Aug. 10, 2025 7 AM PT

To the editor: I have long thought that, while initially a visionary and exciting idea, Los Angeles is no longer, and cannot be, ready and able to host the 2028 Olympics (“L.A. never needed the Olympics. With Trump wanting in, it’s time to pull out,” Aug. 7). There are too many obstacles to be navigated and given this great city’s enormous challenges — primarily financial and those concerning transportation and our unhoused neighbors — it’s time to withdraw and focus on the issues necessary for stability, sustainability and growth.

I was almost ready to squelch my pessimism, and then President Trump created the White House Task Force for the 2028 Olympics. With this action, clearly reflecting Trump’s loathing of Los Angeles and the opportunity he sees to meddle mercilessly, the only response by LA28 chair Casey Wasserman and his team should be a resounding no and withdrawal. They may be temporarily embarrassed and criticized, but taking such a step would demonstrate strength and purpose, and L.A. would emerge as a powerful leader. To do anything else will be cowardly.

Terry Knowles, Pasadena

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To the editor: I agree with columnist Gustavo Arellano that L.A. should pull out of the 2028 Olympics. He made excellent points but left out another important argument: The current administration has made international travelers feel unwelcome and unsafe visiting the United States. International tourism is already down significantly. How much worse will it be three years from now? If the rest of the world stays home and watches the Olympics on TV or online, there will be no benefit for Los Angeles, only large costs.

Dawn Greene, Sunland

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To the editor: I find the call to bail out of the 2028 Olympics beyond the pale. As a volunteer who greeted Olympic arrivals at Los Angeles International Airport in 1984, I look at the last Olympics hosted by L.A. as one of the top five events of my life and can’t wait for it to come back again.

In the capable hands of Mayor Karen Bass, I harbor no doubt that the event will take place as planned from before start to after finish.

Mathilde Diaz, Long Island City, N.Y.