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Sherman Oaks homeowners want to know what benefits a 2024 Olympics would bring
Los Angeles is campaigning for the bid to host the 2024 Olympics.
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Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images
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With Olympic organizers announcing that they hope to use UCLA dorms to house athletes, some are questioning the impact the 2024 Olympics possibly taking place in Los Angeles would have on the city.
The Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association is hosting a community meeting to hear from LA 2024's leadership. Homeowners Association President Richard Close said the group was highly involved in the 1984 Olympics in L.A., and its current leadership wants to know what L.A. is going to get before they decide whether to continue supporting the new bid.
“People who live in the San Fernando Valley want to know whether we are going to receive tangible benefits for having the Olympics here," Close said. "We’re going to take a financial risk, and the question is ‘Will there be rewards?’”
One of the Homeowners Association's priorities is making sure the Olympics would be run by a nonprofit, private entity rather than city officials.
“I don’t think most people feel that the city officials can operate and plan for something as large as the Olympics," Close said. "Let’s face it, the city of Los Angeles can’t even repair the sidewalks.”
Close said that, in 1984, a nonprofit entity ran the Olympics, and the results were positive — and it's true. The 1984 Olympics made $250 million in profits that the LA84 Foundation still uses to provide sports enrichment to kids in the community.
Other specific questions Close says need to be raised include:
- Who's going to pay for the Olympics in Los Angeles?
- If the city is awarded the Olympics, will there be massive traffic jams during the event?
- What are the real benefits to the city if the Olympics were to come here?
LA 2024's vision is to almost re-create the 1984 games, with its website stating it will go "Back to the Future — a legacy to move us forward."
The meeting is free and open to the public at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday at Notre Dame High School.
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