The delegation includes Council President Paul Krekorian, Councilmember Traci Park, Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, LA Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, LA84 Foundation President and CEO Renata Simril and Priscilla Cheng, Senior Vice President for Government Relations at LA28. 

"The city of Los Angeles must be ready to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This trip is critical to that preparation, while generating business development and learning from innovative housing, green transportation and infrastructure projects," Bass said in a statement.

As the Mayor of Los Angeles, the host city for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Mayor Bass has been invited to play an official role alongside Paris Mayor Hidalgo at the Closing Ceremony of Paris 2024. 

"If we wait until the opening ceremony to be in Paris, we will miss a critical opportunity to learn from the city of Paris as it prepares to host the world this summer, and this trip will allow us to dive deep into the Olympic and Paralympic planning process to generate growth for Los Angeles," added the mayor.

On the theme of green infrastructure and transport, Bass and the delegation visited Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, as well as a visit to the newly opened Athletes' Village outside Paris, to learn more about its community-focused redevelopment. 

Unlike Paris, Los Angeles will not be building an Athletes' Village from scratch, as it will be located on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in the summer of 2028. Los Angeles wants to use the Olympics to improve public transport and tackle homelessness.

In addition to visiting the future Olympic Village, Mayor Bass met with Mayor Mathieu Hanotin of Saint-Denis and Mayor Karim Bouamrane of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, emphasising a regional approach so that all cities can benefit from the Olympic Games.

Mayor Bass also signed an agreement with the Mayor of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, Karim Bouamrane, in the run-up to the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. The aim is to formalise cooperation on shared priorities in the areas of youth, the environment, sport and culture, as well as to share knowledge from Paris 2024.

"We have made real connections that will bring ideas and investment to Los Angeles. I would like to thank Mayor Mathieu Hanotin of Saint-Denis for sharing with us the transformative projects underway in his community and Mayor Karim Bouamrane of Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine for our new partnership and the great introduction to his city. I appreciate the warm welcome and the opportunity to learn about their ongoing plans for Paris 2024 and its legacy," said Mayor Bass.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that they are working to address homelessness and housing ahead of the 2028 Olympics. The delegation saw first-hand what the Paris government is doing in terms of housing, justice and resources for their communities.

The delegation visited a drop-in centre for homeless women at Paris City Hall and La Fabrique de la Solidarité, which specialises in the distribution of basic necessities and support for the elderly. In the Californian megalopolis, around 75,000 people are homeless in the city and its suburbs, according to a census conducted in January 2023.

They were briefed on how Paris intends to tackle this issue in the coming months. "As our delegation prepares for the Olympic Games, we must consider how we can best serve the most vulnerable populations in Los Angeles," said Mayor Karen Bass.

The delegation toured the Adidas Arena or Porte de La Chapelle Arena, a new 8,000-seat sports and concert venue for the 2024 Games. It will be used for badminton, rhythmic gymnastics, para-badminton and para-powerlifting during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The delegation joined Jean-Marie Tritant, CEO of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, to see first-hand how Westfield plans to activate its partnership during the Paris 2024 Games by visiting one of its retail sites. The first Summer Olympics to be held in the United States since Atlanta in 1996 will begin in Los Angeles on 14 July.