Some individual(s) inside City Hall included the item among the Council's Feb. 21 "consent calendar" (multiple items designated for single-vote approval unless a Councilmember pulls an item for individual discussion.) Any Councilmember could have pulled the item for discussion (including Councilman Supernaw, absent on the vote but present at the meeting's opening roll call.) None did.

As a result, the City of Long Beach (ultimately meaning LB taxpayers) will be obligied to comply with whatever the Council just authorized management to sign, without showing their taxpaying constituents (or media outlets.) [To our knowledge, LBREPORT.com is the only LB media outlet that reported in detail on the scheduled "consent calendar" action prior to the Council meeting.]

[Scroll down for further.]

On Feb. 22, news broke that Budapest, Hungary had withdrawn its bid to host the games...leaving only Paris and Los Angeles in the running.

An agendizing memo for the Feb. 21 agenda item described the documents for which Council authority was sought as "certain application documents" that LA 2024 requires the City to execute "including, without limitation, documents relating to venue availability, advertising, and security" for events in the City of Long Beach.

The Fiscal Impact section of management's agendizing memo states:

If the City of Los Angeles is awarded the 2024 Olympic Bid, the City of Long Beach may incur staffing and venue expenses associated with participation in the Olympic Games. Should the City be expected to incur any costs, the City will work with LA 2024 in pursuing full-cost-recovery. Any contracts related to the 2024 Olympic Bid exceeding $100,000 will be brought forward for City Council approval and will include an identified funding source, if needed. If the Olympic Games come to this region, there will be new jobs created, which are directly related to the venues chosen within the city of Long Beach.

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On September 20, 2016, the Council voted 8-0 (Mungo absent) to approve joining L.A.'s 2024 pitch for the Olympic Games ("to enter into an agreement with the LA 2024 Exploratory Committee to host a portion of the 2024 Olympic Games at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center area, adjacent waterfront, and other possible areas throughout Long Beach.") At that time, no Councilmembers asked questions about potential costs, although some sought a report on predicted "economic impact." The item as agendized didn't disclose the proposed agreement's terms, didn't propose a limit on potential LB taxpayer exposure and included management's stated expectation that current and future Councils would set aside LB taxpayer sums annually [that could otherwise presumably provide city services] to create a "reserve" at some level not publicly indicated to cover potential exposures.

[Sept. 20, 2016 "Fiscal Impact" test] ...If Los Angeles is awarded the Olympic Games bid for 2024, the City of Long Beach may incur unknown staffing and venue costs associated with its participation. City staff will work with LA 2024 to pursue full cost recovery. If the City is expected to incur nonreimbursable costs, staff will return to the City Council at a later date for direction. It is envisioned that the City would establish a reserve fund, to which funds would be added over the next eight years to cover any costs not covered by LA 2024. If Los Angeles is selected to host the Olympic Games, it is anticipated that new jobs will be created, which are directly related to the venues chosen within the City of Long Beach.

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Assistant City Manager Tom Modica stated verbally during the Sept. 20 Council meeting:

We expect, as noted in your staff report, that the cost of the venues would be offset by the Olympic committee; they would essentially pay for the cost associated with those and then if there was any cost that aren't going to be recovered, we would come back to the City Council at a later date...[I]f we are selected next September 2017, we would essentially be talking more in specificity and costs and what that would look like in our city...

In its Sept. 20 agendizing memo, city management stated:

The LA 2024 Exploratory Committee (LA 2024) is working on a bid to bring the 2024 Olympic Games to the Los Angeles area. The bid package will focus on several possible host cities throughout the Los Angeles region, highlighting each. Long Beach has been chosen as one of the locations to hold several sporting events. These events will potentially attract 500,000 or more visitors to the City, and will receive national and international media coverage. Long Beach has served as a location for the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games, and has had significant success in hosting large scale events, and has the infrastructure, location and tourism industry in place to make the Olympic Games a success. In addition to the Olympic Games, LA 2024 would also use Long Beach to host Paralympic Games immediately following the Olympic Games.

LA 2024 will create a transformative Olympic and Paralympic Games utilizing our City's ideal climate, its unparalleled culture of creativity and innovation, and its youthful energy to reimagine a New Games for a New Era. The bid will focus on existing venues, which allows for more focus on the athletes. The region's dependable year-round weather and clean air are ideal for Olympic and Paralympic sporting activities. LA 2024 requires that the City execute a venue use guarantee, which will guarantee the availability of certain City-owned venues for use in the Olympic Games. Major terms and conditions of the use of such venues shall be negotiated and evidenced by a future Venue Use Agreement, if Los Angeles is selected as host...

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On Sept. 22, two days after receiving the LB Council's voted approval, LA2024 issued a release (including the image below) indicating that if it gets the Games, shoreline Long Beach will be the site of six Olympics events: five in downtown LB, one in Belmont Shore.

Image accompanied LA2024 Sept. 22 release

The LB Olympic venues would be:

• Handball at downtown LB Arena for competition, Convention Ctr. for warm-up/production space

• BMX and Water Polo in temporary facility along the downtown LB waterfront

• Marathon Swimming and Triathlon along downtown LB waterfront (using existing IndyCar Series Grand Prix race course [LA2024 release text] "to minimize disruption to the community"

• Sailing along the LB Belmont Pier.

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Long Beach was a venue for some Olympic events in 1932 and 1984. LB's 1984 Olympic events were Archery @ El Dorado Park; Volleyball @ the LB Arena; Fencing @ LB Convention Center and Sailing @ the Shoreline Marina (built downtown to host the competition.) In 1932, LB hosted rowing at Marine Stadium (created/dredged in 1925 with further dredging for the 1932 games; the only facility built specifically for L.A.'s 1932 Olympics was the Swimming Stadium.)

TV ratings for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics were down significantly from the 2012 London Games. Some critics contend that the Olympics as now conducted focus too heavily on corporate sponsorships and advertising contracts instead of amateur athletics.