THE BOTTOM LINE - Los Angeles has known for nearly a decade that the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games were coming.
City leaders knew millions of visitors would descend on a region already notorious for congestion. They knew buses, trains, streets, and pedestrian networks would face extraordinary pressure. Moving athletes, spectators and workers across Southern California would require years of planning and enormous investment.
Yet less than two years before the opening ceremony, Los Angeles is looking to Washington for roughly $2 billion to help make its Olympic transportation plan work.
That should concern taxpayers.
Washington has a legitimate role in supporting an international event hosted on behalf of the United States, particularly in security, transportation, and infrastructure. But federal partnership should not mean a blank check.
Before Congress approves another $2 billion, Los Angeles should answer a fundamental question: After nearly a decade of preparation, why does the success of its Olympic transportation strategy still depend on Washington coming up with billions more?
LA Metro says approximately half of the requested money would help temporarily acquire, operate and store nearly 1,750 additional buses. Another $1 billion would support pedestrian improvements, traffic-management measures and transportation networks connecting Olympic venues.
Those may be legitimate expenses. But legitimate expenses still require legitimate scrutiny.
A $2 Billion Request Demands a $2 Billion Explanation
The House Appropriations Committee has advanced an initial $875 million, but the full transportation request remains unresolved. The Trump administration did not include the broader request in its budget proposal, even as it backed increased federal resources for Olympic security.
California lawmakers warn that without additional federal assistance, Los Angeles could face heavier congestion, insufficient bus capacity, and unreliable public transportation. Rep. Laura Friedman has warned of consequences for both Los Angeles and the country, while Rep. Judy Chu has argued that local agencies cannot shoulder the Olympic burden alone.
Their broader point is reasonable: Los Angeles should not necessarily finance an event of national and international importance entirely by itself. But that does not answer the accountability question.
If nearly 1,750 additional buses are necessary, taxpayers deserve to know what they will cost to acquire or lease, where they will be stored, who will drive them, how they will be maintained and what happens to them after the Olympic flame goes out. If another $1 billion is needed for transportation infrastructure, Congress should know which projects will permanently improve Los Angeles, and which are temporary Olympic expenses.
And if the Games cannot operate successfully without the entire $2 billion, officials should explain what happens if Congress provides only part of it.
Where is Plan B?
Follow the Money and the Risk
The transportation request becomes even more significant alongside questions about Los Angeles' financial relationship with LA28, the private organization responsible for organizing the Games. City Controller Kenneth Mejia has requested financial documents from LA28 as his office examines the city's financial exposure.
That scrutiny is not an obstacle to successful Games. It is essential to them.
Taxpayers deserve a clear accounting of what LA28 is responsible for, what the city is responsible for, how much public money has been committed and who pays if expenses exceed projections.
When budgets fail, somebody gets the bill.
Transparency therefore cannot be optional. Major contracts should receive appropriate scrutiny, financial projections should be updated regularly, and independent oversight should begin before billions are spent not afterward, when auditors are trying to determine where the money went.
Los Angeles also cannot credibly claim it was caught by surprise. The city was awarded the 2028 Games in 2017. Local and regional leaders have had years to estimate transportation demand, identify infrastructure needs, develop contingency plans and negotiate responsibility among LA28, Metro, the city, state, and federal governments.
If $2 billion in additional federal transportation funding was always essential, why wasn't that strategy secured earlier? If costs or plans changed, taxpayers should be told exactly what changed. If Congress approves $875 million rather than $2 billion, which projects disappear? And if there is no viable alternative to full funding, why wasn't a credible contingency plan developed years ago?
Those aren't partisan or anti-Olympics questions. They are the questions taxpayers should ask whenever government requests billions of dollars.
Angelenos Should Not Be Asked to Pay Twice
The people most easily forgotten in the Olympic excitement are the people who will still be here after the closing ceremony. Visitors will come and go. Angelenos will inherit whatever the Games leave behind.
Olympic transportation spending should therefore create a genuine public legacy: better transit, safer pedestrian connections, improved stations, smarter traffic management, and infrastructure that continues serving neighborhoods long after 2028.
What residents should not inherit are unexplained bills, temporary projects with little lasting value or another government postmortem explaining why costs exceeded expectations.
Los Angeles residents already support their transportation network through local taxes, fares, and other public revenues. They should not effectively pay again through federal taxes because Olympic planning failed to anticipate predictable expenses.
Every major public investment made for 2028 should either be essential to staging the Games or leave Los Angeles measurably better afterward.
The World Will Be Watching So Will Taxpayers
The 2028 Olympics can be an extraordinary moment for Los Angeles. The city has an opportunity to welcome the world and prove that a sprawling metropolis can successfully manage one of the largest sporting events on Earth.
Washington should be a partner in making that happen. But partnership requires accountability on both sides.
Before Congress approves the full transportation request, lawmakers should require detailed budgets, independent auditing, transparent major contracts, measurable transportation benchmarks, and regular public reporting. LA28 should cooperate fully with legitimate financial oversight. Metro should explain how every major federal transportation dollar will be used. City Hall should clearly identify the financial risks carried by Los Angeles taxpayers.
Those requirements would not weaken the Olympics. They would protect them.
Because the biggest threat to public confidence isn't asking difficult questions before spending billions. It is discovering after the Games that nobody asked them.
Los Angeles has spent years telling the world it will be ready for 2028. Now it must prove it.
Show taxpayers the plan. Show them the costs. Show them who carries the risk.
Then ask them to write the check.
(Mihran Kalaydjian is a seasoned public affairs and government relations professional with more than twenty years of experience in legislative affairs, public policy, community relations, and strategic communications. A respected civic leader and education advocate, he has spearheaded numerous academic and community initiatives, shaping dialogue and driving reform in local and regional political forums. His career reflects a steadfast commitment to transparency, accountability, and public service across Los Angeles and beyond.)
