can we get Dev Patel to narrate an Olympics commercial? 

The Last Ask

Raise funds? Show the math. Name nonprofits, set timelines, mandate disclosures in 90 days—or admit it’s a racket for the connected. Olympic plans? Post the budgets, not just the vibes. Until then, we’ll pitch in, dollar by dollar, dog by dog. No gala needed.

(Eric Preven is a Studio City-based television writer-producer, award-winning journalist, and longtime community activist. He is known for his sharp commentary on transparency and accountability in local government. Eric successfully brought and won two landmark open government cases in California, reinforcing the public’s right to know. A regular contributor to CityWatch, he combines investigative insight with grassroots advocacy to shine a light on civic issues across Los Angeles.)