Good morning and welcome to LA on the Record, City Hall's newsletter, helmed by Dakota Smith and David Zarnizer with help from David Wharton.

Los Angeles politicians have rarely openly criticized the 2028 Olympics planned for Southern California.

But this week, the complaints started pouring in.

First, the Civil Organizing Committee overseeing the Olympics announced a proposal Friday that would see softball and canoe slalom in Oklahoma City and swimming and basketball in Inglewood. Other Olympic sports are scheduled to be held in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California, and LA28 officials, the organizing committee, said the latest proposal would save more than $150 million.

The Games agreement requires Los Angeles to give its “written consent” to some venue changes, but that detail was largely forgotten in this week's flurry of news reports and social media posts. (An NBC4 headline suggested the move was a sure thing: “Why Two 2028 LA Olympic Sports Will Move to Oklahoma City.”)

Board Members Tracy Parkwho chairs the city's Los Angeles committee on the Olympics, began Monday's committee meeting with some pointed remarks.

“I want to be clear that the decision to move the Olympic Games outside of Los Angeles is not made by a press release, a headline or by another city,” said Park, who represents the city's West Side district. “That decision is made by this committee and the full Council, as agreed to in the Games Agreement.”

Two days later, City Councilman Monica Rodriguez During a public hearing about expanding the convention center in time for the 2028 Olympics, he complained about the change of venue.

“I'll tell you this because it's true, we're not getting enough action,” said Rodriguez, who covers the northeast San Fernando Valley. “When it comes to the Olympics, Los Angeles is all over the place, but the reality is, we're not really enjoying the Olympics.”

A sure way to anger the 15 members of the Los Angeles City Council is to suggest that you are sure of their support, so that may explain the new attitude of the two council members.

But then two other officials spoke out against the decision to hold most of the Olympics opening ceremony at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood instead of Los Angeles.

The torch will be carried down the Coliseum's portico steps, but the athletes' parade, the Olympic oath and the lighting of the torch will all take place in Inglewood — a decision made several years ago — while the closing ceremony will also take place in both venues.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn questioned why the Coliseum would not host the opening ceremony: “The Coliseum is an iconic venue known for the Olympic Torch and it is appropriate that the 2028 Olympics follow in the tradition of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics,” she told The Times.

George PulaThe chairman of the Coliseum Commission also said, “This is the Los Angeles Olympics. The opening ceremony should be in Los Angeles.”

So far, criticism of the 2028 Games has been left mainly to academics, competition experts and groups such as NOlympics LA.

Perhaps the officials' complaints were part of a negotiating tactic. Neither Mr. Rodriguez nor Mr. Park agreed to be interviewed.

“The committee looks forward to considering and scrutinizing the proposed changes to the LA28 Venue Plan only upon returning from recess and after each department has conducted their analysis,” Park said in a statement to The Times.

LA28 spokeswoman Kim Parker Gordon told The Times that the plan for two venues for the opening and closing ceremonies would allow more people to attend the events. At the same time, there were “technical challenges” at the Coliseum because of plans to reconfigure the structure for track and field events, Gordon said.

Parker Gordon said LA28 officials began discussing possible changes to the venue plan with city council members in February.

“The updated venue plan maintains the City of Los Angeles as the lead host for the 2028 Games,” Parker Gordon said, adding that further venues within the city will be announced in the coming months.

The most popular sports at the Summer Olympics are swimming, gymnastics and track and field. Under the proposed venue change announced by LA28, Los Angeles would lose swimming to Inglewood but gain the gymnastics events that were scheduled to take place in the city.

Gordon also touched on plans for the convention center, where city leaders are expected to approve a plan to spend up to $54.4 million on early design work to determine whether the aging convention center can be expanded before the Olympics. City Report The city recommended moving forward with the project and completing construction by March 2028. The convention center expansion would cost the city $4.78 billion over 30 years, including borrowing debt, according to the report.

Rodriguez voted against the plan at a committee hearing on Wednesday, citing concerns about the tight construction timeline, among other things.

While some Olympic events are scheduled to be held at the convention center, Parker Gordon told the Times that LA28's plans are not dependent on expanding the convention center.

current situation

– Light of hope: A January survey showed the number of homeless people living on the streets fell 5.1% in Los Angeles County and 10.4% in the city. Officials said: Mayor Karen Bass The Inside Safe program has been transporting people to hotels, motels and other temporary housing over the past 18 months. The overall homeless count has remained essentially stable, with officials reporting a 2.2% decrease in the city and a 0.3% decrease in the county.

– Move together: The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to homeless advocates by ruling that cities can ban homeless camping on sidewalks and other public areas. The ruling doesn't require cities to take action against homelessness, but it gives them the power to do so. Governor Bass called the ruling “disappointing” and said she worried it could be used to send homeless people to jail or drive them from city to city. Gavin Newsomon the other hand, The verdict “It will remove legal ambiguity that has tied local officials' hands for too many years.”

— Mask Falls: Following violent clashes outside a West Side synagogue, Mayor Bass suggested the city would consider restricting mask-wearing at public protests. Days later, she rejected the idea of ​​policing mask-wearing, saying such a ban would not withstand judicial scrutiny.

— Shelter Renovation: The chairman of the committee that oversees the embattled Department of Animal Services has announced he is stepping down after more than a decade on the board. Larry GrossHe has faced widespread criticism from shelter volunteers about the way he has run the agency, and told The Times he was voluntarily stepping down: “I felt it was important to stay on at least through the transition period with the new mayor and new executive director. [general manager] There are also newly appointed commissioners to ensure stability,” he said in a written statement.

— Fire the bad copsThe City Council is finalizing language for a Nov. 5 ballot measure that would give the police chief new powers to fire officers who commit serious misconduct. Hugo Soto Martinez He and city council members opposed the measure, saying it didn't go far enough. Eunises Hernandez I voted against it.

— Support for Hochman: Billionaire Developer Rick Caruso expressed support Nathan Hochman Hochman, who is being ousted as Los Angeles County district attorney, is calling for the district attorney's removal. George GasconCaruso, who is running for Los Angeles mayor in 2022, is running for a second four-year term. DA election pollAccording to the poll, 53% disapproved of Gascón's performance, 26% approved, and 21% were unsure.

— Let's look again: Meanwhile, new questions are being raised about the Attorney General. Rob Bonta's A Gascon official was accused of accessing confidential police records.

— Marilyn Memorial: After a year of fighting, the city council has decided to convert a 1962 home in Brentwood into a Marilyn Monroe The vote is aimed at preventing Spanish Colonial homes from being destroyed by their owners.

— Replacement of Measure H: County supervisors sent a Nov. 5 ballot measure to voters that would double the county's homeless sales tax to half a cent, meaning consumers would pay a half-cent tax on every dollar spent and the revenue would go toward homeless services and affordable housing. Vote Proposal, He was eligible to vote through a vote of his supporters. Collected The measure, which has garnered more than 390,000 signatures, would replace Measure H.

— Serious staff shortageLos Angeles County juvenile detention centers are so violent that many inmates skip work.

— Camp ExplosionA Los Angeles firefighter was seriously injured in an explosion during a fire at a homeless camp in the San Fernando Valley. The firefighter's ear was “almost completely severed,” but doctors successfully reattached it, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said. Eric Scott Said.

— What about Bob? Council Chairperson Paul Krekorian He appointed Bob Stern to the Los Angeles Ethics Commission. According to Krekorian, Stern, whom the Sacramento Bee described as “the godfather of modern political reform in California,” was instrumental in drafting the state's political reform law.

Quick Hit

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor's homelessness program went to Hollywood, focusing on the area around Franklin and Argyle streets, which is part of the Soto-Martinez neighborhood. Inside Safe also went to 86th Street and Broadway in the city council area. Marquise Harris Dawson South Los Angeles area.

• Next week's plan: The Los Angeles City Council is meeting for its final session before the summer recess, with dozens of items on its agenda including the appointment of a new ethics commissioner, numerous legal settlements and a proposed expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center.