Imperfect Paradise: Money, politics and power: Casey Wasserman remains head of LA28 Olympics despite connections to Jeffrey Epstein. What does this mean for Olympics planning?
From California City by LAist Studios
February 20, 2026 · 22 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of Casey Wasserman's connections to Jeffrey Epstein and the pressure for his resignation from the LA28 Olympics planning committee.
LA 2028 Olympics head Casey Wasserman is facing growing pressure to resign from his post after recently released Epstein files revealed emails Wasserman exchanged with Ghislaine Maxwell. The board behind LA28 — the private planning committee in charge of organizing the 2028 Games — has voted to keep Wasserman at the group’s helm, despite many city officials calling for his resignation, including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. LAist reporter Libby Rainey has been tracking the Olympics and joins Imperfect Paradise to discuss what power the mayor has to remove Wasserman, the relationship between the city and LA28 and what it means if Wasserman does step down. Disclosure: Los Angeles civil rights attorney Connie Rice, who LAist interviewed for this story, is a Life Trustee of LAist. Grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.
People in this episode
Guest: Libby Rainey
Topics covered
- LA28 Olympics
- Casey Wasserman
- Ghislaine Maxwell
- politics
- resignation pressure
- city officials
- Olympics planning
Keywords
- LA28
- Casey Wasserman
- Ghislaine Maxwell
- Olympics
- resignation
- politics
- Los Angeles
Sponsors
SHOPIFY, Gordon and Dona Crawford
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: LA28, LAist
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