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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Los Angeles 2028 ● The Los Angeles City Council passed an enormous minimum-wage increase for workers at Los Angeles International Airport and on hotels in the city with 60 or more rooms on 27 May, and signed into law by Mayor Karen Bass, raising wages to not less than $22.50 per hour as of 1 July 2025, then to $25.00 on that date in 2026, $27.50 in 2027 and $30.00 in 2028. Additional fees for health care will be added on top of that, if coverage is not provided by the employer.
The airlines, hotels and airport concessionaires impacted by the new law were unhappy with the actions of the labor-friendly City Council, and on Thursday announced a petition drive to place the ordinance in the ballot.
The L.A. Alliance for Tourism, Jobs and Progress filed a petition for a vote to repeal the new wage structure and will need to obtain 93,000 valid signatures within 30 days to force a referendum. The effort is being significantly funded by Delta Airlines (an LA28 Founding Partner), United Airlines and the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
Hotels, especially, have said the new “Olympic wage” formula will injure their businesses and stifle further hotel development, including properties which would open prior to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
The minimum wage in the City of Los Angeles at present is $17.28, with a higher hotel minimum approved by the City Council in 2014 of $20.32 per hour. For private-sector workers at LAX, the minimum wage includes a $5.95 per hour healthcare benefit and is $25.23 per hour.
● Athletics ● The World Anti-Doping Agency and World Athletics appeals against the exoneration of U.S. Worlds 200 m medalist Erriyon Knighton on a doping charge – he showed some meat he ate was contaminated – has been scheduled for 23-24 June.
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At the California State Track & Field Championships in Clovis, Jurupa Valley transgender jumper AB Hernandez was a co-leader in the girls’ high jump at 5-5, led all qualifiers in the girls’ long jump at 19-11 3/4 and led the triple jump qualifiers at 40-9 3/4.
In each case, one competitor was added to the final via the new rule to allow 12 biological females to advance in events with a transgender advancing.
● Canoe-Kayak ● British canoer Kurts Rozentals, a two-time C-1 silver medalist at the 2023 ICF World U-23 Championships, was suspended in April from the Paddle UK World Class Programme, which paid a stipend of £16,000 (£1 = $1.35 U.S.).
He said the sanction was for his social-media activity on the adult-content OnlyFans site, where he has earned more than £100,000 from the 39 videos and 100 photos he has posted, to support his training effort. He told the BBC:
“I have been posting videos [on Instagram] that are consciously made to be edgy in order to drive conversions to my ‘spicy content page’ [on OnlyFans], to fund this ultimate dream of going to the Olympics.”
He said he should not have to choose between his sport and making enough money to train. Paddle UK said the suspension is temporary and “[t]he investigation has been referred to independent investigation service Sport Integrity.”
● Cycling ● In the key 19th stage at the 108th Giro d’Italia, a misery-inducing five-climb 166 km route that finished at Champoluc, France’s Nicolas Prodhomme tore away from the field 28 km remaining and won going away in 4:50:35.
Behind him was a duel for the race lead, with Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro hanging right with challenger Richard Carapaz (ECU), a celebrated climber, and getting to the line for second, 58 seconds behind. With the time bonus, Del Toro has an 0:43 lead on Carapaz with Saturday’s climbing stage to Sestriere between him and an upset Grand Tour win.
● Swimming ● Indianapolis TV station WRTV (ABC) reported Friday that the 2028 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials will again be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, as in 2024.
The facility offered up to 30,000 seats per session and records for swimming attendance were set twice during the 2024 Trials, with a high of 22,209 for the evening session on 22 June.
The 2024 Trials had a total attendance of 285,202 or an average of 16,777 per session, and reportedly cleared $5 million for USA Swimming.
The 2025 USA Swimming national championships start Tuesday at the Indianapolis University Natatorium.
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