Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday, July 14. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

City of Los Angeles placed squarely at center of 2028 Olympics

Though the 2024 Paris Olympics start in less than two weeks, local excitement has been building as the LA28 organizing committee has announced the venues hosting events for the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Los Angeles will be home to eight of the 19 events disclosed Friday, followed by Long Beach (seven) and Carson (four).

“We’re very proud to bring the Games to many of our vibrant and diverse communities,” LA28 chief athlete officer Janet Evans said in a statement. “The venues in these cities are world-class.”

The venues for other premier events were announced in June, and included selections such as The Coliseum for track and field and the former Staples Center, now called the Crypto.com Arena, for gymnastics. There was also a switch to move swimming into SoFi Stadium and some controversy over hosting softball nearly 1,400 miles east in Oklahoma City.

Not enough love for Los Angeles?

There was some concern prior to Friday’s announcements that the Los Angeles Olympics wasn’t LA enough, with venues in Inglewood and surrounding communities picked to host a slew of competitions.

“I’m just going to say it because it’s true: We aren’t getting enough events,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, whose district includes Sylmar, Pacoima and North Hills.

The latest announcement spread more competitions around Los Angeles.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Riviera County Club will host golf

Riviera in Pacific Palisades was an obvious choice for golf, having hosted the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship.

It also has international appeal perhaps best summed up by Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama. The former Masters champion shot a sizzling 62 to capture the Genesis Invitational hosted at Riviera in February.

“To win here at Riviera was one of my goals since I became a pro, and after Tiger Woods became the host that goal became a lot bigger,” Matsuyama said. “ The owner [Noboru Watanabe] is Japanese and I’ve known him a long time. I’m disappointed I couldn’t take a picture with Tiger today.”

The Riviera’s selection for the Olympics marks the second straight summer of big news for the country club. In June 2023, Riviera was picked to host the 2031 U.S. Open.

Downtown Figueroa Corridor to host another seven events

In June, the organizing committee selected the Crypto.com arena to host gymnastics.

An additional seven events will take place within biking distance of the arena.

Fencing, judo, table tennis, taekwondo and wrestling are slated for the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Weightlifting will be held at the Peacock Theater in L.A. Live, and badminton will be a few miles down Figueroa Boulevard at USC’s Galen Center.

More venues within city limits are expected to be announced in the months ahead.

“The city of Los Angeles will host more Olympic sports than anywhere else,” said Evans, a four-time gold medalist in swimming.

For more information on the events and venues, check out reporter David Wharton’s article on the most recent Games selections.

The week’s biggest stories

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

(Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Trump assassination attempt

Crime, courts and policing

Weather, Fires and Environment

Entertainment News

Pets and Wildlife

Housing

Transportation

More big stories

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Column One

Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and longform journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:

(Majority World/Universal Images Group via Getty)

In late June, as a group of mountaineers descended a treacherous glacier high in the Peruvian Andes, they spotted a dark, out-of-place lump resting on the blinding white snow. When they approached, they realized it wasn’t a rock, as they had initially assumed. It was a corpse.

More great reads

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For your weekend

(Illustration by Lindsey Made This; photo from Tyrell Redd)

Going out

Staying in

L.A. Affairs

Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.

(Ezgi Arslan / For The Times)

I’m walking home when a man, who’s graying and handsome, stops me. “Excuse me,” he says. “You’re gorgeous.” I’m not hallucinating. The fairy tale has come true; my prince has arrived. It’s the giddy 12-year-old in me who says thank you. It’s also the current me, with all the weight of my 49 years, who gives him my number and tells him to text me by Wednesday so we can have dinner on Friday.

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team

Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Phil Willon, assistant news editor

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