Transportation, homelessness and female empowerment will be on the agenda in Paris Friday as Mayor Karen Bass leads a delegation of Los Angeles officials hoping to learn from their European counterparts as the cities prepare to host the next two Summer Olympics.
Bass, City Council President Paul Krekorian, council members Traci Park and Katy Yaroslavsky, Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, LA84 Foundation President and CEO Renata Simril and Priscilla Cheng, senior vice president for government relations at LA28, traveled to Paris on Wednesday for the five-day trip.
Friday’s scheduled events are as follows:
— Briefings from Paris officials about their preparations to maximize public transportation, increase safety, generate economic development and create lasting positive impact from the Games and the millions of visitors expected to arrive in Paris this summer.
— In honor of International Women’s Day, Bass will participate in a conference and luncheon hosted by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, with panel discussions featuring women leaders and advocates. Bass will join Hidalgo, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, Mauritanian political leader Fatimatou Abdel Malick and Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh in “conversation about their journeys to elected office.”
— The delegation will tour La Fabrique de la Solidarité to learn about Paris’ homelessness response strategy. La Fabrique specializes in distribution of basic necessities and support for seniors, and provides training courses for volunteers, coordinates donations of money, clothes and other supplies, and provides information and resources for members of the unhoused community. The delegation will join the Paris Homelessness Assistance Unit to learn more about their unhoused outreach efforts in Paris ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
— Meeting with Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, French minister of sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Oudéa-Castéra is the first woman and first former athlete to hold her position.
— Some members of the delegation will visit Paris’ temporary Media Center at Carreau du Temple, which will host hundreds of non-accredited media covering the 2024 Games.
On Thursday, Bass said they talked about possible investments made by French companies in Paris that could be replicated in Los Angeles.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to engage with Business France and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield CEO Jean-Marie Tritant to witness firsthand the collaborative nature of businesses and consumer engagement during major events,” Bass said in a statement. “We are working urgently to ensure that Los Angeles will grow economically during the 2028 games and that our small businesses will grow and thrive past the 2028 games.”
The delegation arrived in Paris and met with U.S. Ambassador Denise Bauer. The group also received a safety briefing from embassy officials.
Bass previously served as a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs for 12 years, leading several international delegations.
On their first day, the delegation also met with Hidalgo and her leadership to learn about her agenda for the Paris 2024 Games.
“Thank you for the warm welcome to Paris Mayor Hidalago!” Bass posted Thursday on social media. “As Los Angeles prepares for the 2028 Olympics, we are so honored to be here before the games kickoff and learn more about how your city is gearing up to welcome the world.”
Bass’ office said the focus of the trip is to learn best practices to generate business development, and learn from innovative housing, green transportation and infrastructure projects.
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Additionally, proposals and priorities with Business France were discussed. In a roundtable discussion with French companies, the delegation spoke about transportation, sustainability, sports and technology sectors.
Business France is an agency of the French Government, responsible for fostering business relationships of France worldwide. With eight offices throughout the U.S. and Canada — with a full office opened in LA in January — Business France caters to companies that seek to partner with French companies or source French products and services.
The three City Council members in the delegation sit on the Ad Hoc Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The delegation is expected to return Sunday.