New poll suggests L.A. residents concerned about hosting 2028 Olympics

A grass-roots organization called NOlympics LA released poll results Tuesday stating that 45% of respondents from Los Angeles County and 47% from across California oppose bringing the 2028 Summer Games to Los Angeles.

Those numbers differ markedly from previous polls conducted by the International Olympic Committee and Loyola Marymount that showed between 78% and 83% support for hosting the sporting event.

L.A. initially bid to host the Games in 2024 but agreed to wait four more years when the IOC came forward with an unusual dual award that gave 2024 to Paris.

The LA 28 organizing committee has projected that it can cover $5.3 billion in projected costs and generate a surplus through various sources of revenue including sponsorships, ticket sales and merchandising.

In this week’s NOlympics LA poll, which surveyed 1,000 state and county residents, 32% of county respondents voiced support for hosting the Games and 24% were neutral.

The questions pointed out that city and state governments have agreed to pay as much as $250 million each if the Olympics run over budget, but did not include the organizers’ forecast of a surplus.

By comparison, the earlier polling — which alternately addressed hosting in 2024 and 2028 — did not ask respondents if their support might be influenced by the fact that tax dollars would be put at risk.

david.wharton@latimes.com

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