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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday that outgoing City Council member Paul Krekorian will be the City’s Executive Director of the Office of Major Events, effective on Monday, 9 December, after his Council term expires.
Per the announcement:
“In this role, Council President Emeritus Krekorian will coordinate City departments and engage external stakeholders – working to ensure the 2028 Games and other major events create positive economic impacts for the City and advance other crucial priorities to make sure all Angelenos benefit from these coming opportunities.
“This appointment represents a new phase of preparations ahead of major events and will come into effect on Monday, December 9th, after Krekorian completes his 15 years of service on the Los Angeles City Council.
“‘President Emeritus Krekorian’s expertise and leadership are both vital as we evolve our readiness for the major events Los Angeles will host in the coming years,’ said Mayor Bass.
“‘When we met with officials from Paris, they stressed the importance of pulling the entire city together to make sure all City departments were aligned and operating under the same vision. President Krekorian is uniquely positioned to do just that – drawing on his decades of experience handling local and statewide budgets and firsthand institutional knowledge of city government as well as the Olympic bid process. Today marks a new phase of urgent preparations for Los Angeles. Thank you President Krekorian for partnering with me to create a Games for all.’”
Bass added, in comments to the Los Angeles Times, “We need a point person” on the Olympics. “We have to get ready, and I feel like we’re running a little bit behind.”
Krekorian, 64, has been the District 2 Council member since 2010, elected first as an interim member, then elected in 2011 and 2015 and now termed out. He previously served as a California State Assembly member from 2006-10.
He has been widely known as a budget hawk on the City Council and headed the Budget and Finance Committee for several years. As a member of the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, he was at the ready with questions about money, spending and forecasts. He was a lawyer in private practice, dealing with business, entertainment and intellectual property issues prior to winning his Assembly seat.
He is also well respected by his fellow Council members, elected as President of the Council from October 2022 to September 2024.
Said Krekorian:
“As I conclude my service on the City Council, I know how much more work needs to be done ahead of the 2028 Games. I’m honored that Mayor Bass is entrusting me to lead preparations for major events coming to Los Angeles and to deliver a successful 2028 Games to Angelenos and visitors from around the world.”
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