Opinion: L.A. isn’t Paris. But here’s what readers say we can do to prepare for the 2028 Olympics

Los Angeles isn’t very pretty. Paris is. It seems now, with Summer Olympics coming here next, we’re realizing that.

I know, I know: What makes Los Angeles interesting and beautiful is entirely different from what makes places such as Paris and Tokyo and other global centers stand out. People from here understand and accept that. So let’s get something out of the way: L.A. can’t match Paris as the postcard-perfect, charming Olympic host. That city starred in the 2024 Games in a way that our humble metropolis cannot.

But there is work to do to get L.A. ready for the 2028 Games. Since the Paris Olympics ended two weeks ago, The Times has published several articles and letters on how this city can ready itself up for the global spectacle in four years — not just for the athletes and visitors, but also for the roughly 18 million people who live in the area and must still go about their lives.

Readers have offered their suggestions, including improving transportation, the housing situation and all-around cleanliness. Here is some of what they’ve written.

— Paul Thornton, letters editor

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To the editor: I’ve been to Paris once. Even though trash bags piled up and graffiti marred historic structures, the city was beautiful. It has a long and incredible history reflected in its buildings and well-used Metro system.

Los Angeles is not beautiful. I’ve lived here all my life, and I wonder why L.A. does not have more parks and trees. Streets and freeways are congested; parkways are not maintained, allowing trash, dead trees and brush to accumulate; and sidewalks are broken. Certain sections of Los Angeles — namely, where the well-heeled live — are in better shape.

Visitors will have a rude landing if LAX is their first introduction to the city. To cut down on car congestion, Olympic attendees may take Metro — or will they? That system leaves a lot to be desired.

The biggest issue is homelessness. The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Grants Pass ruling and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order on clearing encampments portend less attention paid to actually housing those who sleep on public streets and in parks. Instead they will be shooed away and left to wander. That is not a solution.

RV dwellers need 24/7 lots to park, get a shower, empty their hazmat fluids and stay off streets. RV dwellers are living in their home, so impounding their vehicles means that the city is actually removing someone’s home. The city needs to make more space available to them.

It’s important to make parks accessible to families and children, instead of letting unhoused people sleep rough in parks. It’s imperative that folks without a home get housed.

L.A. has a heavy lift. So get out those paint cans, hire beautification teams, power-wash the streets, fix LAX and show compassion for those without a home by giving them a place to live with dignity.

Jane Demian, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I enjoyed reading ideas for making the 2028 Games truly reflective of L.A. I agreed with many of the suggestions, although I don’t think an open-flame cauldron at the Griffith Observatory or the torch being taken up and down forest trails makes sense or sends the correct message about wildfire danger.

Can I add an idea? It doesn’t tell an L.A. story, but it would celebrate and honor the city: Clean up the trash that lines our freeways, off-ramps and city streets and sits rotting in roadside landscaping. It must amount to mountains of trash, and it’s a civic embarrassment.

We’re beyond using the pandemic to excuse this city-wide eyesore.

Anita Nitta, Manhattan Beach

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To the editor: Can any other Olympics match what the French delivered during the Paris Games?

That city may have set the bar too high: wide boulevards, beautiful parks and outstanding competition venues. Come on, beach volleyball under the iconic Eiffel Tower and dressage at Versailles!

Then there was the location. Paris is easily accessible with train service and very good highways to the city.

Even though the early days of the 2024 Games saw rain, it didn’t appear to dampen the spirits or the fun of tens of thousands of visitors. August heat in Paris is nothing compared to 100 degrees in Southern California and possibly smoke-filled skies.

Nope, L.A., you will never have a chance.

David Kahn, Scottsdale, Ariz.

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To the editor: It’s hard to compete with Paris, an architecturally rich city with much beauty and grace.

I found all of that lacking in their first and second esoteric attempt to impress the world with their creativity in their opening and closing ceremonies: an elevating piano, a golden bug costume, gymnastics around the Olympic rings that took forever to elevate, and a floor design that only symbolically represented the continents of the globe.

I, for one, was not impressed. It was interesting but not impressive.

The city of Paris is what dominated the Olympics, not any of the special programming. We can look forward to some spectacular Hollywood showmanship in Los Angeles — we know how to do that.

Linda Jackson Bradshaw, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Many older adults would love to attend the Olympics in Los Angeles, but mobility and ticket costs might be prohibitive. I suggest to the organizers that this event be senior-friendly and accessible.

By 2028, 30% of the California population will be 65 years or older. Another priority might also honor those seniors who are veterans, retired as first responders, or were teachers who educated our children.

Many countries revere older adults, but no hosting country has recognized and worked to make its Games truly accessible for seniors.

Let’s show the world that we not only produce great athletes, but also honor those who have contributed to that lifetime effort by having a senior-friendly 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Gene Dorio, M.D., Santa Clarita

The writer is a geriatric physician.

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To the editor: I lived in Orange County during the last L.A. Olympics in 1984, and I remember being asked to stay off the freeways because of the anticipated influx of thousands of people. I drove up to see the Games and, to my surprise, many freeways were almost empty because residents were going out of their way to avoid them.

Would that happen now? People have changed since 1984, but it certainly worked well then.

Good luck to Los Angeles. I am sure the 2028 Games will be impressive.

Olive Bray, Sarasota, Fla.