Bass urges unity as L.A. readies for 2028 Games

Mayor Karen Bass, delivering the first of two State of the City addresses planned this year, urged Angelenos on Monday to come together ahead of the 2028 Olympics while announcing a push to clean up Los Angeles' busiest streets in the run-up to the Games.

- BY NOAH GOLDBERG

RONALDO BOLANOS Los Angeles Times

MAYOR Karen Bass delivers her State of the City address, outlining plans to clean up major corridors in the run-up to the Olympics.

The mayor spoke at the Expo Center in Exposition Park in front of hundreds of city workers and political leaders. A second address is planned for April.

After the UCLA and USC marching bands welcomed the mayor, she fittingly homed in on a theme of unity as the region prepares to host the World Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Super Bowl, among other events.

She also said Angelenos needed to unite in the face of immigration raids, the homelessness crisis and the fires that burned in the city last year.

"Even in this difficult chapter in our history, great events-moments of unity - are possible. And they are coming," Bass said.

"As we prepare for ... the greatest Olympic and Paralympic Games in history - we will continue to focus on the fundamentals, the things that shape how a city feels to the people who live here and the millions who will visit," Bass said.