Mayor Bass Urges LA28 Chair Wasserman to Step Down Over Past Controversies

2026-02-18 politics

Los Angeles, Wednesday, 18 February 2026.
Challenging the board’s recent vote of confidence, Mayor Bass publicly urged Chairman Wasserman to resign over past ties to Ghislaine Maxwell, signaling deepening governance instability for the 2028 Games.

Political Intervention Shakes Olympic Leadership

The governance of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics faces a critical stress test following a direct intervention by the city’s highest official. On Monday, February 16, 2026, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass explicitly called for the resignation of Casey Wasserman, the chairman of the LA28 Organizing Committee [3][4][6]. Speaking in an interview on CNN, Mayor Bass stated that while she lacks the legal authority to fire Wasserman, her position is that he should step down to protect the integrity of the Games [1][8]. This declaration marks a significant escalation in the controversy, as Bass characterized the LA28 Board’s decision to retain Wasserman as “unfortunate” and publicly withdrew her support for their conclusion [2][3].

A Board Divided

The Mayor’s comments stand in sharp contrast to the actions of the organizing body’s leadership. Just days prior, on February 12, 2026, the LA28 Executive Committee—a subset of the organization’s 35-member board—conducted a review of Wasserman’s conduct and issued a vote of confidence, determining he should remain as chair [3][4]. The board based its decision on an investigation by outside counsel O’Melveny & Myers LLP, which concluded that Wasserman’s interactions with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell did not extend beyond what had already been publicly documented [3][8]. Despite this internal support, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has largely deferred to the local board regarding Wasserman’s future, creating a vacuum of external oversight that the Mayor has now attempted to fill [1].

The Roots of the Controversy

The pressure on Wasserman stems from documents released by the Department of Justice on January 30, 2026, which revealed historical ties to convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell [6]. The disclosures included email correspondence from 2003—dating back 23 years—in which Wasserman engaged in personal communication with Maxwell [2][6]. Additionally, Wasserman has acknowledged taking a flight on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane in 2002 during a humanitarian trip to Africa with the Clinton Foundation [8]. While Wasserman has apologized, stating he “deeply regrets” the correspondence and maintaining that he had no relationship with Epstein, the revelations have proven toxic in the current political climate [1][6].

Mounting Political and Commercial Pressure

Mayor Bass is not acting in isolation; her statement follows a wave of local political dissent. Earlier in February, at least 10 Los Angeles-area politicians, including one-third of the City Council and County Supervisor Janice Hahn, formally urged Wasserman to resign, arguing that his continued presence distracts from the athletes and the event’s preparation [3][8]. The controversy has also forced significant commercial restructuring. In an effort to insulate the Olympic committee from the scandal, Wasserman announced on February 10, 2026, that he would sell his sports marketing and talent agency, a firm employing roughly 4,000 staff members [6]. However, with the Mayor now publicly opposing his leadership, it remains unclear whether divesting his business interests will be sufficient to save his position at the helm of the $7 billion Games [3][6].

Sources

Olympics Governance