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2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games / Venues, Facilities, Structures, Sites Exemptions / Planning Approvals / Zoning Regulations / Conditions

Council File 15-0989-S47

Under review — the City Attorney has approved the final Olympics Ordinance draft, which now awaits formal adoption by two committees. Once cleared, it'll need a supermajority vote to take immediate effect and begin streamlining approvals for 2028 Games infrastructure.

Introduced
2024-12-13
Last changed
2026-07-02
Status
open
Expires
2028-07-01
Committee
Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Mover
TRACI PARK
Second
ADRIN NAZARIAN
References
Environmental: ENV-2025-6190-SECase: CPC-2025-6189-CACity Attorney Report: R26-0353

Brief

Councilmember Traci Park's motion, seconded by Adrin Nazarian, proposes sweeping regulatory exemptions for 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games venues, facilities, and sites. The measure would streamline approvals by waiving standard planning, zoning, and environmental review processes. After multiple rounds of committee amendments and community input from neighborhood councils citywide, the full Council adopted the measure 14-0-1 on February 3, 2026. The file remains pending in both the Planning and Land Use Management Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympics, with recent City Attorney input referred to both committees in June 2026.

Full summary

This Council File establishes a new "Olympics Ordinance" that creates temporary exemptions from Los Angeles zoning and planning regulations for projects directly tied to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The underlying motion, introduced by Councilmember Traci Park and seconded by Adrin Nazarian in December 2024, directed the Department of City Planning, the Department of Building and Safety, and the City Attorney's Office to draft an ordinance waiving standard requirements including conditional use permits, site plan review, height restrictions, setbacks, and specific plan limitations for qualifying Olympic projects. The Council's stated rationale was that it could not afford any delays in approving Games infrastructure and that approvals must be expedited to ensure Los Angeles is fully prepared on time. The ordinance went through significant refinement across two years of committee work. The Planning and Land Use Management Committee added provisions in early 2025 clarifying which projects are ineligible, defining the distinction between temporary and permanent infrastructure, establishing a fast-track process for qualifying projects, and requiring notification to affected council offices. When the Los Angeles City Planning Commission reviewed the draft ordinance in January 2026, it recommended adoption with technical modifications and found the measure statutorily exempt from CEQA review under the "Olympic Exemption" applicable to activities necessary for hosting the Games. Crucially, the ordinance specifies that any future conversion of a temporary Olympic facility into a permanent one is itself a new discretionary action requiring full CEQA review, including de novo analysis of elements originally permitted without it. The Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympics added further refinements in January 2026, including requiring the City Attorney's Office as a fourth required City Liaison sign-off on projects. When the full Council adopted the package 14-0-1 on February 3, 2026, it layered on four additional amendments: time and brightness restrictions for digital signs abutting residential neighborhoods (Hernandez - Harris-Dawson); a requirement that City Liaisons present quarterly reports to Council on authorized and proposed-for-conversion projects, along with formal findings for any temporary-to-permanent conversions (Raman - Yaroslavsky); prerequisite requirements for digital signage, a shot-clock for City Liaisons to act, and a bar on non-compliant operators receiving permits under the ordinance (Yaroslavsky - Raman); and a directive to the Office of Finance to study revenue-sharing arrangements related to digital signs (Yaroslavsky - Lee). As of June 2026, the City Attorney has transmitted the final draft ordinance, approved as to form and legality, back to the PLUM and Ad Hoc Committees for formal adoption. The ordinance also includes an urgency clause, meaning it requires a three-fourths Council supermajority to take immediate effect. More than a dozen neighborhood councils submitted community impact statements throughout the process, reflecting citywide interest in how the exemptions will affect local communities. The City Administrative Officer has also been separately tasked with reporting on cost-recovery for staff time and any broader fiscal impact of administering the new ordinance.

Activity (45)

  • 2026-07-02 Department of City Planning document(s) referred to Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games ; Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
  • 2026-07-01 Document submitted by Department of City Planning, dated June 30, 2026.
  • 2026-06-24 City Attorney document(s) referred to Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games ; Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
  • 2026-06-23 Document submitted by City Attorney, dated June 23, 2026.
  • 2026-03-14 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Hollywood Northeast Neighborhood Council.
  • 2026-02-12 Community Impact Statement submitted by Westside Neighborhood Council.
  • 2026-02-06 Council action final.
  • 2026-02-03 Adopted Item 11A Planning and Land Use Committee Report and 11B Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games, as amended by Motions 11C, 11D, 11E, and 11F
  • 2026-01-30 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on February 3, 2026.
  • 2026-01-26 Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games concurred with the January 13, 2026 action taken by the Planning and Land Use Management Committee; approved Amendment (Harris-Dawson – Soto-Martienz); approved Amendment (Rodriguez – Padilla); approved Amendment (Blumenfield – Harris-Dawson).
  • 2026-01-23 Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games scheduled item for committee meeting on January 26, 2026.
  • 2026-01-13 Planning and Land Use Management Committee transmitted Council File to Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games .
  • 2026-01-13 Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved item(s) .
  • 2026-01-09 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on January 13, 2026.
  • 2026-01-08 Los Angeles City Planning Commission document(s) referred to Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games ; Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
  • 2026-01-08 Document submitted by Los Angeles City Planning Commission, dated January 8, 2026.
  • 2026-01-01 Community Impact Statement submitted by Silver Lake Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-12-01 Community Impact Statement submitted by Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-10-17 Community Impact Statement submitted by Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-10-09 Council action final.
  • 2025-10-07 Council adopted item forthwith.
  • 2025-10-03 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on October 7, 2025.
  • 2025-10-03 Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games waived consideration of item .
  • 2025-09-30 Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved as amended .
  • 2025-09-26 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on September 30, 2025.
  • 2025-09-24 Department of City Planning document(s) referred to Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games ; Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
  • 2025-09-24 Document submitted by Department of City Planning, dated September 24, 2025.
  • 2025-07-18 Community Impact Statement submitted by Rampart Village Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-06-20 Community Impact Statement submitted by Studio City Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-05-28 Community Impact Statement submitted by Los Feliz Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-04-15 Community Impact Statement submitted by Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-04-13 Community Impact Statement submitted by Winnetka Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-03-18 City Clerk action final.
  • 2025-03-17 Community Impact Statement submitted by Palms Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-02-28 Council adopted item as amended by Amending Motions 12A, 12B (as amended by Amending Motion 12E), 12C (as amended by Amending Motion 12D), subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
  • 2025-02-25 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on February 28, 2025.
  • 2025-02-21 Council continued item to February 28, 2025 .
  • 2025-02-20 Community Impact Statement submitted by Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-02-14 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on February 21, 2025.
  • 2025-02-13 Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games waived consideration of item .
  • 2025-02-11 Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved as amended .
  • 2025-02-10 Community Impact Statement submitted by Historic Cultural Neighborhood Council.
  • 2025-02-07 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on February 11, 2025.
  • 2025-02-07 Community Impact Statement submitted by North Westwood Neighborhood Council.
  • 2024-12-13 Motion referred to Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games ; Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

Documents (104)

Council votes (1)

  • 2026-02-03 Adopted — 14-0-1 · Regular

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