Paul Krekorian, who is leaving the Los Angeles City Council due to term limits, will oversee the city’s handling of the 2026 World Cup, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other large events.
Mayor Karen Bass tapped Krekorian, who leaves office on Sunday and previously served as council president, to be executive director of the city’s Office of Major Events.
In that post, he will ensure that the Olympics and other sporting events provide “positive economic impacts for the city,” Bass’ office said.
Bass’ office didn’t respond to a request about Krekorian’s salary in the new role.
The veteran city lawmaker will serve as the primary liaison between Bass’ office and LA28, the private group organizing and paying for the Games. He will coordinate with city departments, work with the business community and oversee an effort to beef up the city’s transportation networks.
City leaders are hoping that the Games will boost tourism and the regional economy.
During the 2024 Summer Games, Paris saw a surge of visitors but also a dramatic fall-off in business for some shops and museums because of security restrictions that closed off parts of the city, according to the Associated Press.
City officials want the incoming Trump administration to pay for billions of dollars worth of transportation improvements ahead of the Games, though there is no clear indication that it will.
Bass, Krekorian and other city and county officials visited Paris earlier this year to study that city’s preparations.
“When we met with officials from Paris, they stressed the importance of pulling the entire city together to make sure all city departments were aligned and operating under the same vision,” Bass said in a statement, adding that “Krekorian is uniquely positioned” to lead that effort.
Bass pointed to Krekorian’s decades of experience handling city and state finances. Elected to the council in 2009, Krekorian led the powerful Budget and Finance Committee for several years, helping the city emerge from the 2008 recession and weather the economic shocks created by COVID-19.
The city is taking on a significant financial risk by hosting the Olympic Games. If the Olympics fail to bring in enough money, the city will be on the hook for the first $270 million and potentially millions more, according to an agreement reached several years ago.
At the same time, the city has limited power when it comes to the Olympics and Paralympics. The City Council can vote on venue changes, and LA28 will reimburse the city for some services, but the planning and execution of the events falls to LA28.
Krekorian, who was elected council president in 2022 and represents part of the San Fernando Valley, said earlier this year that he remains confident that the L.A. Olympics will be economically successful.
On Thursday, in a statement, he said he would work with Bass to “deliver the 2028 Games in a way that benefits everyone.”
Last month, Krekorian expressed worry about the election of Trump, who has repeatedly attacked California over its left-leaning policies. Krekorian said at the time that he was anticipating “four difficult years for our city on multiple levels, not least of which is our access to federal funding for different programs, and preparations for the Olympics.”
Trump announced Wednesday on Truth Social that he is nominating television commentator and former assistant treasury secretary Monica Crowley as the administration’s representative for “major U.S. hosted events,” including the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.