LA City Council Unanimously Votes for Reevaluation of Casey Wasserman’s LA28 Leadership

The L.A. City Council unanimously passed a resolution Friday calling for a “thorough and transparent review” of Casey Wasserman‘s LA28 leadership as fallout from his ties to Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell continues.

The resolution stops short of calling for the embattled media mogul’s resignation as chairman of the LA28 board, but it is intended to pressure the board and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to further investigate and consider Wasserman’s Olympics future.

“Be it further resolved, that the City Council expresses concern regarding the potential conflict between the Olympic movement’s values and Casey Wasserman’s association with the Epstein files, and calls for a thorough and transparent review of his involvement in the ongoing investigations into these matters,” the resolution reads.

The resolution also urges Olympics organizers “to ensure that all leadership roles are held by individuals who consistently reflect the Olympic movement’s commitment to integrity, accountability, and respect for all people.”

Introduced by Councilmember Monica Rodriguez on Feb. 11, the resolution passed Friday with a 12-0 vote in the absnse of City Council members Bob Blumenfield, Adrin Nazarian and Curren Price.

The vote was delayed a week without explanation. It comes after Councilwoman Rodriguez introduced a resolution calling for a “thorough and transparent review” of Wasserman’s past connections to both Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Those connections were brought into the national spotlight this year when the DOJ released email correspondences between Wasserman and Maxwell.

Wasserman has expressed regret for his relationships with Maxwell and Epstein but also insisted they began before the duo’s sex trafficking crimes were public knowledge. Rodriguez’s resolution, notably, was never designed to dictate Wasserman’s Olympics future. Instead, it was intended to provide a formal opinion from the City Council regarding the concerns surrounding the potential conflict between Wasserman’s Epstein ties and Olympic values.

The LA28 Executive Committee has consistently expressed public support for Wasserman in the face of widespread calls for his removal. The committee pointed to an independent review that was conducted into Wasserman’s Epstein connections, which found that his interactions with the child sex trafficker “did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented.”

The committee’s support has not detoured Wasserman’s public detractors, which include Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, from calling for him to step down. Thousands of activists signed a petition in February echoing those calls.

Ahead of the Friday vote, Elisa Batista, the Campaign Director of UltraViolet Action, a national women-led gender-justice organization, made it clear it was the group’s belief that Wasserman did not “deserve” to stay on as LA28 Organizing Chairman.

“This vote is just the latest example of Angelenos speaking out, loud and clear, against sexual violence and rape culture,” Batista said Friday. “We do not want someone affiliated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell representing the city of Los Angeles, let alone the entire country, on one of the world’s largest stages.”

“The leadership of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics should be free from any association with individuals connected to a child sexual abuse and trafficking operation—both morally and practically, given how critical these games are to Los Angeles and the entire country,” Batista’s statement continued. “Holding a position like Olympic Chairman is a privilege, not a right, and Wasserman does not deserve that right.”

“Any excuses for keeping Casey Wasserman on the board are empty and a slap in the face to survivors everywhere,” Batista concluded. “Our local leaders have the opportunity to levy real consequences on one of Epstein’s enablers. For the survivors of Epstein and Maxwell’s sexual abuse—and for our city’s integrity—we need to make sure they do.”

Friday’s vote is just one part of the wider, ongoing fallout of Wasserman’s name appearing multiple times in the Epstein Files. In the wake of the files’ release, a number of prominent musical artists, including Chappell Roan, Imagine Dragons, Dropkick Murphys, Sylvan Esso, Weyes Blood, Gigi Perez, Orville Peck and others, all publicly announced their exits as clients of Wasserman’s sports marketing and talent agency.

In response, Wasserman announced he had started the process to sell the agency, which has since been rebranded as The Team, and would be stepping back from his representation duties altogether.

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