The City of Santa Monica has taken the first steps to create what it’s calling the "Celebrate28 initiative" by inviting relevant members of City staff, along with key community leaders and business representatives "to play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of our city in preparation for this global event."
According to the City, there will be a total of nine separate committees and they "will serve as the driving force to define goals, set milestones, and determine resource needs essential for Santa Monica’s successful participation in the LA28 Olympics."
Committee members will "be at the forefront of decision-making, contributing your expertise to ensure Santa Monica’s involvement in the Olympics is not just memorable but also impactful."
Communications & Public Information Officer for the City of Santa Monica Lauren Howland told the Daily Press, "This effort is in the very early stages, so we don’t have a lot to share quite yet. We haven’t started the meetings yet and have only done initial outreach to the participants, who are primarily city staff and key community stakeholders."
Some of Santa Monica’s most important planners, organizers and business representatives have been asked to join select committees, including Police Chief Ramon Batista, Executive Director at the Santa Monica Pier Corporation Jim Harris and Downtown Santa Monica Inc. CEO Andrew Thomas and Operations & Placemaking Director Jeremy Ferguson.
"As an interdepartmental effort, Celebrate28 is being led by the City Manager’s Office and aims to ensure that the city and our partners are prepared for this major global event to come to our city," Howland said, adding, "It is largely an internal planning effort to coordinate with the departments that will have the most involvement in the events."
According to the City, each member can expect to:
• Participate in regular committee meetings where ideas are shared, progress is tracked, and strategies are developed and executed
• Collaborate with fellow committee members to outline clear objectives and milestones that align with Santa Monica’s values and vision for the LA28 Olympics and a plan for achieving them
• Identify the resources necessary to accomplish your committee’s goals and advocate for their allocation in alignment with the City’s annual budget process
• Clearly define roles and responsibilities and take actionable steps to execute your committee’s plan
"As with everything we do as a city, all major decisions, particularly those involving monetary impact, will be made in line with council direction. The City Council members have been fully briefed," Howland said.
The 2028 Olympic Games will be spread all across the Los Angeles County area and the vast swathes of Santa Monica sand will be used as the venue for the beach volleyball competition. The concept plan includes a temporary 12,000-seat stadium north of the Pier, plus warm-up and practice courts together with operational and broadcast components in Beach Lot 1 North.
Since the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup final has relocated to New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium as a result of the $5.5 billion SoFi stadium’s pitch being too small, greater emphasis will be placed on the success of the Olympics. As a result, Santa Monica will miss out on the chance for a dry-run-of sorts, not to mention substantial revenue. However, as a small consolation, SoFi will host the USA’s first 2026 match, but only eight games (out of a total 104) will now be played at the Inglewood venue, the highest ranking of which is just one quarterfinal.
