L.A., Bay Area Consider Joint Bid To Bring 2024 Olympics To California
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/AP) -- With Boston out of the bidding, the dream of the 2024 Olympic games in California could still become a reality.
Los Angeles officials have reached out to the Bay Area in an effort to bring the 2024 Olympics to California.
The hopes of both Los Angeles and the Bay Area were dashed when the U.S. Olympic Committee chose to put Boston forward as America's bid for the 2024 Games.
Now that Boston has dropped out of the running, there's talk of a joint bid here on the West Coast.
KCBS and Chronicle insider Phil Matier reports in Tuesday's Matier and Ross column that the leader of L.A.'s Olympic bid effort contacted San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer Tuesday to discuss the idea of a joint proposal.
Baer, who led the Bay Area bid for the games, told the paper he's open to discussing the possibilities.
"I'm not saying we are going to do it, but we are certainly open to discussing it," Baer said, according to the newspaper.
The Games would be split between stadiums and arenas in both Southern and Northern California.
Los Angeles hosted the Olympic games in 1932 and 1984, and is currently hosting the Special Olympics World Games.
Boston backed out when the city's mayor, Marty Walsh announced Monday that he wouldn't sign any document "that puts one dollar of taxpayer money on the line for one penny of overruns on the Olympics." He said he refuses to "mortgage the city away."
According to the L.A. Times article, the U.S. Olympic Committee wants to submit a bid for the 2024 Olympics by the September 15 deadline, but so far, no official announcement has been made.
"We will brief the media on our progress towards a decision later in August, and we will not have any public statements on the subject of a possible bid until then," USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said in a statement Monday.