U.S. Reps. including Maxine Waters, Laura Friedman, Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Judy Chu addressed LA28 transportation concerns. (photo by Senna Omar)

Less than 700 days out from the 2028 Olympics, Los Angeles and state officials gathered at the West Hollywood City Council chambers on Aug. 26 to discuss transportation plans.

L.A. officials are counting on the federal government to subsidize the cost of LA28. Metro has requested approximately $2 billion for the Olympic Games mobility plan. Congress approved only $94.3 million in 2026. If passed by Congress, the United States House bill for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development will approve the use of $875 million to fund public transportation for the 2028 Olympic Games.

“I have to reiterate, Los Angeles may be the physical host of the Olympics, but it is the United States of America that is, in fact, hosting these Olympics,” U.S. Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove said during her opening statement to the panel. “It is truly the obligation of the federal government and this administration to work in partnership with the state, the county and the city to make sure that these games are successful for the fans, for the athletes, for everyone who hopes to experience some touch of Olympic goodness and peace.” 

Kamlager-Dove represents California’s 37th congressional district, which includes the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Exposition Park and the University of Southern California, which will be used during the LA28 games.

U.S. Representatives Laura Friedman, Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, Maxine Waters and Kamlager-Dove questioned panelists from Metro, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, the Santa Monica Department of Transportation and the L.A. Metro chief of police on the plans for transportation in the city for the Olympics.

After the World Cup came to L.A. this summer, transportation officials said they have learned a lot and used the event as a preview of planning for the LA28 games. Officials spent over 18 months planning and coordinating public transit options to mitigate traffic during the World Cup, a strategy they plan to mimic during the Olympics. 

L.A. Metro Chief Customer Experience Officer Jennifer Vides said the World Cup was a success because of the “more than 18 months of planning” leading to the event. They plan to continue operating Games Enhanced Transit Services during the Olympics and expand the transportation capacity of L.A.’s bus fleet by 1,700, nearly doubling the size of the system. Where those buses will come from is still under discussion, but officials said they will most likely borrow them from nearby areas.

Laura Rubio-Cornejo, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, said she wants to use the LA28 Games as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to modernize L.A.’s transit system, making it easier to use not just for visitors but for Angelenos who rely on public transit for daily transportation needs.

If federal funding is not secured for LA28, Friedman vowed to resolve the issue.

“We are going to make it work,” Friedman said. 

But officials are concerned that if the funds are not approved, there will be longer wait times, fewer buses and worse congestion.

“We won’t have an optimal experience for visitors,” Friedman said. “That would be a terrible result, not just for Los Angeles but for the whole nation.”